The Nanny
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Movie Reviews of The Nanny
Movie Review: "The Nanny" delivers...
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is a neat little thriller. Here, Ms. Davis plays a nanny at a household where a girl died two years earlier. Her young brother is returning home from a correctional facility due to behavior problems immediately following her death.
When the boy arrives back, his mother is still near a nervous collapse and not certain she can handle the boy, as he is still extremely unruly and could often use a good swack. He also accuses the nanny of killing his sister.
The film keeps you guessing and delivers some genuinely suspenseful moments as you begin to wonder what really happened 2 years ago and who is in danger. There's also a few shocks, and I'm usually pretty hardy in these kinds of movies.
Bette Davis brings the movie up up a notch or two. This was released in 1965, right after Davis' "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" and 1962's thriller, "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" the film which started Davis' period of the "hag movies"...aging spinsters in dangerous situations.
The Nanny" isn't nearly as over the top as "...Charlotte" or "...Baby Jane". As a British nanny, Ms. Davis is more subdued, so you can better appreciate her nuances and wonderfully expressive "Bette Davis eyes". She again bravely shows what an aging woman looks like , without surgery and thick make-up, something I wish modern actors would allow themselves to do.
Only problems with this movie are that the psychological explanation is a bit improbable and ties things up too neatly. A twist at the end also introduces a subplot that had minimal foreshadowing and would have been nearly impossible to guess. Finally, while the movie holds interest, it doesn't have the continued intensity that makes for a top thriller, This is all forgivable with all else this movie has going for it, but probably lands the movie closer to a 3.5 star flick.
The DVD quality is excellent. However, there is no commentary and only a few extras, such as film trailers, the movie's posters, lobby cards, etc. For that reason, you may want to rent the DVD first, to make sure it's a movie you would want to own.
Anyway, still a good movie and should not be missed by Davis fans or fans of good acting, old fashioned thrillers.
Movie Review: Mary Poppins she ain't...
Summary: 4 Stars
Kind-hearted nursemaid or cold-blooded murderess? Bette Davis delivers a finely understated performance as THE NANNY, an offbeat thriller from Hammer Studios in 1965.
Following the mysterious death of little Susy Fane, her older brother Joey (William Dix) is blamed and sent to a childrens' correctional facility. Two years later, he's allowed home, but refuses to be left alone in the company of the family's long-serving nursemaid, Nanny (Bette Davis). What exactly happened that has made Joey so incredibly wary of the seemingly-kind old nurse?
Bette Davis leads the charge with an absorbing performance in THE NANNY, arguably one of her most subtle and understated performances during a point in her career when she could get very hammy (pardon the pun). Two years later she'd star in another memorable Hammer production, the delicious black comedy "The Anniversary".
William Dix (best-remembered for playing little Tommy Stubbins in the Fox musical "Doctor Dolittle"), is a marvelous young actor and holds his own with Davis in their scenes together. Wendy Craig, Jill Bennett and James Villiers are also very fine. The movie also co-stars a fifteen-year-old Pamela Franklin ("The Innocents", "Legend of Hell House").
If you enjoy a good thriller or whodunnit, THE NANNY is a superb choice.
Movie Review: A rarely seen horror film starring Bette Davis
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a Bette Davis film that you don't see very often anywhere. In fact it's been years since I've seen it and I can't even remember where. Ten year old Joey has a new nanny, Bette Davis. I don't think she even had a name in this one, just "the nanny". Nobody believes disturbed Joey when he claims that the nanny is evil and wants to kill him - she's such a sweet old lady. You know where this one is probably going from the start, but it's interesting to watch it play out. However, there is some very disturbing stuff in this one, so note that it might be difficult to watch. It takes real advantage of the fact that Davis could play anything from the sweetest to the most evil person in the world, and turn on a dime at either end of the scale.
This film is being released separately and also as part of the Bette Davis Centenary Collection from Fox in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Davis' birth. This DVD contains no extras besides some trailers, a photo gallery, and a before/after split screen showing the video restoration results.
Movie Review: The Nanny - Why Parents Need Therapy
Summary: 4 Stars
Bette Davis as a nanny to a family of neurotic, overindulged, priviledged Brits. The plot is the little boy is coming home from the psych hospital where he's been for 2 yrs due to the suspicious drowning of his little sister. The kid's a brat but it turns out things aren't what they appear to be. I don't generally like Bette's later film roles; I don't like to see such a great actress as a psychotic clown as she was in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. I prefer to remember her as she was in The Little Foxes or All About Eve. In The Nanny Bette combines stiff upper lip restraint with compassion, add in only a dash of psychosis. I saw this movie for the first time on the late, late, late show and it stood out in my memory for a couple of reasons. One, the world of children vs. adults, another, I felt sorry for Bette's character, the invisible nanny who missed out on a family of her own for very little in return. The quality of the film is excellent, it's restored beautifully as everything I get from Amazon.Movie Review: This Nanny really lets you have it!
Summary: 4 Stars
This gem is not often mentioned in the canon of Bette Davis films, but she gives an effective performance as well as the rest of the cast, with special kudos to Pamela Franklin who plays an upstairs neighbor. The pacing is slow, but you are inclined to stick with the film as you wonder just what the climax will be. There is enough camp here to satiate fans of her trademark acting style, but the British supporting cast REALLY chews the scenery. This film resembles in tone that of Deborah Kerr in The Innocents or Shelly Winters in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? What's the Matter with Helen?/Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (Midnite Movies Double Feature) If you are a Davis fan, this is a keeper.