The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

John Updike (novel)
Michael Cristofer (writer)

Release Date:

12 June 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Music | Thriller

Tagline:

Something wicked this way comes.

Plot:

Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted - at a cost - when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.

Plot Keywords:

New England | Male Musician | Sex | Tennis Racket | Classical Concert

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Jack Nicholson	...	Daryl Van Horne
Cher	...	Alexandra Medford
Susan Sarandon	...	Jane Spofford
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Sukie Ridgemont
Veronica Cartwright	...	Felicia Alden
Richard Jenkins	...	Clyde Alden
Keith Jochim	...	Walter Neff
Carel Struycken	...	Fidel
Helen Lloyd Breed	...	Mrs. Biddle
Caroline Struzik	...	Carol Medford
Michele Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Nicol Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Heather Coleman	...	Ridgemont Child
Carolyn Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child
Cynthia Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | West Germany:12 (f) (re-rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (f) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Abbott Hall - 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The opening shot zooming in on the town of Eastwick originally was to feature a seagull flying along with the camera. Visual Effects Supervisor Michael Owens had great difficulty finding a suitable bird. The plan was to acquire a taxidermy-type bird and put animatronics in it. First it turned out to be illegal to own a dead seagull in California. When they were able to loan one, another law stated it to be returned to ti's legal owner in the same condition it came in. After turning the bird into a rod-puppet of sorts the team spend weeks perfecting the motion with up to ten puppeteers working simultaneously. In the end none of their work ended up on screen because the opening credits were added to the shot and the seagull was found to be too distracting.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Daryl throws the ironing board, it lands on end with lots of stuff around it. In the next shot, it is flat on the floor with only one thing lying near it.

Quotes:

Sukie Ridgemont: What scares me isn't how short life is, no, it's the pain, all the pain. I don't understand why there has to be any pain.

Movie Connections:

Spin off The Witches of Eastwick (1992) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Nessun Dorma

A Bewitching tale with something for everyone

This is a genre blending film I found at Fry's Horror section for only $2.49 retail. It can be described as a supernatural Battle of the Sexes with horrific, comedic, and dramatic elements with a bizarre love story/ orgy at the center of it. The 3 "witches" (Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer) make a request for the perfect man who is delivered to them in the form of Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson) aka the Devil.

According to Daryl, when a man is encountered by a strong woman, his manhood goes limp. The woman is called a "witch" and set on fire. This is used to make women scared of men and scared of themselves. Daryl's attention allows the 3 women to embrace their sexuality, fertility, passion, and ambition. Eventually, they realize they no longer need men for anything, including Daryl. This culminates in the ultimate showdown with man vs. women.

The SFX quality was good enough to win the BAFTA Award in 1987. The music by John Williams earned him an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Nicholson gives an incredibly over the top performance that was good enough to win both the NY & LA Critics Choice Awards.

There is a lot of back story to this as well. Bill Murray was originally set to play Darryl and Cher and Sarandon switched roles once they walked onto the set. The studio execs hassled the director so much that Miller halted production. When they threatened to replace him with another director, Nicholson said he would walk away from the production. This ended the feuding.

Favorite Quote: Almost all the dialogue. Cher asks Nicholson's character if he is married. To which he responds, " I don't believe in it. Good for the man, bad for the woman. She dies, she suffocates. Then the Husband complains that he is f*cking a dead woman and he is the one that killed her. Where is your Husband?" Cher replies, "Dead."

DVD Extras: Full Cast & Crew Bios, a set design feature entitled " Conjuring Eastwick", a "Bewitching Look Back" at the history, Awards, Commentary, Interviews, and a Trailer (which indicates there are deleted scenes missing from the DVD. There should also be the numerous alternate endings they had shot).

Bottom Line: Bewitching tale (pun intended) with something for everyone.

Rating: 8.5/10

Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com MySpace.com/HorrorYearbook