The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (film)

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Curtis Hanson
Produced by	David Madden
Written by	Amanda Silver
Starring	Annabella Sciorra Rebecca De Mornay Matt McCoy Ernie Hudson Julianne Moore Madeline Zima
Music by	Graeme Revell
Cinematography	Robert Elswit
Editing by	John F. Link
Studio	Hollywood Pictures Interscope Communications Nomura Babcock & Brown
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s)	January 10, 1992
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$11,700,000
Box office	$88,036,683

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle is a 1992 American Psychological Thriller about a vengeful nanny out to destroy a naïve woman and steal her family. The film was directed by Curtis Hanson, starring Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca De Mornay, and Matt McCoy. The original music score was composed by Graeme Revell.

Plot

Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) is pregnant with her second child. At a routine checkup, she is sexually assaulted by the obstetrician, Dr. Victor Mott (John de Lancie). Claire tells her husband, Michael (Matt McCoy), and they report the incident to the authorities. Four more women come forward with similar complaints and Dr. Mott commits suicide to avoid being arrested and charged.

Dr. Mott's pregnant widow (Rebecca De Mornay) meets with her lawyers. She is told that her husband's assets have been frozen because of the lawsuits and that she will lose her luxurious home. Mrs. Mott collapses, goes into early labor, loses her baby and, after hemorrhaging, is given an emergency hysterectomy. While recovering in the hospital, she sees a news story showing Claire as the woman who alerted the authorities about her husband.

Months pass and Claire gives birth to a boy, Joey. Mrs. Mott, using the pseudonym Peyton Flanders, applies for the position of nanny and tricks them into hiring her by feigning the baby's rescue from choking. A close friend, Marlene Craven (Julianne Moore), warns Claire not to let an attractive woman get a position of power in the family quoting "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world" from the poem by William Ross Wallace.

Mrs. Mott wages a campaign to undermine Claire. She begins breastfeeding Joey in secret (which causes him to no longer take his own mother's milk), encourages Emma (Madeline Zima) to keep secrets from her mother, tempts Michael with her sexuality and plants the thought in Claire's head that Michael may be having an affair with Marlene. Mrs. Mott suggests that he arrange a surprise birthday party for Claire, leading to Marlene and Michael having to meet in secret. Claire accuses Michael of having an affair with Marlene, only to find the surprise party, including Marlene and her husband Marty, waiting in the next room. Solomon, a disabled worker that has been assisting the Bartels, discovers Mrs. Mott breast-feeding Joey. Intent on not having her true identity exposed, Mrs. Mott plants the idea that Solomon has been molesting Emma, by having Claire discover Emma's underwear in his toolbox.

Claire tells Michael of her doubts about "Peyton", but Mrs. Mott overhears and grows more enraged and psychotic. Mrs. Mott sets a trap for Claire by propping open the glass skylights in her greenhouse so that when the door is opened, the skylights will come crashing down. Marlene, a realtor by trade, comes across Dr. Mott's house, which is still up for sale. She notices that there are wind chimes outside the nursery and remembers a similar gift that Mrs. Mott gave Claire for Joey's nursery. Marlene finds a newspaper clipping that identifies "Peyton" as Mrs. Mott. She rushes over to the Bartel house to warn Claire, but is misled by Mrs. Mott that Claire is in the greenhouse. Marlene pushes open the greenhouse door and is killed by the falling glass. Mrs. Mott, who knows that Claire suffers from asthma, goes around the house emptying all of her medicinal inhalers. When Claire finds Marlene's body, she has a severe asthma attack and passes out while trying to call 9-1-1. Michael, distraught over Marlene's death and his wife's condition, tells a sympathetic Mrs. Mott that "there's only one woman for me." Mrs. Mott, thinking he is talking about her, replies "That's all you need." Unknown to the family, except for Emma, Solomon begins to keep a watchful eye over them.

Claire follows up on Marlene's investigation and realizes that "Peyton" is Mrs. Mott. She punches Mrs. Mott in the face and reveals the truth. Mrs. Mott says that she and Michael are having an affair, repeating his "one woman" comment. Michael declares that he was talking about his wife and orders Mrs. Mott to 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. Michael orders Claire to hide the children and call the police. Mrs. Mott then hunts for Claire and the children as they hide. She attempts to take Emma and Joey as her new family, but after seeing Mrs. Mott assault her mother, Emma turns on her and locks her into the nursery.

Using a firepoker, Mrs. Mott escapes from the nursery, and hears Joey in the attic. She enters and sees Solomon aiding the children's escape. Claire, who has regained consciousness, enters, where Mrs. Mott attempts to kill her, but stops after Claire starts having difficulties breathing due to her asthma. Mrs. Mott bends down to taunt Claire, then returns to her pursuit of the children. It is revealed that Claire faked the asthma attack, and the two women brawl. Claire eventually pushes Mrs. Mott out the window, where she falls to her death, hitting the fence that Solomon built.

Touched that Solomon risked his life to protect her family, Claire allows Solomon to handle Joey. The film ends with Claire, Emma and Solomon leaving the attic as paramedics arrive at the house.

Filming locations

Filming locations were Issaquah, Washington; Seattle, Washington (Mott's residence at 2502 37th Ave W in Seattle); and Tacoma, Washington.

Cast

• Annabella Sciorra as Claire Bartel
• Rebecca De Mornay as Peyton Flanders/Mrs. Mott
• Matt McCoy as Michael Bartel
• Ernie Hudson as Solomon
• Julianne Moore as Marlene Craven
• Madeline Zima as Emma Bartel
• John de Lancie as Dr. Victor Mott
• Kevin Skousen as Marty Craven
• Ashley, Eric, & Jennifer Melander as Baby Joe.

Reception

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle opened on January 10, 1992 and grossed $7,675,016 in its opening weekend, bringing Hook down to #2 from its 4-week triumph at #1. The film lasted at #1 for four consecutive weeks, then was upended by Medicine Man. By the end of its run, the film earned a domestic total of $88,036,683. It was also placed at 24 in Bravo's special 30 Even Scarier Movie Moments. Cybill Shepherd was reported by the Chicago Tribune to have turned down the role of the nanny because "the story preyed on the worst fears of women" and conflicted with her feminist beliefs.

Home media

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle was released on DVD on December 8, 1998. The film was presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio, approximately 1.85.1. The only special feature included on the DVD is the film's original theatrical trailer.

Reproductions

The film's plot was reproduced for the Hindi film Khal Nayika (1993) starring Anu Agarwal as the nanny, Jaya Prada as the wife, Jeetendra as the husband, and Varsha Usgaokar as the wife's friend. The same plot was also reproduced for a Telugu film titled Kavya's Diary (2009) starring Charmi and Manjula Ghattamaneni.

External links

• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle at the Internet Movie Database
• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle at AllRovi
• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle at Box Office Mojo
• The Hand That Rocks the Cradle at Rotten Tomatoes
• Movie stills