The Turn of the Screw (opera) The Turn of the Screw (opera) The Turn of the Screw is a 20th-century English chamber opera composed by Benjamin Britten with a libretto by Myfanwy Piper, "wife of the artist John Piper, who had been a friend of the composer since 1935 and had provided designs for several of the operas". The libretto is based on the novella "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James. The opera was commissioned by the Venice Biennale and given its world premiere on 14 September 1954, at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice. The original recording was made during that year, with the
The Turn of the Screw (2009 film) or "suppurate[d] in evil", found it "never less than absorbing", suspecting this would be particularly so for viewers unfamiliar with the story. "The Daily Telegraph"s Simon Horsford felt that "The Turn of the Screw" "might not work on all levels but it is an unsettling interpretation nonetheless". By contrast, Tom Sutcliffe, writing in "The Independent", was unimpressed with the film, considering James's novel to have been "comprehensively vandalised", while Richard Whittaker, writing in "The Austin Chronicle", felt that the film was "a particular and peculiar misfire" from Welch. "The Turn of the Screw" was chosen as "pick of the day"