Review of Bell, Book and Candle (1958) by Tonypolito — 27 Aug 2010
The film's best recommendation to today's viewer - and there really is only the one reason - is the romantic repairing of Stewart and Novak fresh out of "Vertigo.".
Albeit here, in this mid-Century romantic comedy, Stewart is far from obsessed. Rather he's POssessed - by the witch's love-spell that Novak has cast upon him.
Novak's low-key, sultry love-interest delivery mirrors well her work in "Vertigo" and so casts a hypnotic spell upon the viewer. On the other hand, Stewart's delivery is not at all mesmerizing; all his lanky joking and stuttering is thoroughly hexed by the thin plot and dialogue.
The fact that this film follows the script of a 1950 Broadway play that went dark after less than 250 curtains is telling. To call these lines cute is a stretch; to call them funny is a outright fib.
Jack Lemmon supports, but his delivery is buried deep under the weight of a weak and irrelevant subplot. Ernie Kovacs also holds a supporting role, but any viewer hoping for classic Kovacs shtick will be completely disappointed.
Clearly this is the basic intellectual fodder for the far more comical 1960s "Bewitched" TV series, sans nose-twitching.
RECOMMENDATION: For those admirers of "Vertigo" who crave one last dose of luscious Novak as femme fatale done well, have atl. However, admirers of the best of the mid-Century romantic comedy genre will likely want to burn this DVD at the stake.
This review of Bell, Book and Candle (1958) was written by Tonypolito on 27 Aug 2010.
Bell, Book and Candle has generally received positive reviews.
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