Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
a.k.a. Girly
1970 · Directed by Freddie Francis · UK
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970) is a twisty and macabre comedy of manners by British director and cinematographer Freddie Francis. An eccentric family lure unsuspecting “friends” to their crumbling estate to enact bizarre games and rituals to suit their needs. The friends are not named, and if they break the rules of the house they are “sent to the angels”.
Francis wanted a project he had full control over after being a director for hire with Hammer Films. The plot twists as New Friend (Michael Bryant), who has been blackmailed owing to the death of his girlfriend at the hands of Sonny, begins to manipulate Mumsy, Nanny and Girly. The family talk in nursery rhymes which belie their darker origins, and this provides some dark humour involving Toe, Knee, Nut and a rhyme for boiling a head.
Vanessa Howard as Girly provides a Lolita-esque sinister charm as she lures New Friend into her web, but underestimates his ambition to take control. Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly is an overlooked oddity, and I would recommend seeking out this black comedy as an example of Francis’s creative vision.
Gallery
Trailer
From the score
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Bernard Ebbinghouse – music from the film
