Nanny McPhee Returns to Weave Her Enchantment During World War II

Last year, Nanny McPhee Returns arrived in theaters, and while I’d enjoyed the first film about an eccentric nanny who works wonders in a household that desperately needs her, my primary reason for wanting to see the movie was quite silly. I had seen footage of the premiere, and I spotted Emma Thompson walking with a woolly pig. It was one of the strangest creatures I had ever seen, and I assumed that it was one of the stars of the sequel. When I finally got around to renting it this week, I confess that the pig was what I most looked forward to seeing. Alas, although it’s hardly customary to bring one’s pets to a movie premiere, apparently the sheep-pig was merely a personal pet of Thompson’s. At any rate, it played no role in the movie. How disappointing…

Although a small part of me kept hoping throughout the film that the sheep-pig would eventually show up, I mostly gave up on it early on and resolved to enjoy the movie anyway. Like the first movie, it finds Thompson playing Nanny McPhee, a frumpy, intimidating personage who arrives unwanted and begins to work her magic upon a group of unruly children and their overwrought guardian. She is the only character linking the two movies – except for the eccentric Aggie (Maggie Smith), an elderly shopkeeper. Aggie was just a baby in the first movie, so that tells you how many years have passed. Instead of the late 1800s, we’re now in the 1940s, and World War II hangs heavy in the air.

On an untidy little farm out in the English countryside, Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is waiting for her husband to come home from the war. She’s trying to manage the farm without him, but it isn’t easy, especially since she has three rambunctious children to contend with. What’s more, her cossetted niece and nephew have just arrived, and nobody’s very happy about it. Even worse, unbeknownst to her, Isabel’s brother-in-law Phil (Rhys Ifans) gambled away the farm to two rather terrifying women who intend to do nasty things to him if he doesn’t cough it up. As a result, he’ll now do just about anything to get her to sign away her property. Isabel could really use some help.

The setting is sometimes picturesque, sometimes grotesque. The surrounding fields are gorgeous, but the immediate area near the house is a muddy mess. If it were just mud, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but there is great reasons to suspect that this sludge is more malodorous in nature. It’s certainly not a welcome sight for stuffy Cyril (Eros Vlahos) and spoiled Celia (Rosie Taylor-Riston), and they are not a welcome sight for their spirited cousins, Norman (Asa Butterfield) and Megsie (Lil Woods). Of the five children, the most agreeable is young Vincent (Oscar Steer), whose primary role in the film is to be utterly adorable. When Nanny McPhee arrives, she tells Isabel that the children require five lessons. By the end of the third lesson, the children are no longer at each other’s throats. But can they work together to keep Isabel from losing the farm?

Like the first movie, the sequel is a bit over-the-top and silly at times but quite touching at others. The children hold their own among some of the giants of British cinema. Thompson looks a bit goofy spending most of the movie berating the crow who came with her, but she still carries herself impressively, while an especially wispy-looking Smith is thoroughly entertaining in each of her appearances. Completing the trio of Harry Potter alums is Ralph Fiennes, who plays Cyril and Celia’s father, a severe high-ranking officer who works in London. Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal must provide the film’s heart, and she quickly wins the viewer’s sympathy.

While the movie does not include a sheep-pig, several plain old pigs play a prominent part, and an elephant even shows up at one point. The latter is, naturally, part and parcel of Nanny McPhee’s magic, which works in unexpected ways and has far-reaching consequences. While Mary Poppins will always be my favorite mysteriously magical British nanny, I’m happy to see Nanny McPhee return to work her enchantment yet again.

My Top Ten Movies of the '40s

I like to think of myself as fairly well-versed in movies, but my movie-viewing could use some brushing up, especially when it comes to films from the predominantly black-and-white era.  Still, I've seen enough movies in the '40s to have a few favorites.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - Henry Fonda gives perhaps his greatest performances as Tom Joad, champion of the oppressed, alongside Jane Darwell as his formidable mother, who holds the suffering family together as they trek across the wasted landscape during the Dust Bowl in search of food and meager employment. A riveting tale of survival in the face of ordinary evil, it concludes with one of cinema's most stirring and often-referenced speeches.

Pinocchio (1940) - One of Disney's best, it's the standout in a productive decade for the House of Mouse. Adventurous enough to appease modern audiences, it includes timeless lessons on the values of honesty, bravery and unselfishness. When You Wish Upon a Star remains synonymous with Disney, and Jiminy Cricket is equally iconic, though my favorite character is the gentle Geppetto, first of the great Disney dads.

Dumbo (1941) - It's a single parent again in this Disney film, though a mom in this case. Mrs. Jumbo is fiercely proud of her son despite his physical abnormality. One of many tales along the lines of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer in which an apparent defect becomes the ticket to greatness, Dumbo encourages perseverance. Steadfast mouse Timothy operates much like Jiminy Cricket, helping his young friend achieve his goals. Dumbo's exhilarated flights, the extended scene in which the befuddled stork delivers bundles of joy to the circus animals and the trippy Pink Elephants on Parade sequence are memorable movie moments, and the Baby Mine is heartbreaking.

Bambi (1942) - Three Disneys in a row, and then I'll give it a rest for a while. Set in a pristine forest, Bambi includes some of Disney's most glorious animation. It's a good thing the visuals are so stunning, since there's precious little dialogue, and the rather shrill songs are background rather than belonging to particular characters. The movie is best in its opening half, when Bambi and his friends, enthusiastic rabbit Thumper and shy skunk Flower, are busy exploring their world, getting into all sorts of entertaining mischief. The second half is disturbingly dark, but its full-circle ending is one again tranquil. An excellent precursor to The Lion King.

Casablanca (1942) - I'm not usually much for wartime epics, but this one's so iconic I can't leave it out. Humphrey Bogart is particularly terrific in this story of star-crossed love and a world in turmoil. Some of the most quotable lines of the decade come from this film. Even if they are sometimes misquoted...

It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - Jimmy Stewart gained a reputation for playing decent everymen, and George Bailey seems to be the first character on most people's minds when they make that association. George isn't perfect; by the time the angel Clarence comes to intervene in his life, he's downright surly. But then, he has a right; his life hasn't gone the way he'd intended, and now he's on the verge of bankruptcy because of a stupid mistake that wasn't his fault. Like Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, George has an opportunity to see where the decisions of his past have led him and those around him. But in his case, it's a positive revelation. It's the perfect movie to watch when you're feeling down and out, the perfect reminder that the good things we do make an impact, even if we can't always see the results for ourselves.

The Bishop's Wife (1947) - In a similar vein to the above, this one stars suave Cary Grant, who comes into the life of an overworked man of the cloth in an effort to improve his circumstances, though falling for his wife in the process complicates matters. It's hard to say whether I prefer this or the '90s remake, The Preacher's Wife. Both are gently humorous, romantic and Christmassy.

Miracle on 34th St. (1947) - Same goes for this one, in which Natalie Wood plays the serious little girl who comes to believe that the elderly gentleman she's befriended really is Santa Claus. This, too, had a remake in the '90s, and again, I find it hard to decide between the two. But for years, this was the ultimate Santa Claus movie, with nothing really to rival it. Give it a whirl some Thanksgiving and you'll soon see why.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) - This one will be getting the remake treatment, but it's not there yet. We studied the story in my freshman year of English, and the movie puts the talents of Danny Kaye to good use in adapting this tale of a hen-pecked daydreamer for the big screen. Mike Myers is no Danny Kaye, but I'm curious to see what he will do with the character...

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) - It's not a full-length masterpiece, but two beloved stories get the animated Disney treatment here. Gangly Ichabod Crane of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and rambunctious Mr. Toad of The Wind in the Willows spring from the screen with vitality, each as idiosyncratic as the other. Ichabod puts me in mind of Halloween, while Toad makes me long for warm, leisurely summer days, but both are magnificent characters year-round.