1942 rom-com
Rating: 15/20 (Mark: 14/20)
Plot: Aspiring politician Wallace Wooley is getting married in the final days of his campaign, but the cute little titular witch and her father, both who were burned by Wooley’s Puritan ancestor for being “too witchy,” return to mess things up. The witch harasses at his home, attempts to give him a love potion, and finally shows up at his wedding in order to make his life miserable.
I’ve only got one other Rene Clair movie on the blog, the great A Nous la Liberte. This is a charming comedy that breezes along nicely, and Veronica Lake is very easy on the eyes if you’re into petite flirtatious blonds. I thought Fredric March was a little too old for the part, and Lake really outshone him for the majority of this, especially during the first half when it seemed like the poor actor was doing everything he could just to keep up with her. Of course, that might have been part of the point. Like most romantic comedies, especially ones made during the 1940s, things move a little too briskly at times. But who am I to argue? I mean, love is more powerful than witchcraft. We did learn that in this one. There are some cute special effects–dancing brooms, flying taxicabs, hovering smoke–that blend with the story and the flesh and blood actors and settings very naturally. Cecil Kellaway plays the father of the witch/bride, and I really liked when he was on the screen. When he voiced smoke or sometimes smoke inside a bottle, he sort of overdid things though. But he played a drunkard in that classic film style very well and had some versatility to his voice that I enjoyed. Kellaway wasn’t nowhere near the little hottie that Veronica Lake was though which probably explains why he didn’t get the part as the witch. I just thought she nailed this part–perfectly flirtatious, perfectly pouty, perfectly witchy and human both. I don’t think I’ve seen her since Sullivan’s Travels which I also liked her in. Boy, she sure helped Wooley dodge a bullet in this one. I should check out more Rene Clair movies.
I watched this at my brother’s house under the influence of root beer and framed cat pictures.
