The Nanny

1965 "Nanny wasn't responsible . . . WAS SHE?"

The Nanny

7.1 | 1h31m | NR | en | Drama

Nanny, a London family's live-in maid, brings morbid 10-year-old Joey back from the psychiatric ward he's been in for two years, since the death of his younger sister. Joey refuses to eat any food Nanny's prepared or take a bath with her in the room. He also demands to sleep in a room with a lock. Joey's parents -- workaholic Bill and neurotic Virgie -- are sure Joey is disturbed, but he may have good reason to be terrified of Nanny.

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7.1 | 1h31m | NR | en | Drama , Horror , Thriller | More Info

Released: October. 27,1965 | Released Producted By: Seven Arts Productions , Hammer Film Productions Country: United Kingdom Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:

Synopsis

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Cast

Bette Davis , Wendy Craig , Jill Bennett

Director

Michael Finlay

Producted By

Seven Arts Productions , Hammer Film Productions

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Trailers & Images

Cast

Bette Davis

as Nanny

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Wendy Craig

as Virginia 'Virgie' Fane

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Jill Bennett

as Aunt Pen

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Reviews

preppy-3 A 10 year old boy is being sent home from an institution after two years. It seems when he was 8 his younger sister drowned in the bath tub. He blames their nanny (Bette Davis). She blames him. After two years they believe he's cured. Back home he hates the nanny and makes sure she knows it. She treats him with respect. We slowly find out what happened back then.An unknown Hammer horror movie. It is slow-moving and I saw the ending coming from a mile away but I was never bored. There are quite a few chilling moments especially at the end. It's shot in moody black and white and well-directed by Seth Holt (who HATED working with Davis). All the acting is great--especially by Davis. For once she nicely underplays the role and is very effective. She's superb at the end. A pretty unknown Hammer thriller that's well worth seeing.

PrometheusTree64 Too rarely seen, THE NANNY is arguably the last good, textured role Bette Davis played on the big screen.A subtle psychological thriller about a mental competition between an English governess and a 10-year old boy suspected of murdering his sister, THE NANNY is as low-key and understated as WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE and HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE were baroque.A surprisingly effective "small" film, this is no schlock horror picture by any stretch. It's really quite poignant and chilling.And perhaps it's the London locations, but the picture has that odd, resonant feel to it of being at the very fulcrum of the '60s somehow from which you can taste both the Cold War doom of the first half of the decade and the languid angst of the latter half. (Not that movie gets in any way sociopolitical, of course).

LeonLouisRicci Hammer Studios was a class act. They could make anything look good and had a way of putting together a film that had audience appeal and did it with the efficiency needed because of financial restraints. They seemed to match bigger studios and rarely made films that were completely bad or disappointing.The Nanny is no exception. The Studio managed to concoct a semi-effective Gothic thriller but this one is so laid back and restrained that it sometimes sputters and it becomes a bit of a bore. This combined with some confusing flashbacks and a very convoluted ending result in a rather pedestrian picture with few shocks and even fewer flamboyances. This was probably done for effect but ultimately unseats this from becoming a taut thriller and results in some interest but can't maintain its mood for the duration. All the performances are above expectations and Davis fans can marvel at her even handed approach but she never manages to escape or emerge from her one note portrayal of a not very interesting friend of the family.It's a good looking evenly paced, if forever slow, movie that is not bad but fails to make much of an impression considering some of the aberrant behavior and some eccentric takes on the upper middle class lives of these stiff and stifling Brits.

JasparLamarCrabb Surprisingly dull considering the promising premise & the participation of Bette Davis in the title role. Davis is nanny to the seemingly incorrigible Joey (William Dix), who may or may not have killed his little sister. His parents are befuddled (in the case of mom Wendy Craig, completely neurotic) as to what to make of little Joey. The boy proclaims his innocence to anyone who'll listen. It's a shame that this Hammer film isn't better...or at least scary. Davis affects an odd English accent and Craig is fairly hysterical, but there's no suspense or action just a lot of explication. Dix is very unappealing and so is young Pamela Franklin as his confident. Jill Bennett does add some spark as Joey's saucy aunt, who proves to be swifter than the other adults in the film (and regrets it). Directed by Seth Holt and based on the Evelyn Piper novel. Otto Preminger had better luck the same year with BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING (also penned by Piper).