Nanny McPhee
Director: Kirk Jones
Cast: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kelly Macdonald, Angela Lansbury, Samuel Honeywood, Raphael Coleman, Imelda Staunton, Jennifer Rae Daykin, Holly Gibbs, Eliza Bennett, Zinnia Barnes, Celia Imrie
Widower Cedric Brown (Colin Firth) hires Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all seventeen of the previous nannies with their rambunctious pranks. Taunted by Simon (Thomas Sangster) and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline and manners into the Brown children. Things get worse for the Brown family when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch (Angela Lansbury), threatens to break the family apart, but with the help of Simon’s cleverness, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee to become a real family again.
One of the most powerful themes in this film is promises, and nowhere is this theme illustrated more vividly than in the character of Nanny McPhee, herself, and the promises that she makes to the Brown family.
When Nanny McPhee arrives at the Brown home, this family is broken. When Nanny McPhee is putting the children to bed on the first night, she makes them a promise. She tells the children “When you need me, but do not want me, I must stay…but when you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go.” While on the surface, it seems like the essence of this promise is meant to fix the children’s bad behavior, and heal their relationship with their grieving father, I believe there is a much deeper meaning to Nanny McPhee’s promise that goes unsaid; a silent and heartfelt vow that she makes to the children, that she – Nanny McPhee – will find the children a new mother to love and care for them and heal their broken family. This is illustrated when Nanny McPhee promises Mr. Brown that she will give the children ‘exactly what they need,’ when they pretend to be sick in bed. After she says this, Nanny McPhee bows respectfully to the empty armchair that had once belonged to the children’s mother, Agatha Brown, and as she leaves, we see the tassels flutter in response…as if Ms. Brown, herself, is bowing back to her. When the children ask politely to get out of bed and have some dinner, the magic breaks, and it is Evangeline, herself, who brings the children supper and comforts them.
Nanny McPhee tells Mr. Brown that there are five lessons that she must teach his children: to go to bed when they are told, to wake up when they are told, to say please and thank you, to listen, and finally, to do exactly as they are told by their parents…but she also tells Mr. Brown that what the children choose to take from these simple lessons is up to them. There is a much deeper purpose to these lessons, than Nanny McPhee simply teaching the children good manners and discipline. There are three moments throughout the story that illustrate this. The children’s great aunt, Lady Adelaide Stitch (Angela Lansbury), rules the Brown family with an iron fist. She gives Mr. Brown a stern ultimatum, that if he doesn’t remarry by the month’s end, she will no longer support his family, and they will be ruined. When Lady Stitch threatens to adopt one of Mr. Brown’s daughters as her own, to “relieve Mr. Brown of his financial burden,” Simon Brown (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) chooses to send Evangeline (Kelly MacDonald) to live with Aunt Adelaide, rather than sending his sister, Christiana. Evangeline secretly loves Mr. Brown, but her humble status as a servant, and her lack of education, make Evangeline feel unworthy of his love. When Nanny McPhee finds Evangeline reading a book about a humble maiden who becomes an educated lady to win the heart of the handsome prince, Nanny McPhee encourages Evangeline to finish the story. When the children must choose which of them must go with Aunt Adelaide, Evangeline takes Christiana’s place as Lady Adelaide Stitch’s adopted daughter, so that she can learn grace and good manners, and get an education, and thus, save Christiana and win Mr. Brown’s heart, as well.
When Mr. Brown, in a very desperate attempt to keep his family together, opts to pursue Ms. Selma Quickly (Celia Imrie), to appease his great-aunt’s ultimatum that he remarries, she is the very definition of the vile and cruel stepmother that the children fear from the stories…and she has a particular hatred for children, made worse, when the children inflict several pranks on Ms. Quickly, in hopes of scaring her away forever. When they learn the truth from their father, the children attempt to reconcile with their future stepmother, and she forgives them when she learns that there is a family fortune in the bargain, if she marries their father. In the end, Nanny McPhee’s magic and Simon’s cleverness bring healing to the Brown family. Their mother’s rattle is restored to little Aggie, the children have a loving and devoted mother to take care of them, and Evangeline’s dream comes true at last. Nanny McPhee bows to Ms. Brown’s chair one last time and leaves the family to their happily ever after.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Kirk Jones
Cast: Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kelly Macdonald, Angela Lansbury, Samuel Honeywood, Raphael Coleman, Imelda Staunton, Jennifer Rae Daykin, Holly Gibbs, Eliza Bennett, Zinnia Barnes, Celia Imrie
Widower Cedric Brown (Colin Firth) hires Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) to care for his seven rambunctious children, who have chased away all seventeen of the previous nannies with their rambunctious pranks. Taunted by Simon (Thomas Sangster) and his siblings, Nanny McPhee uses mystical powers to instill discipline and manners into the Brown children. Things get worse for the Brown family when the children's great-aunt and benefactor, Lady Adelaide Stitch (Angela Lansbury), threatens to break the family apart, but with the help of Simon’s cleverness, the family pulls together under the guidance of Nanny McPhee to become a real family again.
One of the most powerful themes in this film is promises, and nowhere is this theme illustrated more vividly than in the character of Nanny McPhee, herself, and the promises that she makes to the Brown family.
When Nanny McPhee arrives at the Brown home, this family is broken. When Nanny McPhee is putting the children to bed on the first night, she makes them a promise. She tells the children “When you need me, but do not want me, I must stay…but when you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go.” While on the surface, it seems like the essence of this promise is meant to fix the children’s bad behavior, and heal their relationship with their grieving father, I believe there is a much deeper meaning to Nanny McPhee’s promise that goes unsaid; a silent and heartfelt vow that she makes to the children, that she – Nanny McPhee – will find the children a new mother to love and care for them and heal their broken family. This is illustrated when Nanny McPhee promises Mr. Brown that she will give the children ‘exactly what they need,’ when they pretend to be sick in bed. After she says this, Nanny McPhee bows respectfully to the empty armchair that had once belonged to the children’s mother, Agatha Brown, and as she leaves, we see the tassels flutter in response…as if Ms. Brown, herself, is bowing back to her. When the children ask politely to get out of bed and have some dinner, the magic breaks, and it is Evangeline, herself, who brings the children supper and comforts them.
Nanny McPhee tells Mr. Brown that there are five lessons that she must teach his children: to go to bed when they are told, to wake up when they are told, to say please and thank you, to listen, and finally, to do exactly as they are told by their parents…but she also tells Mr. Brown that what the children choose to take from these simple lessons is up to them. There is a much deeper purpose to these lessons, than Nanny McPhee simply teaching the children good manners and discipline. There are three moments throughout the story that illustrate this. The children’s great aunt, Lady Adelaide Stitch (Angela Lansbury), rules the Brown family with an iron fist. She gives Mr. Brown a stern ultimatum, that if he doesn’t remarry by the month’s end, she will no longer support his family, and they will be ruined. When Lady Stitch threatens to adopt one of Mr. Brown’s daughters as her own, to “relieve Mr. Brown of his financial burden,” Simon Brown (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) chooses to send Evangeline (Kelly MacDonald) to live with Aunt Adelaide, rather than sending his sister, Christiana. Evangeline secretly loves Mr. Brown, but her humble status as a servant, and her lack of education, make Evangeline feel unworthy of his love. When Nanny McPhee finds Evangeline reading a book about a humble maiden who becomes an educated lady to win the heart of the handsome prince, Nanny McPhee encourages Evangeline to finish the story. When the children must choose which of them must go with Aunt Adelaide, Evangeline takes Christiana’s place as Lady Adelaide Stitch’s adopted daughter, so that she can learn grace and good manners, and get an education, and thus, save Christiana and win Mr. Brown’s heart, as well.
When Mr. Brown, in a very desperate attempt to keep his family together, opts to pursue Ms. Selma Quickly (Celia Imrie), to appease his great-aunt’s ultimatum that he remarries, she is the very definition of the vile and cruel stepmother that the children fear from the stories…and she has a particular hatred for children, made worse, when the children inflict several pranks on Ms. Quickly, in hopes of scaring her away forever. When they learn the truth from their father, the children attempt to reconcile with their future stepmother, and she forgives them when she learns that there is a family fortune in the bargain, if she marries their father. In the end, Nanny McPhee’s magic and Simon’s cleverness bring healing to the Brown family. Their mother’s rattle is restored to little Aggie, the children have a loving and devoted mother to take care of them, and Evangeline’s dream comes true at last. Nanny McPhee bows to Ms. Brown’s chair one last time and leaves the family to their happily ever after.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.