The Nanny
1965, UK, Directed by Seth Holt
Black and White, Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD, Region 2, Optimum, Video: Anamorphic 1.78:1, Audio: Mono
Some time after Joey’s little sister suffers a fatal ‘accident’ in a bath tub he returns home from the institution where he was sent after having been accused of causing the death. All is obviously not right with the family - his dad is uptight, his mom a nervous wreck, and the nanny that his parents employ is downright sinister. From there begins a series of abnormal occurrences such as poisoning of the mom, alleged attempted drowning of Joey, etc.; the ambiguity of which makes it difficult to directly attribute the problems to either Joey or the nanny. From the start Joey is revealed to be a mischievous little bugger who likes to play ‘jokes’ on anyone who will respond with horror (such as tricking one of the nurses at the hospital that he has hung himself), while the nanny herself is clearly missing tight screws here and there.
This has been quite an elusive Hammer title for years but it was worth the wait to see. Having previously directed the brilliant Taste of Fear for Hammer, Holt shoots with flair composing some great images while the B&W cinematography is very attractive. Simpson’s editing is masterful and the film is briefly complemented by a nice introductory score by Richard Bennett. The relationship between Joey (William Dix) and the nanny (Bette Davis), around which much of the film revolves, is quite engaging and there is a dark edge to many of their interactions. The gorgeous and hugely talented ‘child’ actor, Pamela Franklin (The Innocents, Our Mother’s House), makes an appearance as the girl who lives upstairs, occasionally giving Joey lip or getting him into trouble - she tried to make it as an adult star I think but choosing stuff like Legend of Hell House was probably not the best career strategy. She ended up doing a lot of TV work, but her innate talent shows through here. Generally I liked the performances of all of the leads. This is an offbeat and pretty dark tale that’s worth checking out.
Not razor sharp but certainly very good looking on DVD, this is available as part of the Ultimate Hammer Collection from Optimum. It’s one of the better films in the boxed set and it can be purchased pretty cheaply by itself if preferred. Combined with a commentary and being exclusive to the UK I’d say this is recommended.