Twisted Nerve

Twisted Nerve is a 1968 British psychological thriller film directed by Roy Boulting and starring Hywel Bennett, Hayley Mills, Billie Whitelaw and Frank Finlay. The film follows a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be mentally retarded in order to be near Susan - a girl with whom he has become infatuated - and who kills those who get in his way.

Plot

The film opens with Martin playing catch with his younger brother Pete, who has learning difficulties and lives in a segregated school in London. Martin is the only remaining figure Pete's family life; their father died years ago and their mother has a new life with a new husband. Martin expresses concern for his brother's well-being to the school's physician, who is comfortable with Pete's progress.

After the title sequence, Martin is shown in a toy store, gazing at Susan, who purchases a toy. As she leaves, Martin follows. Two store detectives ask them to return to the manager's office. The detectives assert that Martin and Susan were working together to allow Martin to steal a toy. Susan assures them she has never met Martin. The manager asks Susan for her address and Martin appears to make a mental note when she offers it. When questioned by the manager, Martin turns soft, presents himself as mentally challenged and calls himself "Georgie". Sympathetic to him, Susan pays for the toy. Certain that this was a misunderstanding, the manager lets them leave.

Martin returns home and finds his parents arguing in the parlor, over his lack of interest in life. There is allusion to some perverse behaviour he has exhibited, though this is not elaborated upon. He shuts himself in his room. While secluded, Martin stares in the mirror, bare-chested, examining his frame. He seems disappointed in his appearance, eventually punching and cracking the mirror in frustration. The camera reveals a stack of bodybuilding magazines on his dresser.

The next day, Martin goes to Susan's house and waits for her to return. She arrives with a young Indian man named Shashee. He drops off Susan, who thanks him and she goes to the library, where she keeps an after-school job. Martin approaches Susan who immediately recognises him as "Georgie". He tells her that he followed her and pays her back for the toy. Before he leaves, Martin, as Georgie, gets Susan to lend him a book about animals.

Martin has a heated conversation with his stepfather, who insists he travel to Australia. Martin refuses, then sets in motion a plan to leave home, pretend to go to France and then go on to live with Susan. Martin leaves his family and shows up late at Susan's mother's house, where she rents rooms. Presenting himself as Georgie, he gains sympathy both from Susan and her mother and they let him stay.

The plot unravels with Martin's duplicitous nature clashing against his desires to win Susan's heart. He wants her to accept him as a lover but cannot reveal that he is in fact Martin, as he is worried she will shun him. Meanwhile, Martin uses his new-found identity to seek revenge on his stepfather, who believes he is in France. This series of decisions leads Martin down the path of self-destruction.

Cast

• Hywel Bennett as Martin Durnley / Georgie
• Hayley Mills as Susan Harper
• Billie Whitelaw as Joan Harper
• Phyllis Calvert as Enid Durnley
• Frank Finlay as Henry Durnley
• Barry Foster as Gerry Henderson
• Salmaan Peer as Shashee Kadir
• Christian Roberts as Philip Harvey
• Gretchen Franklin as Clarkie
• Thorley Walters as Sir John Forrester
• Timothy West as Superintendent Dakin
• Russell Napier as Professor Fuller
• Timothy Bateson as Mr. Groom
• Richard Davies as Taffy Evans
• Basil Dignam as Doctor
• Robin Parkinson as Shop manager
• Marianne Stone as Store detective
• Mollie Maureen as Lady patient
• Brian Peck as Det. Sgt. Rogers

Soundtrack

The film score was composed by Bernard Herrmann.

The theme can also be heard in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill when a menacing Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) whistles it in the hospital scene and in Death Proof as Rosario Dawson's character's ringtone, in several episodes of American Horror Story, in the Malayalam movie Chaappa Kurish as a ringtone of Fahad Fazils character's iPhone and in the Bengali movie Chotushkone where also it is used as a ringtone for Parambrata Chatterjee's character's phone.

Controversy

The film is notorious for its use of Down's syndrome, then referred to as mongolism, as a catalyst for Martin's actions. The film opens with a spoken disclaimer of any connection between the disorder and antisocial behaviour.

Title

The title comes from the poem Slaves by George Sylvester Viereck (1884-1962) which is quoted several times:

A twisted nerve, a ganglion gone awry,

Predestinates the sinner and the saint.^[2]

References

External links

• Twisted Nerve at the Internet Movie Database
• Britmovie.co.uk Review