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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ClassyCo" data-source="post: 312652" data-attributes="member: 7">I watched THE NANNY yesterday for the first time entirely. Before I had stirred away from this movie basically because it was British, and I know some of their mid-'60s horror flicks can be cheesy. There was also the rumor that I had heard repeated for years that THE NANNY -- like other films of the time -- was a poor imitation of BABY JANE, and therefore simply not as good. But a lot of Bette's fans countered those claims, proclaiming this to be one of her finest on-screen portrayals. There were several things I liked about this film. First, one cannot leave a Bette Davis film and not be compelled by the performance she gave. Bette plays the nameless title character here, a tidbit that I think only serves to heighten the proposed notion that Nanny isn't what she's cracked up to be. Her consistent performance strengthens this movie and saves it from being completely campy. The cast members around her are also quite good, especially William Dix as a young master Joey, and Jill Bennett as the boy's Aunt Pen. Singling out Bette is quite easy to do because she brings such nuance to a character that, in less capable hands, would've been viewed as strictly villainous. Of course, we know that this movie aims to allude to the fact that Nanny isn't all sunshine, but Davis brings layers that make you question whether she's victim or the suspect. Another thing that I'll give THE NANNY kudos for is its B&W cinematography. Grande dame guignol films are especially good when they're accompanied with some stylish B&W camera work. Props should also be given to the level of tension this movie conveys from all areas of the story. Practically the entire run time one sits on the edge of their seat wondering if Nanny is going to snap or if Joey is going to be the culprit. That's good movie-making regardless of the genre. [ATTACH=full]34561[/ATTACH] Having watched it now, I can understand why many fans of the hagsploitation sub-genre hold THE NANNY in such high regard. It is quite a good film, and proves that films outside of BABY JANE and CHARLOTTE can be of good quality and execution. All it takes is a good script, director, good B&W camera work, the right Old Hollywood diva to make a good hag horror. And this film mixes up all the ingredients quite nicely. In saying all that, I know I still like BABY JANE more than THE NANNY, with the primary reason being that I cannot get over such a dynamic pairing of Davis and Crawford in one outstanding picture. Once I revisit CHARLOTTE, I can reassess where the movies would fall in a trio ranking, although I wouldn't be scared to say that THE NANNY might've pushed CHARLOTTE out of second place. Of course, I can't necessarily say for sure until I've reviewed the latter again.  </blockquote>

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