The Witches

Movie Name: The Witches
Year of Release: 1990
Director: Nicholas Roeg
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Patterson, Brenda Blethyn, Charlie Potter, Jane Horrocks, Anne Lambton, Sukie Smith, Jenny Runacre, Jim Carter, Roberta Taylor, Leila Hoffman, Vincent Marzello
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis and Review:

Director Nicholas Roeg who made a name for himself in the 1970s with the films "Walkabout" and "Don't Look Now", started the 90s with another of his most celebrated features, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's book "The Witches", which he developed in collaboration with the fantastic Jim Henson. The film follows the story of Luke, a young boy, who following the accidental death of his parents, returns to the UK with his grandmother, his legal guardian. As his grandmother is experiencing some health issues, they go to a resort by the sea, at the suggestion of their family doctor. Coincidentally, a coven of witches is having an assembly at the same resort, and Luke stumbles upon their secret gathering, listening to their sinister plans in the process. As Luke is transformed into a small mouse as a result of being captured by them, he seeks the help of his grandmother to prevent the same fate of being unleashed on all the children in the UK.

"The Witches", which coincidentally has been recently adapted once again, this time around hailing from Robert Zemeckis, and featuring Anne Hathaway as the lead witch, manages to channel Nicholas Roeg's unique sensibilities into a children's universe, with the unique collaboration and participation of Jim Henson and his creative team, who work in the visual and makeup effects. The film, in its rather straightforward premise, establishes Luke, his friend Bruno, and Luke's Grandmother, as the central heroes of this narrative, with the charismatic Ms. Ernst, as the vicious villain with her ambitious plans to transform all the children in the country. It's a film where the characters are thinly developed, but their brief characterization allows nonetheless for the audiences to understand their motivations and what they want to accomplish. Nicholas Roeg and Allan Scott who wrote the screenplay adaptation, pepper the narrative with humor and interesting details, namely the obliviousness of Bruno's parents, played to perfection by  Bill Patterson and Brenda Blethyn, and the suspiciousness of the resort's manager, played with gusto by Rowan Atkinson. The cast is perfectly suited for the roles, with Anjelica Huston portraying the head of the coven, with just enough disdain, viciousness and humor, and she gets great support from Atkinson, Patterson, Blethyn and Mai Zetterling. A solid and entertaining film always worth revisiting.