Review of Bell, Book and Candle (1958) by Grace A — 24 Jul 2008

This, for me, is the perfect Christmas movie. You need eggnog with just a touch of whiskey in it, snow, and a glowing Christmas tree. The dialog is witty, the plot is sweet, Kim Novak's wooden demeanor, which is a disaster in Vertigo, really works in this film about people who can't really feel. The supporting actors, particularly Jack Lemmon and Elsa Lanchester, add to the other worldly humor. This is a film to treasure and to turn into a watching tradition, like the Wizard of Oz. Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak have an okay chemistry, although Stewart's character is a bit too cranky for me. His crankiness works best in his hilarious brush with Mrs. DePass (Hermione Gingold), the Brooklyn witch supreme. When he sits wearing a quilt and drinking her nasty brew, while her parrot says, "You're a fool"--you can't help but feel that movie comedy simply does not get better than this.

Every time I see the movie, I feel like Gillian Holroyd can keep Shep Henderson (Jimmy Stewart), if I can just have Pyewacket to do my bidding, and her cool little apartment in the village, behind the shop. Oh, and I want the parrot, too. Everyone needs to be told, "you're a fool" at least some of the time, to keep things in perspective.