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The Guardian

  • 19901990
  • RR
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
16,203
3,363
The Guardian (1990)
Official Home Video Trailer
Play trailer1:30
2 Videos
66 Photos
DramaFantasyHorror
A young couple with a newborn baby don't realize that the nanny they hired is a magical nymph who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.A young couple with a newborn baby don't realize that the nanny they hired is a magical nymph who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.A young couple with a newborn baby don't realize that the nanny they hired is a magical nymph who sacrifices infants to an evil tree.
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
16,203
3,363
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • William Friedkin
    • Writers
      • Dan Greenburg(novel "The Nanny")
      • Stephen Volk(screenplay)
      • William Friedkin(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Jenny Seagrove
      • Dwier Brown
      • Carey Lowell
    Top credits
    • Director
      • William Friedkin
    • Writers
      • Dan Greenburg(novel "The Nanny")
      • Stephen Volk(screenplay)
      • William Friedkin(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Jenny Seagrove
      • Dwier Brown
      • Carey Lowell
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 70User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 35Metascore
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Videos2

    The Guardian
    Trailer 1:30
    The Guardian
    The Guardian
    Trailer 0:26
    The Guardian

    Photos66

    Jenny Seagrove in The Guardian (1990)
    William Friedkin in The Guardian (1990)
    Carey Lowell and Dwier Brown in The Guardian (1990)
    Carey Lowell in The Guardian (1990)
    Jenny Seagrove in The Guardian (1990)
    Dwier Brown in The Guardian (1990)
    Jenny Seagrove in The Guardian (1990)
    Jenny Seagrove in The Guardian (1990)
    Dwier Brown in The Guardian (1990)
    The Guardian (1990)
    The Guardian (1990)
    Natalija Nogulich in The Guardian (1990)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jenny Seagrove
    Jenny Seagrove
    • Camilla
    Dwier Brown
    Dwier Brown
    • Phil Sterling
    Carey Lowell
    Carey Lowell
    • Kate Sterling
    Brad Hall
    Brad Hall
    • Ned Runcie
    Miguel Ferrer
    Miguel Ferrer
    • Ralph Hess
    Natalija Nogulich
    Natalija Nogulich
    • Molly Sheridan
    • (as Natalia Nogulich)
    Pamela Brull
    • Gail Krasno
    Gary Swanson
    Gary Swanson
    • Allan Sheridan
    Jack David Walker
    • Punk
    Willy Parsons
    • Punk
    Frank Noon
    Frank Noon
    • Punk
    Theresa Randle
    Theresa Randle
    • Arlene Russell
    Xander Berkeley
    Xander Berkeley
    • Detective
    Ray Reinhardt
    • Dr. Klein
    Jacob Gelman
    Jacob Gelman
    • Scotty
    Iris Bath
    • Mrs. Horniman
    Rita Gomez
    • Rosaria
    Barry Herman
    • Dr. at Birth
    • (as Dr. Barry Herman)
    • Director
      • William Friedkin
    • Writers
      • Dan Greenburg(novel "The Nanny") (screenplay)
      • Stephen Volk(screenplay)
      • William Friedkin(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Jenny Seagrove was unhappy with the film's constant re-writes, and wanted to make a completely different film. She said to The Guardian in 2007: "It was about this druid nanny who became a tree. I begged Universal to make it about a real nanny who kidnaps babies. 'No, no, we can't do that,' they said, 'the thirty somethings in America won't come and see the film.' I said, 'I think you're completely wrong; this film is total fantasy, and it's just awful.' Two years later The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992) was released, so I rang up my friend at Universal and he said, 'Don't. Don't even talk about it, you were right.' "
    • Goofs
      As the tree is being cut down, the movie keeps cutting back to Camilla, showing what damage it is doing to her. When the guy finishes cutting down the tree, there is a shot of Camilla and her left leg breaks off and she falls to the ground. The two shots immediately following, of the mother tackling her and then of Camilla being thrown out the window, both show her with her legs still intact.
    • Quotes

      Detective: There's no evidence that the woman you describe ever existed.

    • Alternate versions
      There are two versions of "The Guardian": the theatrical cut, credited to William Friedkin, and a modified cut, credited to "Alan Smithee". The Alan Smithee cut has never been released on video but has been shown on cable. It includes new scenes including another scene in the hospital; different dream sequences; a scene of the nanny waking the wife up and alternate angles for other scenes. Also, the ending of the cable cut is different and omits much of the gore.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Miami Blues/Vital Signs/Lisa/Chattahoochee (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Palau
      Music by Not Drowning Waving (as Not Drowning, Waving)

      Lyrics by David Bridie

      Performed by Not Drowning Waving (as Not Drowning, Waving)

      Courtesy of Mighty Boy Records

    User reviews70

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    the tree from hell!
    I remember seeing the edited version of this film years ago on cable and thinking. Gee, that was weird. Finally now though, the original version of William Friedkin's film is out. Frankly, given its ludicrous plot, the film isn't bad. There are some good scares here. The scene where Camilla's wolves stalk Runcie in his glass house is great. Scary, violent and real. Unfortunately, its the best scene by far.

    The cast is really good in this "nanny from hell" story. Jenny Seagrove is sexy, yet spooky. Cary Lowell and Dwier Brown are fine. The supporting work from Miguel Ferrer and Brad Hall is top-notch.

    The plot is just too silly to be true, so this doesn't work that well and too many scenes are just dumb. The punks at the park, the chainsaw versus bloody tree, etc. The music is bad and the photography sucks. So why give this a shot? Because its by a master film-maker and and, if your'e really into film, you can see about 3 or 4 different endings they could have used. Fun on a dark, rainy night.
    helpful•8
    4
    • windypoplar
    • Oct 17, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 27, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ángel de las sombras
    • Filming locations
      • USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Nanny Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $17,037,887
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $5,565,620
      • Apr 29, 1990
    • Gross worldwide
      • $17,037,887
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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