E X T E N S I O N A VERSATILE TALE Britten s operatic version The innocents (play) The innocents (film) Henry James would be surprised to know how popular his story has remained, and how it has been adapted to the theatre, cinema, opera, and even ballet. People lost interest in his works in the 1920 s, but they became popular again after the Second World War. Just as Henry James adapted a story to serialize1 for Collier s monthly magazine, his own tale was adapted by various people for different forms of Art. The famous British composer, Benjamin Britten, wrote and produced an opera which was first performed in 1954 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. William Archibald adapted the story for his play, The Innocents, which was performed on Broadway in 1950. In 1961, this inspired the cinema director Jack Clayton, to produce his classic film of the same name starring the American actress, Deborah Kerr and the British actor, Michael Redgrave. In 1971, Michael Winner directed The Nightcomers, starring Marlon Brando. 1. serialize: publish or televise something in parts. 2. released: made available to the public. 100