Review of The Witches (1990) by Matthew B — 28 Dec 2009
Though drawn from the work of a children's author as celebrated as Milne, Potter, and Giesel, this is a mediocre, uneven, and occasionally inexplicable children's film highlighted by a gloriously grotesque oinker of a performance by Anjelica Huston.
As Eva Ernest (the Grand High Witch), Huston handles some potentially hackneyed lines ("A stupid witch who answers back must burn until her bones are black!" / "A foolish witch without a brain must sizzle into fire and flame!" / "A witch who dares to say I'm wrong will not be with us very long!") with considerable zest, and her Jim Henson-inspired transformation (able to produce as much disapprobation in audiences as Claude Rains's infamous "undressing" in Whale's The Invisible Man) is truly a mini-masterpiece of unbridled ugliness.
A handful of English character actors (Brenda Blethyn, Bill Paterson, Jane Horrocks, Rowan Atkinson) are wasted in the bland background of a haphazard plot.
This review of The Witches (1990) was written by Matthew B on 28 Dec 2009.
The Witches has generally received positive reviews.
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