Fredric March

I Married a Witch (1942)

‘I Married a Witch’ with Veronica Lake and Fredric March could be the foremother of all romantic comedies with regards to a witch in love with a “mortal man”. It is based on a novel ‘The Passionate Witch’ by Thorne Smith.

The movie begins for the duration of the Salem witch-hunts. Veronica Lake’s witch reputation Jennifer, and her father, are burned, and she casts a spell on the witch-hunter, Jonathan Wooley, played by Fredric March. He and his male descendants will always marry the faulty woman. After an expose of generations of Wooleys miserable in their marriages, we enter the present day, where the current Wooley, played by March, is regarding to marry. The witches’ spirits are freed from the prison where they have been waiting after their bodies burned, and they commence haunting Wooley. Things turn, and Jennifer falls in love with Wooley, just as we knew she would.

Will she be competent to stop his marriage? Will her father be capable to stop her from marrying Wooley? Will he love her even after he knows she’s a witch?

Bell, Book, and Candle (1958)

‘Bell, Book, and Candle’ is not based on a book, but on a play. In it, a witch, Gillian (played by Kim Novak) tries to spoil a man’s engagement to her college enemy, but she falls in love with him in stead, and loses her magic. The man, Shep (James Stewart), finds out that she’s a witch, and goes to another witch (who happens to be Gillian’s mentor), who breaks Gillian’s love spell, and Shep leaves Gillian. Will he manage to get his fiancée back? Will Gillian get her magic back?

This movie has a good deal of interesting sidekicks, like Gillian’s brother, likewise a witch, played by Jack Lemmon.

‘I Married a Witch’, ‘Bell, Book, and Candle’ and the 60′s TV series ‘Bewitched’, have very much in common. The movies were in all probability the reason why the television series was created.

Bewitched (2005)

This movie is based on the television series ordinary in the 60′s. The movie doesn’t manage to manufacture the charm of the television series, and a good deal of fans of the primary series were very disappointed with the movie. I saw the movie before seeing any episode of the series, and I thought it was rather charming.

The movie depicts the making of a remake of the television series. Will Ferris plays Jack, the actor going to play Darrin. He wants to find an unknown girl to play Samantha, and finds Isabel, played by Nicole Kidman, who happens to be a witch in real life. Isabel falls in love with Jack, but when Jack finds out she’s a witch, he can’t deal with it. It all ends up well, of course, as this is a romantic comedy, and the end of the movie has numerous lovely nods to the ‘Bewitched’ series.

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

I am not sure I would call this a romantic comedy… Sure, it tells the story of three witches, who wish romance into their lives, and end up getting more than they may handle… Or so it seems. I think it is more a story of friendship and girl power, than when it comes to love. Nevertheless, it is funny, sexy and has magic, demons, witches and weird things happening, so I add ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ to this list of romantic witch movies to watch at Halloween.

This movie has a great cast: the witches are played by Susan Sarandon, Cher, and Michelle Pfeiffer and the romantic male lead is played by Jack Nicholson. Veronica Cartwright as the Christian wife of the local newspaper editor, is fantasti in her role. This alone would be reason to watch this movie.

‘The Witches of Eastwick’ is based on John Updike’s novel by the same name, but the movie is rather dissimilar from the book.

Practical Magic (1998)

The art directing of ‘Practical Magic’ is utterly wonderful. The house was built just for this movie, and also demolished after the movie was done, but the interior decor was amazing. The cast mentions the decor having had influence on them. You may watch the movie just to get a lot of ideas on how to decorate a witch’s house.

‘Practical Magic’ is based on a book by the same name. It follows the story close sufficient so that the times when it doesn’t, irritate me. Many others have said that they love this movie, so give it a try, in spite of my minor objection.

‘Practical Magic’ tells the story of a family of witches with a curse. Any man who falls in love with a woman in the family, will die tragically. In the current time, there are two sisters, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman). Their mother passed away “from a broken heart”, when their father died, and they are being raised by their mother’s sisters, played by Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. Everyone in the village knows regarding the women being witches, and use their services for the duration of the night hours, and ostracize the women for the duration of the day. The girls are bullied all their childhood, and Gillian leaves the town, but Sally falls in love, gets married, has children and lives happily – until the curse hits her. Some time later Gillian is in huge trouble, and she asks Sally to support her, which she does, but the trouble follows them home. How could this story end happily? Because, happily it ends, being a romantic comedy.

‘Practical Magic’ is partially very dark, including demonic possession and exorcism, but the end is very sweet.

Fredric March

In the pre-code classic Death Takes a Holiday, the Grim Reaper (Fredric March) recompense a visit to a family of wealthy socialites though he is not there on his ordinary business. Intent on entering the humane world for a three-day holiday, Death takes the form of a visiting prince, and assumes all the delectations and pains that go with flesh and blood existence. Experiencing, for the initial time, all that humanity has to offer, he becomes enamored of Grazia (Evelyn Venable), a woman both in love with life and infatuated with death. But soon, in Death’s absence, life is running dangerously and unexplainably rampant, and knowing that he will have to return to his eternally grim world, he conceives a plan, involving Grazia, to grant him to take back some of what he has learned and yearned for. Co-starring Henry Travers (Clarence, the angel of It’s a Wonderful Life), this thrilling and evocative portrayal of death’s lesson and life’s benediction is one of the golden age of Hollywood’s most unforgettable films.

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Filmed in 1934, this is more sensual than the Pitt remake, though the acting style is more mannered than a lot of audiences may enjoy. But at only 78 minutes, the aroused content, as well as the ending, feels more real than the lengthy ’90s version. –Rochelle O’Gorman

Most helpful client reviews

41 of 42 persons found the following review helpful.
Meet Prince Sirki
By L. Shirley
Sixty-four years before we met death masked as “Joe Black”(Meet Joe BlackBrad Pitt – see my review for film details of this one), Prince Sirki amused himself amongst the living for a three day holiday. Although not rather the lavish production of it’s remake “Meet Joe Black”, “Death Takes a Holiday” is a wondrous romantic fantasy from 1934, and is shot beautifully in black and white cinematogrpahy.

A wealthy and aristocratic family, and their houseguests, are visited by the ‘grim reaper’…’the old man’…DEATH! Only the head of the household knows who Prince Sirki genuinely is, and why he is there. They strike a deal, and the Prince has 3 days to learn why he is so dire by the humane race. For those three days, he lives amongst them, experiencing and taking in all he may of humane ways, and what’s more..NO ONE dies while Death is on holiday. Weapons of war malfunction, accident victims walk away without a scratch, persons can’t even commit suicide when they try! But here’s the catch..Sirki falls for the beauteous and deeply pensive Grazia. Will he take her with him to that other world when his time has expired? Does the power of love win out in the end?

The outstanding Fredric March gives an exquiste performance as “Death” attempting to adjust to life.It is so beautifully filmed and the performances were so brillant at bringing the marvelous characters to life, that it was like looking at a play. Although a severe subject, there are a great deal of moments that will make you smile, and in the end, you may view the subject of death a little differently.

If you love the classic films of the thirties, this is a will have to see. It is also nice to have as a associate to “Meet Joe Black”. If you are looking for this on DVD, it is included in the 2 disc “Ultimate Edition” of Joe Black. That way you may have “death” come to you in the form of Fredric March OR Brad Pitt!…What a way to go!…Enjoy….Laurie

more cinematic treats from the 30′s:
Alfred Hitchcock: 4 Tales of the Macabre – Secret Agent / The Lady Vanishes / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Sabotage

La Mujer del Puerto

My Man Godfrey

30 of 30 persons found the following review helpful.
Saw orginal, and both remakes,Original Best
By A
I was a young lady when I saw Fredic March in Death Takes A Holiday, I was a young mother when I saw the remake with Monte Markham and now as a grandmother I saw Meet Joe Black. Which one is the best in my mind? Mr. Pitt and Mr. Markham Can’t hold a candle to the style of Mr. March.The ending is still as touching and chilling as it was the firstborn time I saw it. I have seen it a good deal of times since and it still has the same effect on me. It’s a fantasti movie, a bit dark but consider the era in which it was made just adds to the effect the movie wants to parlay to it’s audience.It’s a timeless treasure, not to be missed. You’ve seen the rest now see the best!!!!!

14 of 14 humans found the following review helpful.
Romance Through a Glass Darkly
By Bobby Underwood
From the moment a strange shadow seems to be following the car lovely Evelyn Venable is riding in the mood for this gorgeous and darkly romantic film is set. When death itself takes on physical form to understand better why persons fear him so, the stage is set for a rich and strange film experience.

One of the great films of the 1930′s, it is not as well-remembered as it ought to be. There is a strange and almost haunting atmosphere to what in the end is in truth a romantic look at love itself. Fredric March gives a solid performance as that which we most fear but do not understand. He is appropriately over the top and out of place on earth. Evelyn Veneable is unforgettable as the girl, Grazia, who Prince Sirki (March) comes to love; he experiencing for the primary time what it means to be human.

But the world becomes chaotic while Death is on his vacation and Sirki ought to return to his grim duties. The question is whether the lovely Grazia will still fear him or choose love, even if it means going with him to what lies beyond. It is talky but so full of it is darkly romantic atmosphere that it is closely hypnotic. This is veritably a masterwork of mood, the perfective blend of subject matter and atmosphere.

March’s “Death” is the focal point but Henry Travers has a lot of fine moments among a cast which includes Gail Patrick. It is Venable herself who carries this film, however, her gorgeous eyes and face capturing with emotion and expression both fear and love. It is a unfeigned shame more films of this quality did not come her way in the 1930′s.

I have never forgotten the introductory time I saw this film and having seen it more than once since that time have still found beauty in it is activity of formally presenting something of love which might live far beyond the shadow which follows us all. This is one of conductor Mitchell Leisen’s finest films. It is a lyrical and compelling look at death and love and an experience no film buff ought to miss. Highly recommended.

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