The Witches (1990 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Witches
The Witches movie cover.
Directed by	Nicolas Roeg
Produced by	Jim Henson, Mark Shivas, Dusty Symonds
Written by	book: Roald Dahl screenplay: Allan Scott
Starring	Anjelica Huston
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	February 16, 1990 (USA)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	UK / USA
Language	English
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Witches is a 1990 film based on the book of the same name by Roald Dahl.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Trivia 4 Differences between the book and the film version 5 Memorable quotes 6 External links

[edit] Plot

Witches are a well-connected organization with one goal: the elimination of as many children as possible, ideally all of them; children smell unpleasant to them, which is the only real motive given, apart from that they are just evil. Tired of the witches' habit of concocting elaborate schemes resulting in the removal of perhaps one child at a time, the Grand High Witch comes up with a new plan: to infiltrate England's confectionery retailers and giving away chocolate made with a magic potion (Formula 86) that will turn the children into mice in exactly two hours.

Unfortunately for her, an old witch expert and her grandson named Luke are staying at the hotel where the congregation of witches at which she makes the announcement takes place (cleverly disguised as a "Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children" convention). By chance, Luke also happens to be hiding in the convention hall at the time, and having received a thorough education about witches from his grandmother he quickly realizes what is going on. The witches unveil their true selves, removing wigs to reveal bald scalps, their gloves to reveal long, sharp claws, and shoes to reveal their toeless feet.

The Grand High Witch turns a boy called Bruno Jenkins (lured there by the promise of six chocolate bars) into a mouse as a demonstration of the method; and the witches soon sense Luke resulting in another mouse with a human mind.

Luke and Bruno manage to reach Luke's grandmother's room safely, and Luke managed to steal a bottle of the potion against the witches by adding it to the soup reserved for the witches themselves. The hotel staff panics, as the Grand High Witch predicted, and rid England of its witches. The Grand High Witch is finally destroyed when Mr Stringer, the hotel manager, crushes her with a knife. But one good witch (the Grand High Witch's former assistant, who quit) comes to Luke's and his Grandmother's house and restores him back to human form, complete with his glasses, and his two white mice. Luke also reminds her to restore Bruno Jenkins to a human.

[edit] Cast

Actor	Role
Anjelica Huston	Grand High Witch/Miss Eva Ernest
Mai Zetterling	Helga, the Grandmother
Jasen Fisher	Luke
Rowan Atkinson	Mr. Stringer, the hotel manager
Charlie Potter	Bruno Jenkins
Jane Horrocks	Miss Irvine
Brenda Blethyn	Mrs. Jenkins
Bill Paterson	Mr. Jenkins

[edit] Trivia

• Felicity Dahl has stated that Roald Dahl never again requested someone for a role in his book after the producers of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory denied his request to cast Spike Milligan as the title character. But he was ecstatic when Anjelica Huston was cast as The Grand High Witch, as she was the one who Roald Dahl wanted.

• Last movie to be personally overseen by Jim Henson.

• Felicity Dahl states that Roald Dahl hated the happy ending. He apparently stood outside cinemas with a megaphone, telling people not to watch the film.

• Cher was considered for the role of The Grand High Witch before Anjelica Huston was cast.

• This was the last film adaptation of Roald Dahl's books that the author lived to see. He died nine months later.

• The whole section in the start of the movie (until they move to United States) is shot in Bergen in Norway, and both Erika and the grandmother speak Norwegian in some parts. The street where they live is called Nykirkesmuget. The police officers drive norwegian police cars with both norwegian uniforms and license plates. This would be done because of Roald Dahl's norwegian background.

[edit] Differences between the book and the film version

• In the book the hero is not named. In the movie the hero's name is Luke.
• In the book the hero's Grandma told him tales of many, many children becoming victims of witches. In the movie she only told him one.
• In the book the girl that was turned into part of a painting was eating an apple which got her into the painting. In the movie it's unknown what the witch did to get her inside the painting; all that is known is that the Witch dragged her into her house.
• In the book the hero didn't escape the ballroom with the witches in it, he was turned into a mouse then and there. In the movie Luke escaped the ballroom but he was eventually caught by the Grand High Witch.
• In the book, the hero finds two children turned into toads at the room of the Grand High Witch. In the film, Luke encounters her pet cat, which his grandmother distracts with a piece of knitting.
• In the book the hero was never turned back into a human and neither was Bruno. In the movie Luke was returned to human form, and so was Bruno, both by the assistant of Grand High Witch, who doesn't get transformed and becomes good (even gaining normal fingers).
• In the book, the boy's grandmother had pneumonia. In the movie, she had a "mild case" of diabetes. The doctor in the movie implied that she would get better soon, although there is no cure for diabetes.
• In the book The Grand High Witch only removes her mask and leaves everything else on. In the movie she removed her wig, gloves and shoes as well as her mask.
• At the end of the book Luke and his grandmother plan to go to Norway (his grandmother's native country) to stop witches there, but in the movie they go to the United States to destroy the witches who live in that country.

[edit] Memorable quotes

Luke: "Grandma!"

Witch: "She can't hear you!"

---

After getting his pet mice

Luke: "It must be great to be a mouse! All you do is play all day then eat and play some more!"

---

After Luke finds out that Grandma has diabetes

Luke to Grandma: "You're gonna get better."

then later

Luke: "Why do doctors have to treat everyone like they are babies?"

---

Grand High Witch: A Stupid Witch Who Answers Back, Must Burn Until Her Bones Are Black!

Frightened Witch: No! No!

Grand High Witch: A Foolish Witch Without A Brain, Must Sizzle Into Fiery Flame! A Witch Who Dares To Say I'm Wrong, Will Not Be With Us Very LONG!

[edit] External links

• The Witches at the Internet Movie Database