THE NANNY (1965). Director: Seth Holt. Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster.
A ten-year-old boy, Joey Fane (William Dix), suspected of being responsible for the drowning death of his younger sister, comes home from an institution and gets into a battle of wits with the middle-aged nanny (Bette Davis) -- in the process testing the patience of his stern father (James Villiers) and fragile, emotionally-devastated mother (Wendy Craig). But does his hatred of the nanny perhaps have a basis in reality? This very suspenseful movie keeps you guessing nearly until the end, and Davis' excellent performance (for once her latter-day affected style works to her advantage) doesn't give it away. Little Dix, a remarkably confident and talented child actor, is more than a match for Davis, and the other performances, including that of Jill Bennett as his aunt with a weak heart, are all very effective. Pamela Franklin is also good as a young upstairs neighbor who wonders if it's nanny or little Joey who's nuts. Very interesting story with a moving finale. Dix later appeared in Doctor Doolittle but his career did not continue into adulthood.
Verdict: This is one of Hammer studios' best pictures. ***.
Bill, how could I have never seen this one? I have literally been reading about it since I was a 10-year-old studying classic films via these little paperback books from Pyramid Press. Very hard to find movie; I no longer have access to TCM...but I am sure I will find it.
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That sometimes happens with movies, doesn't it? You've been aware of a particular film for decades, always wanted to see it, but somehow it just eludes you over the years. I remember those Pyramid paperbacks very well! Anyway, the Nanny is streaming on Amazon Prime but I don't know if it's free or not. Definitely worth a look.
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