| Title: | Psychic Phenomena |
| Notice: | Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing |
| Moderator: | JARETH::PAINTER |
| Created: | Wed Jan 22 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue May 27 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2143 |
| Total number of notes: | 41773 |
The Witches Of Eastwick: A Review
Having seen The Witches Of Eastwick I would like to review the movie.
The movie is very well done with good scenery and special effects. The
actors and actresses do a very good job. Cher still plays a firm if not
hard nosed woman. Jack Nickelson, still a cult figure after all these
years, is very lovable even as the bad guy on the scene. You could
easily see a disturbed little boy in all his tantrums. The little pony
tail was very cute, even for a Californian who plays a New Yorker. I
don't remember the actresses names, except for Cher, but I fell in love
with all of them.
The movie plot is about three lonely women who, for various reasons,
are single again. There is no mention made by them of Witchcraft early
in the movie. In fact nowhere in the movie is WitchCraft mentioned at
all. The mundane townspeople consider Jack 'Evil' and the three lonely
women sluts mainly because they are getting laid all the time. Jack, as
Darral Van Horn, is called form New York by the unwitting trio and
eagerly creates all sort of minor havoc in the trios lives to establish
his place of power.
Darryl reveals himself to them while playing tennis, which is as good a
time to do that as any in this movie. From here we move to Bacchasian
feasts and sensual acts of pleasure, all the while the townspeople are
beginning to talk about what goes on in the mansion on the hill. This
is where the trouble starts so I'll let you find out what happens for
your self.
Again I repeat nowhere in the _movie_ is Satan or WitchCraft mentioned.
One would have to consider Darryl a dark and immature entity. The only
pointer to Nature Religion is that Alex (Cher) is a sculptress who
makes Goddess statuettes for sale in town. Although Evil was a major
part of this movie, the evil was funny in a strange sort of way. The
whispering of the mundanes was a very effective evil in itself and was
what caused all the trouble in the first place. Had the mundanes
ignored the four, or at least considered them eccentric, Darryl would
have gotten bored and probably left town.
This movie could have been made with Darryl being a gang leader or
perhaps a Elmer Gantry and the evil would have been very similar, if
not the same.
It's an OK movie, I'd still wait for it to make it to the $ movies
though.
Mikie?
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 414.1 | well, I started this whole movie business ... | ERASER::KALLIS | Raise Hallowe'en awareness. | Fri Jul 17 1987 17:05 | 55 |
Re .0:
Hmm. Well, I have a slight possible disadvantage: I read the book.
Having said that, there are a few points that need to be touched
upon, since I also saw the film.
>Darryl reveals himself to them while playing tennis, which is as good a
>time to do that as any in this movie.
How "reveals himself?" He made a nice double-entendre when he called
himself "Just your average horny little devil," which I presume
most of the audience took to mean that he was a ... devil.
>Again I repeat nowhere in the _movie_ is Satan or WitchCraft mentioned.
Well, save for the fact that the women used a grimoire called
_Malefica_, which in context meant "evil magic." What was shown
wasn't Wiccan, to be sure, but certainly fit the overall public
perception of witchcraft (note lack of capital letters).
> . . . The only
>pointer to Nature Religion is that Alex (Cher) is a sculptress who
>makes Goddess statuettes for sale in town.
Except she doesn't refer to them or give any indication in the film
that she considers them to _be_ Goddess statues. They are her
"bubbies," a corruption of "babies," though they're obviously of
mature women (yes, I know about the paleolithic statuettes they
resemble, just to stave off a nit).
>This movie could have been made with Darryl being a gang leader or
>perhaps a Elmer Gantry and the evil would have been very similar, if
>not the same.
Now here's the amusing part: in the book, Darryl van Horne (_love_
the name!) had not one whit of supernatural powers. In the book,
the women are practicing witches of some kind (what kind is never
clear: the author throws terms in at random, showing less knowledge
of the subject matter than he would have you believe; but understand,
Updike is a writer, not an occultist) who are seduced by van Horne
and are thereby left off worse than before (as noted in my review
in BOOKS, although he is _not_ a devil, the women treat him the
way Satanic celebrants often treated whatever devil manifested itself
at their revels, up to and including the "kiss of imfamy," and in
the book van Horne had cold ejaculate). In the movie, they showed
_no_ conscious paranormal powers until after they started taking
up with van Horne. The book and film versions are so distant as
to be almost separate works; the endings are nearly diametrically
opposite.
My wife, who has absolutely no occult leanings, thought it was a
hilarious comedy.
Steve Kallis, Jr.
| |||||
| 414.2 | No More Cherries for me, thank-you! | VENTUR::LIBRARY | Fri Jul 17 1987 17:36 | 7 | |
I have to admit, I think there was a bit too much *spewing-off-at-the
-mouth*, shall we say?? It was pretty good, however, don't see
it if you have a weak stomach (like me)!!!!(.....I almost lost my
dinner twice.....)
d.
| |||||
| 414.3 | Good comedy | NEXUS::MORGAN | H.P. - Cult of the Crystal Lettuce | Fri Jul 17 1987 21:21 | 4 |
I thought that even the messy parts were halarious. Especialy the
semi-rape of Darryl Van Horne by one of the women was funny.
Mikie?
| |||||
| 414.5 | so, who wrote the screenplay anyway? | USAT02::CARLSON | Heavens to Mergatroid! | Sat Jul 18 1987 19:09 | 17 |
I too, read the book and found them not at all alike. I was
looking forward to seeing the antics the ladies performed before
D.V.H. even showed up. The little thunderstorm during the boring
speech was perhaps, more amusing than in the book when Jane >I think<,
becomes bored with the people on the beach and calls up a storm
to scatter them. And did we get to see any of the three fly? nope.
Ah well, the movie was amusing. Jack Nicholson was perfection for
the part, ponytail and all. His clothes were marvelous. I liked
the amazing transformation in Susan Sarandon, from meek to wild!
Those cherry pits were pretty grose! Whatever happened to feathers
and pins?
Anyway, the final scene of the movie had me leaving the theatre
laughing...who could ask for more?
Theresa.
| |||||
| 414.6 | oops | USAT02::CARLSON | Heavens to Mergatroid! | Sat Jul 18 1987 19:11 | 3 |
p.s. Don't get the levitating bit confusing with flying!
t.
| |||||
| 414.7 | KIRK::KOLKER | Conan the Librarian | Mon Jul 20 1987 11:02 | 4 | |
re priors
The chello scene with Sarandin is worth the price of admission.
| |||||