THE WITCHES
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1990 Jeff Meyer
THE WITCHES (1990, Great Britain) Director: Nicolas Roeg Screenwriter: Allan Scott, based on the book by Roald Dahl Cast: Angelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Paterson, Jane Horrocks
Kid's films aren't what they used to be when I was a kid. Thank God. Outside of one or two of the better Disneys, they were generally populated by idiot adults, moronic plots and the general concept that Kids Enjoy Stupid Humor. Nothing was even vaguely frightening in one of these; Joe Flynn dressed up in a sheet was about their level. One of the great pleasures one can glean from ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK is remembering Kurt Russell in THE COMPUTER WORE TENNIS SHOES whenever Snake Pliskin appears on the screen. The only kids film I can remember that seemed even moderately horrible was WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, where the producers seem to have gotten in the spirit of Roald Dahl's story fully. The British seem to have more of a propensity for darker children's stories than American film-makers.
Somewhere along the line, though, the Brits' method became more popular. While cutesy-poo still dominates Saturday Mornings, there is a breed of kids films out today which are darker, more sardonic, and more importantly, intended to entertain adults as well as children. Terry Gilliam's less serious films (TIME BANDITS and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN (sp?)) sort of set the standard in this category (arguably, neither *are* children's films); THE DARK CRYSTAL and LABYRINTH, while not as enjoyable to an adult audience, had their moments of real tension and evil as well. While each is built around a children's point-of-view, more or less, the saccharine has been sucked right out of the marrow, and you get a funnier, nastier, somewhat more edgy product in the end.
THE WITCHES is a fine addition to this sort of film, and given the people involved, I'm not at all surprised. First of all, the screenplay is based on a book by Roald Dahl, a man who encapsulates the ability to walk the line between spooky and silly. Secondly, the late Jim Henson was the executive producer, and he had shown the inclination in the past to go beyond the niceties of SESAME STREET and THE MUPPET MOVIE and toss a bit of darkness into the pot. Finally, completely out of left field, Nicolas Roeg directs, thus adding a wildcard factor into the whole thing -- Roeg is one of the most unpredictable directors around today, both in choice of subject matter and general quality of output.
The opening of the film is marvelously spooky -- a young boy named Luke is being warned by his grandmother about witches. Various attributes of witches are recounted (they have funny eyes, their hands are always hidden in gloves, and children smell like dog droppings to them.) She also recounts a story from her childhood about a girl who is taken by witches. The boy is impressed (stogie-smoking Norwegian grandmothers tell stories effectively); luckily for him, because later in the film, he meets up with a whole mess of them -- including the Grand High Witch, played to the hilt by Angelica Huston, who is really getting *sick* of the smell of dogs droppings everywhere... and has a plan to make that particular problem... smaller...
The film is very enjoyable, though it never quite coalesces together. The individual elements work: the actors are fine (Huston, Mai Zetterling as the grandmother, Jasen Fisher as Luke, Bill Paterson in his typical overbearing style; only Rowan Atkinson seems a bit underplayed, but after THE BLACK ADDER, he'd look underplayed as the lead in DIE HARD); the script, which keeps the whimsey and the wickedness in equal measure, and has that great rarity, a kid's outlook, in the forefront throughout; and the special effects by Henson studios, which has some of the most amazing puppetry I've seen in years. ("You'll Believe A Mouse Can Talk".)
The weak spot is the combinations of the elements, i.e., Roeg, and also some of the camera-work. The cinematography tends to be very frenetic -- often reminding you of the "on-the-spot" style in HILL STREET BLUES -- and the special effects shots are refreshing in their comparative smoothness when they appear. Also, the Halloween-ish feel of the first part of the movie gives way to a busier, more action-oriented ending where a lot of the atmosphere is traded for comedy. (Much of it rather gross humor -- the kind that kids *really* enjoy.) Given a choice, I prefer atmosphere, but the film has an interesting ending and it only really loses steam for about 8 minutes in the middle.
Not a great film, but a fun one, and certainly a notable entry to the films that Jim Henson leaves behind him. It might scare really young kids at points; and if you have qualms about violence against witches, be warned that they go beyond attacks with buckets of water in this film. Eight-year-olds, however, will eat it up, and their parents will find it equally enjoyable, if for different reasons.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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