Unusual Hammer film

Bette Davis stars in the title role of this much better than average Hammer film from the mid 1960's. Shot in crisp black and white, with excellent performances from the cast, this is certainly one of Hammers best efforts. It benefits strongly from being a subtle thriller, rather than the gothic blood soaked efforts the company is more famous for.

It is cleverly written so that it is never clear until quite near the end of the film exactly who is the guilty one. Without giving too much away the crux of the story is which one of The Nanny or the 10 year old boy is the unhinged one. Could it be both of them? I have only watched the DVD once, and will probably watch it again just to make sure I've understood it correctly!

This is certainly amongst the 10 best Hammer films I have seem and quite possibly even my top 5.

[Wednesday, December 24, 2008]

Bette Davis as The Nanny

I love Bette Davis films and that was the only reason why I bought this movie. If it were not for her in the lead role, I wouldn't have even bothered. This movie comes towards the end of Davis' career and it's one of her final lead roles. However, the film was not very interesting to me.

The story is good, but the film moves VERY, very, slowly. Ironically, the only character the viewer can sympathize with is the killer. The father is cold and indifferent; the mother is a whining, emotionally disturbed weakling; the aunt is okay, but she's only around to raise the victim count; and the young boy is by far the MOST ANNOYING youngster I've ever witnessed on screen. I wanted so much for Nanny to off him. Perhaps that's good acting on the kid's part, but it goes on for way too long in this film and it left my nerves in pieces.

Bette Davis does the best she can with this role. The movie itself is far inferior to her, but she gives it her all. I appreciate her willingness to play a full variety of characters, both sympathetic and unsympathetic alike. My 5 stars are strictly for her gracing this movie with her magnficent talent. Apart from her, this movie would be a total waste.

[Tuesday, July 08, 2008]

English Kabuki

It's absorbing in its own way, and it does have some incredible jolts involving infantren in danger, but this 1965 horror film is mostly of interest for its depiction of British anxieties regarding the corruption of the effete upper classes. Though diehard Bette Davis fans sometimes try to justify her performance here by reasoning her theatrics are in keeping with the material, she really seems like she's from another planet here: her thick eyebrows, strange wig, and whitened makeup make her seem like an elderly Kabuki version of Charlotte Vale in NOW, VOYAGER before her transformation. Wendy Craig, years before her excellent comic work in BUTTERFLIES, delivers a strange expressionistic performance as the mother of the infant protagonist that seems pitched to the level of the whole production; William Dix gives a fascinating intentionally dislikable performance as the disturbed infant.

[Wednesday, May 14, 2008]

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