Review of The Witches (1990) by Luke M — 18 Apr 2012

This film adaptation of the very popular Roald Dahl follows the story of Luke (Jasen Fisher), a young boy who is placed into the care of his Grandma (Mai Zetterling), as his life is revolutionised by a new perception of the real dangers of the outside world. He finds himself growing closer to his Grandma and closer to the world of Witches. During a holiday to England he and his Grandma find themselves going against the Witches of England and also find themselves going up against the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston). The two find themselves fighting to save all the children of England as their quiet lives are changed forever.

One of the best things about this film is the flawless movement from being a book to being a film. Films which are based on books are usually poor but luckily this film makes an exception. This film manages to hold on to the integrity and atmosphere of the Roald Dahl book. Many film transitions from the written page to the silver screen are usually anything but perfect but luckily this film is carefully constructed and directed to make sure that the true genius of Roald Dahl is still intact. It was wonderfully interesting to see how the story worked on the silver screen.

In addition to the transition form book to film is the script itself. The plot is pretty much the same as the book but naturally a few detail changes and additions are added for the purposes of the film. In my view the actual variations are enough to keep the plot interesting and original whilst having the familiarity with the core plot. The plot is very interesting and just like the book handles the danger behind the Witches in a whimsical and quite exaggerated manner. The plot is well sustained and there are little to no moments which could possibly be deemed as boring or even tedious, making the film interesting for the audience at every moment.

The characters have to be one of the best things about this film. Each of them has an identity and purpose in this film. The main characters; Luke, his Grandma and The Grand High Witch have wonderful natural chemistry throughout this movie. There is a consistent tension between the characters and this tension even runs into secondary characters such as the Hotel Manager (Rowan Atkinson) whose funny style of acting and humorous relationship with everyone is a pleasant addition to the film, whilst building tension between relevant characters. Each character is well developed throughout and the fact that the audience sides with the socially unconventional Luke and Grandma gives it a unique and hilarious sideline which remains throughout the film, in addition the comical and innocent character of Bruno (Charlie Potter) gives the film a different and more safe interpretation of life and also how easily the innocent can be easily manipulated and hurt, whilst being another unconventional character.

Probably one of the best things in this film is the atmosphere. The gothic styled buildings with the atmospheric and realistic Norwegian streets and houses leaves you with a lasting impression. Additionally the dark humoured plot and realistic tales of the cruelty being the Witches, as well as the claustrophobic and badly lit corridors and rooms in the hotel leaves a lasting impression on the audience. The atmosphere is; scary, freaky and terrifying but yet it makes the film so worth while. Truth be told some watchers will be terrified by the prospects of Witches and their gruesome appearance will certainly haunt many a viewer. The realistic and intense atmosphere will leave the audience completely compelled by this movie.

The gradual building tension in this film is wonderful. The tension which builds up will leave the viewer on the edge of his/hers seat and the scenes with the Witches will certainly lead to the audience questioning their own safety. A master of filming, lighting and imagery is perfectly done in this film. The creeping music, dark sets and wonderful personal perception filming will draw the audience into this movie. Not only does it add to the atmosphere but also gives it a unique look beyond belief and fully encompasses the true feel of the original story.

Another thing is that this film manages to be enjoyable even when it's bordering on the unrealistic. The films' continuing charm and interest, as well as wonderfully colourful characters draws the audience into the films' true Enjoyability. Saying this the film does become increasingly unrealistic and in turn makes it unbelievably cheesy, this mainly happens when Luke creates his plan to get rid of the Witches. Although the plot gets a bit silly it is still vastly enjoyable and does largely work as a film.

The acting in this film is really quite good and the acting of the younger cast is next to flawless. It was wonderful to see the variations of views between the two generations and the contrast between the two, for example Luke's more reckless tone and his Grandma's more careful and conserve tone is amazingly interesting. The younger actors Jasen Fisher and Charlie Potter naturally shine and steal this film, where the older actors give a good supporting role and all senior actors allow the younger ones to take the limelight. The actors who play the Witches are all believable and give their own unique and sinister style to the Witches making them all exceptional. Overall secondary characters play their part correctly and give a lot to the film, especially the Grand High Witches secretary Miss Ann Irvine (Jane Horrocks) who plays her part pretty perfectly and in my view one of the best characters in the whole movie.

The film does have many good points but it does fall down in the special effects. The dreadful crooked image of the Grand High Witches true appearance is enough to give the viewer nightmares for months. Added to this special effects are just too over the top for my liking and I feel that they lead to the film being taken too far into the realms of being too unrealistic and weird. Saying that the way that the actually visual affect of "Formula 86" is wonderfully creative and Jim Henson's Muppet style puppets are certainly a genius twist to this movie, as he is one of the producers.

Some viewers will be slightly disappointed by the conclusion of the film, although the ending is relatively similar the movie concludes Luke's story in a different way. In honesty I vastly prefer this movie's interpretation of events compared to the book, as I feel that concluding it with an idea that 'In the most evil thing, good can be found' compared to Roald Dahl's idea of 'You can be loved regardless of who or what you look like'. I feel that it gives an appropriate end to the film's "Witch bashing" and that the ending really restores your faith in the Witches humanity. Added to this I think it correctly concludes the movie and manages to limit any loose ends left by the book.

I feel that this film is generally impressive and is certainly one of the best film adaptations of any work. I feel the fluidity of the story as well as the continuous atmosphere gives this film a unique edge. Overall many conclusions can be given to this film and many people will easily judge the films overall appearance and story. In my opinion this film is bordering on perfection but restraint is necessary in the star rating.

Overall the film is really quite impressive, with classy sets and amazingly believable settings. The film maybe not fully as Roald Dahl would have liked, as it does feel vastly more adult than his general child friendly nature. There are isolated occasions of adult humour or swearing but really the film is suitable for a younger audience and I am sure that children will appreciate the film's style. I feel the film will be enjoyed over and over again and putting the weaknesses on one side this film is pretty much magical.