Nanny McPhee was written by the leading lady, Emma Thompson, who is an established actress with a small script writing past. She adapted this from the Christianna Brand books about the character Nurse Matilda. Nanny McPhee was released back on January 27th 2005 with a well recogniseable cast with Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and others. The magical edge to the film was intruiging and the film was a pretty big success. It has been revealed since that this is going to be the lead up to another two films. The screenplay was directed by Kirk Jones.
■The Plot■
The film starts by showing what little mischieves the children in this film can be. The children who star in this are Tora, Simon, Lily, Eric, Christianna, Sebastian, and Aggie who are all brothers and sisters, children of widower Mr. Brown. The children manage to scare away 'the strictist nanny in town' on her way by telling her they had eaten the baby, she followed the sixteen nannies that Mr. Brown had tried to hire before then and the agency began to become wary of looking after his children. With him almost giving up as he cannot look after them and work at the same time. But his prayers are answered with Nanny McPhee. Some strange signs and constant messages saying 'the one you seek is Nanny McPhee' and on a particularly troublesome night when the kids have broken into the kitchen and are causing havoc, there is a knock on the door. Waiting there is the magical character of Nanny McPhee, warts and all, wanting to go inside and sort out the little ne'er-do-wells. After a magical
turn of events where the nanny makes them do things tey cannot control, she gets her way. After the ruccous about it has died down and the children are asleep Nanny McPhee vows she will keep the children in line at all costs but she has Sundays off... The rest of the film is a combination of small events taken generally day by day over time as Nanny McPhee aims to teach the little tykes her lessons. As her lessons are learned slowly over time, her complexion seems to become less warty. Nanny McPhee's lessons are:
To go to bed when they are told To get up when they are told To get dressed when they are told To listen to what they are told To do exactly as they are told
The film shows the gradual change in the children's behaviour after being forced to do things to begin with but being changed inside too by the end. They almost lose one of their number to their Aunt Adelaide who is trying to help their father with his financial issues. She has said he must marry before the month is over or she will stop giving him her money. She wants to take one of his children to try and ease the probalem of having to spend money on them. After a struggle the team of children manage to pull through together but with the loss of the servant Evangeline who has to go with Adelaide. The story comes to a conclusion at the wedding ceremony for Mr. Brown and Mrs. Quickly who are se to marry but the children, who have found that Mrs. Quickly is everything they've ever feared in a stepmother, have other ideas...
■Cast■
Nanny McPhee - Emma Thompson Cedric Brown - Colin Firth Evangeline - Kelly Macdonald Great Aunt Adelaide - Angela Lansbury Mrs. Quickly - Celia Imrie Simon - Thomas Sangster Tora - Eliza Bennett Lily - Jennifer Rae Daykin Eric - Raphael Coleman Sebastian - Sam Honywood Christianna "Chrissy" - Holly Gibbs Agatha "Aggie" - Hebe Barnes and Zinnia Barnes Mrs. Blatherwick - Imelda Staunton Mr. Jowls - Patrick Barlow Mr. Wheen - Derek Jacobi
Lead and Scriptwriter Emma Thompson is an accomplished actress with many great blockbusters under her belt both before and after this movie. She appeared in Love Actually as Karen, Prime Minister's sister. This is presumably where she met the likes of Colin Firth and Thomas Sangster who play Mr. Brown and Simon Brown in this film. Emma does her role justice and plays the rather quirky character brilliantly and to great effect. Since this film her most noticeable role is Professor Trelawny in the Harry Potter films.
Colin Firth is another well known name to be appearing in the film. His extensive career starts back in 1984 but has been in many great films since then such as Fever Pitch, Bridget Jones's Diary and What a Girl Wants. He plays the role of the stressed father of eight remarkably well, with not so much as a noticeable hiccough.
Kelly MacDonald is a less well known name but still with a pretty long history in the film business. Her career started with a bang making the role of Diane in Trainspotting. From there she went forward and has since appeared in films such as Finding Neverland, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Girl in the Cafe. Her role as the unloved scullery maid is played very well and her love of her master, Mr. Brown is performed well.
Aunt Adelaide is played by Angela Lansbury, multi award winning actress who's career spans seven decades featuring in many great films such as The Manchurian Candidate, Bedknobs & Broomsticks and two Agatha Christie Films. During the 90s she played mainly voice roles and Nanny McPhee is one of her only non-voice movie roles in many years. She pulls off the role very well and she is a believable baddie for the kids to dislike.
Thomas Sangster is a young actor remembered for his cute little face in Love Actually but that baby faced boy is now seventeen. Not quite so old at the time of tis film, about 14 perhaps, but he is a great actor for his age. I like him in all that I've seen him in. He plays the feisty rebellious child Simon very well.
■My Opinion■
The film has many different points that I would like to make about it. The storyline itself is a very good one I think. Most children's stories are a little too simple really and even though they're only for kids they'll still want something to concentrate on. This is better as it has many little parts to the story, they are simple adventures but there are lots of them and every new day seems to bring a new lesson. I also like the bluntness of the film in places; at the start when Nanny McPhee arrives there is no mystique and suspicions about her being magical and being a witch which gets dragged out she just simply lets it out into the open pretty much straight away which I liked. Also at the end when Nanny McPhee leaves there are no dragged out goodbyes she just leaves the family to be happy. As this is a child's movie you can imagine that there is a traditional happy ending with the bad guys, or girls in this case, screaming and running away but living to fight another day. The magical element to the film adds a little something to it which will interest a child. A movie about some mischievous kids might entertain a child but with an addition of a magical Nanny, it definitely will! I'd say it isn't really for children over the age of ten but some over that may enjoy it. I enjoyed the film and I am obviously older than ten but it was just something to make me relax before exams the next day. Nice movie that will have the children wanting a magical nanny. Just hope they don't try and be terrors to try and make her turn up!
With hairy warts, a stern-looking unibrow and one extremely protruding buck-tooth,Nanny ... more
McPheeis a wonderfully comedic substitute for Mary Poppins in this entertaining family fantasy. By loosely adapting Christianna Brand'sNurse Matildachildren's books...
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With hairy warts, a stern-looking unibrow and one extremely protruding buck-tooth,Nanny ... more
McPheeis a wonderfully comedic substitute for Mary Poppins in this entertaining family fantasy. By loosely adapting Christianna Brand'sNurse Matildachildren's books...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
![Nanny McPhee [DVD] [2005]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/76556673.jpg "Nanny McPhee [DVD] [2005]")
Jun 13th, 2007
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