The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (film)

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a 1992 American psychological thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Annabella Sciorra and Rebecca De Mornay. The tale follows a vengeful, psychopathic[1] nanny out to destroy a naïve woman and steal her family. The title is taken from an 1865 poem by William Ross Wallace.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCurtis Hanson
Produced byDavid Madden
Written byAmanda Silver
Starring
Music byGraeme Revell
CinematographyRobert Elswit
Edited byJohn F. Link
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release date
  • January 10, 1992 (1992-01-10)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11.7 million
Box office$140 million

Plot

Claire Bartel is happily married and pregnant with her second child. At a routine check up, she is sexually molested by her new obstetrician, Victor Mott. Her husband Michael encourages her to report him to the state medical board, which prompts four more women to come forward.

Faced with multiple charges, Dr. Mott commits suicide, causing his pregnant widow to go into early labor. She loses her baby and requires an emergency hysterectomy. While recovering in hospital, Mrs. Mott sees a news story identifying Claire as the one who reported her husband, and she swears revenge.

Claire gives birth to a boy named Joe. Looking for a nanny, she unknowingly hires Mrs. Mott, who is using the alias "Peyton Flanders". She appears to be the perfect help but frequently breastfeeds Joe in secret (effectively brainwashing him to believe that she is his mother), encourages Claire's daughter Emma to keep secrets from her mother, and attempts to destroy Michael’s chance at a promotion.

Knowing that Claire's close friend Marlene had been Michael's ex-girlfriend before he married Claire, Peyton suggests to Michael that he arrange a surprise party for Claire’s birthday, leading Marlene and Michael to meet in secret. Claire accuses Michael of having an affair with Marlene, only to find the party-goers waiting in the next room.

Solomon, an intellectually disabled handyman who has been assisting the Bartels, sees Peyton breastfeeding Joe. She plants a pair of Emma's panties in Solomon's toolbox, leading Claire to fire him. Emma tells Claire that Solomon never did anything to her but Claire doesn't believe her, causing her to turn against her mother. However, unbeknownst to everyone but Emma, Solomon continues to keep a watchful eye on the family from afar.

Claire eventually starts to doubt Peyton and tells Michael she wants to take a trip without her. Peyton overhears them, then sets a trap for Claire in the greenhouse. Marlene discovers Peyton’s real identity, but before she can warn Claire, Peyton tricks her into going into the greenhouse, where she is killed by the falling glass. Meanwhile, Peyton, who knows that Claire suffers from asthma, empties all of her inhalers. When Claire finds Marlene's body, she has an asthma attack and is briefly hospitalized. As Michael is distraught over both Marlene's death and his wife's condition, Peyton attempts to seduce him but he rejects her advances.

Claire eventually uncovers the truth about Peyton and confronts her, and she and Michael demand she leaves the house. They prepare to head to a hotel to be safe. Before they leave, Mrs. Mott breaks into the house and lures Michael down to the basement where she hits him with a shovel, knocking him down the stairs and breaking his legs. She then attempts to take Emma and Joe but, after seeing Mrs. Mott assault her mother, Emma locks Mrs. Mott in the nursery.

After breaking out of the nursery, Mrs. Mott hears Joe crying in the attic. When she enters, she sees Solomon aiding the kids' escape and demands he stops, but he refuses. Claire intervenes and the two women scuffle. Mrs. Mott gains the upper hand, causing Claire another asthma attack, during which she reveals to Claire that she has been the one breastfeeding Joe (which made him reject his real mother's attempts to breastfeed him). She once again tries to take Joe from Solomon, but Claire rushes at her and pushes her out of the window, impaling her on the picket fence and killing her. Touched at how Solomon risked his life to protect her family, Claire welcomes him back into their lives.

Cast
  • Annabella Sciorra as Claire Bartel
    • Karen Hollinger, in In the Company of Women: Contemporary Female Friendship Films, described her as "a sweet wife and mother" and "the perfect homemaker".[2]
  • Rebecca De Mornay as Mrs. Mott, alias Peyton Flanders
    • Rita Kempley of The Washington Post described her as "Glenn Close with baby lust and oh my God it's "Fetal Attraction." "[3] Paul Nathanson and Katherine K. Young, authors of Spreading Misandry: The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture, wrote that the film explains Peyton's actions as being "heroic" and having good intentions, in contrast with some male protagonists who have unexplained sources of negative traits.[4]
  • Matt McCoy as Michael Bartel
  • Ernie Hudson as Solomon
  • Julianne Moore as Marlene Craven
    • Hollinger described her as "hard nosed, driven" and "the tough, rude, chain-smoking career woman".[2] Hollinger stated that the character "demonstrates the qualities of a loyal female friend" and that the conclusion "marginalizes Marlene's narrative importance significantly."[2]
  • Madeline Zima as Emma Bartel
  • John de Lancie as Dr. Victor Mott
  • Kevin Skousen as Marty Craven

Hollinger wrote that the film argues that a woman may become a career woman or a doting mother, but not both.[2]

Production

It originated as Silver's film school thesis.[3]

In August 1990, it was reported that Interscope Communications was preparing the film for Hollywood Pictures. By October 1990 Curtis Hanson was on board to direct.[5] Filming began on April 15, 1991 after being rescheduled from February 22. The film shoot was delayed due to the casting of the female leads. The setting and location was originally meant to be in Atlanta, Georgia but was then filmed in Tacoma and Seattle in Washington.[6]

Filming locations

Filming locations were Issaquah, Washington; Seattle, Washington (Mott's residence at 2502 37th Ave W in Seattle); and the Bartels' residence at 808 N. Yakima Ave. Tacoma, Washington.[7]

Release

It was released nationwide on January 10, 1992 with a duration of 108 minutes.[8]

Reception

Box office

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle opened on January 10, 1992, and grossed $7,675,016 in its opening weekend,[9] bringing Hook down to #2 at the US box office from its four-week stay at #1. The film lasted at #1 for four consecutive weeks, then was upended by Medicine Man, which was also released by Hollywood Pictures. By the end of its run, the film earned a total of $88,036,683 in the United States and Canada[10][11] and $52 million overseas,[12] for a worldwide total of $140 million. It was placed at #24 in Bravo's special 30 Even Scarier Movie Moments.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 63% based on 48 reviews.[13] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[14]

Gene Siskel stated that he "had trouble accepting the premise of this picture because of the casual way in which the nanny is hired in an early scene by the mother," citing that the premise is unrealistic. However, he gave praise to Julianne Moore's character, saying, "much more believable, is the supporting character of the mother's best friend" and that "the friend is a terrific character, it's too bad she doesn't have more scenes in the picture." He mentioned that his "biggest objection to Hand That Rocks the Cradle is to its scenes with the children in jeopardy or psychic pain." Siskel finally remarked that "there are some fun thrills in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle to be sure, but I found a lot of it distasteful, too." Roger Ebert, however, had a higher opinion of the film, stating that he "found this film worked" and that "It touches on a fear and that's why it appeals to us." Ebert praised De Mornay's performance in the film, saying, "she does, I think, a very good job, a very, very sound job of being the villainess in this film and I think it's an effective performance" and that he found the scenes of the children "very interesting because I saw them as a portrait of the evil of that woman."[15]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times said of the film that "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is meant to scare audiences more or less in the way that the patrons of the early nickelodeons were frightened when they saw the image of a train rushing at them. Audiences aren't asked to think, only to react" and that "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle proves again that not thinking isn't especially easy even today. Though Mr. Hanson is a slick movie maker, he is not an especially persuasive one here. Don't be gulled by those who would compare The Hand That Rocks the Cradle to Fatal Attraction, which features three strong characters who, in one way or another, are ready to answer for their actions." He added that "Mr. Hanson creates the occasionally effective shock effect to satisfy those who want to squeal in mock fright. More often the devices he uses are such tired tricks as the crosscutting between two sets of simultaneous, often innocent, actions to create the illusion of suspense that can't be sustained."[16] Rebecca Hawkes of The Daily Telegraph gave the film a rating a 3 stars out of 5 and said that "It’s a tense, viscerally unsettling moment, that helps make the film into something more than just a fun, formulaic thriller",[17] while Sue Heal of The Radio Times rated the film 4 stars out of 5, stated that "This is pure unbridled hokum, of course, but extremely effective until the last 30 minutes, when the plot rapidly self-destructs."[18]

Kempley criticized the movie, arguing that it is anti-feminist.[3]

Home media

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle was released on VHS on July 8, 1992, on DVD on December 8, 1998 with the original theatrical trailer as the sole special feature. On September 4, 2012 Disney/Buena Vista released the film on Blu-ray Disc with the same theatrical trailer as the previous releases. The film was presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio, approximately 1.85.1.[19]

See also

References
  1. Leistedt, Samuel J.; Linkowski, Paul (January 2014). "Psychopathy and the Cinema: Fact or Fiction?". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 59 (1): 167–174. doi:10.1111/1556-4029.12359. PMID 24329037.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Hollinger, Karen. In the Company of Women: Contemporary Female Friendship Films. University of Minnesota Press. p. 214. ISBN 9781452903545.
  3. Kempley, Rita (January 10, 1992). "'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' (R)". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  4. Nathanson, Paul; Katherine K. Young (October 16, 2001). Spreading Misandry: The Teaching of Contempt for Men in Popular Culture. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 262. Text "9780773522725" ignored (help)
  5. "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992)". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  6. "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992)". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  7. Filming locations (IMDb). Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  8. "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992)". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  9. "Nanny-from-hell Thriller `Cradle` Surpasses `hook`". Chicago Tribune. January 17, 1992. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  10. The Hand That smashed the Cradle. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 October 2013
  11. Mathews, Jack (February 3, 1992). "COMMENTARY : Why Disney's 'Cradle' Rocked the Nation : Movies: Savvy marketing turns films from the big screen into hot topics for the small screen." The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  12. Groves, Don (February 22, 1993). "Hollywood Wows World Wickets". Variety. p. 85.
  13. "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  14. "Cinemascore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  15. Siskel & Ebert Juice The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Freejack 1992. August 6, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2016 – via YouTube.
  16. "Review/Film; Help Wanted: A Nanny, Duplicity & Malice Req'd". The New York Times. January 10, 1992. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  17. Hawkes, Rebecca (December 30, 2014). "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, review: 'tense and fun'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  18. "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle". The Radio Times. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  19. "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. September 4, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
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