7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
After teaming memorably in Alfred Hitchcock's haunting Vertigo, James Stewart and Kim Novak are together again in the whimsical Bell Book and Candle (1958), a spellbinding romantic comedy directed by Richard Quine and based on John Van Druten’s Broadway hit. Stewart plays a New York publisher entranced by a mysteriously bewitching young woman (Novak); mesmerizing supporting performances by the likes of Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Hermione Gingold, Elsa Lanchester, and Janice Rule lend quirky comic charm to the proceedings. Cinematographer James Wong Howe gives us a glamorous vision of Manhattan, enhanced by George Duning’s sophisticated score (available here as an isolated track).
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon, Elsa Lanchester, Ernie KovacsRomance | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
One has to assume Sol Saks must have been deeply affected by Bell, Book and Candle when he must have seen it in 1958, though it took the longtime television and occasional film writer a half decade or so to gestate the experience into what would become his lasting trademark, the long running Elizabeth Montgomery sitcom Bewitched. Like Bewitched, Bell, Book and Candle posits a modern day witch working her wiles on a befuddled mortal male, ultimately deciding to give up her crafty ways to settle down to a seemingly normal existence. Of course the major difference is that Bewitched depicted what happened after that momentous decision (and, truth be told, Samantha Stephens continued to twitch her nose with abandon despite her promises to husband Darrin not to), while Bell, Book and Candle spends its time leading up to that decision. The film was based on a moderately successful Broadway play by John Van Druten, and when Columbia optioned it for film adaptation, there was little question who would play the female lead: Columbia’s somewhat brainier answer to Fox’s Marilyn Monroe, one Kim Novak, who by the vagaries of the film industry would end up co-starring with James Stewart in two 1958 films released within months of each other, this one and Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary Vertigo. In fact the two films ended up with Novak and Stewart as co-stars due to a prearranged trade whereby Columbia would loan Novak to Hitchcock while Stewart agreed to come on board Bell, Book and Candle. The film, like the play, was moderately successful in its day, but it seemed to disappear under the somewhat formidable reputation cast by the Hitchcock opus, which still remains the film most people think of when confronted by the combined names of Kim Novak and James Stewart. While there was never much public uproar about the film’s plot utilizing modern day witchcraft (unlike brouhahas caused later by everything from Rosemary’s Baby to the Harry Potter franchise), there may have been some slight general unease at the occult subtext of the film, something distinctly at odds with the uptight and circumscribed Eisenhower Era.
Bell, Book and Candle is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Twilight Time with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is yet another solid looking high definition presentation culled from an HD master provided by Columbia – Sony. The elements here are largely immaculate, and color is beautifully saturated and very generally accurate looking, though skewed to the yellow side of things.. Fine detail pops magnificently in close-ups, with textures from Novak's gorgeous costumes to Pyewacket's glistening fur clearly visible. Some of the location shots, which were presumably second unit, are just a tad softer than the bulk of the film. The film does have an overly grainy look a lot of the time, and a couple of opticals have even more added grain, as should be expected, but overall this is a very nice looking transfer that should easily please the film's fans.
Bell, Book and Candle features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix that ably supports the film's dialogue, as well as the very enjoyable score, which includes some spritely underscore by George Duning and some fun jazz elements by The Candoli Brothers (along with some bongo playing by Jack Lemmon). Fidelity is excellent throughout the track, though occasionally looped effects (like Pyewacket's cries and meows) have noticeably different ambient characteristics than the bulk of the dialogue. Dynamic range is not especially robust here, but this is largely a dialogue driven film. The noisy party scenes at The Zodiac maintain excellent clarity despite their "busy" sonic atmosphere, and all frequency ranges are reproduced with very good clarity.
Bell, Book and Candle gets by on a surplus of charm and star power, even if at its core it's curiously lacking in the one thing it should have in abundance: magic. Novak is hypnotically beautiful in this film, and Stewart is appealing, if admittedly a bit too old to be courting someone as relatively nubile as Novak. The film is aided immeasurably by some great supporting turns by Jack Lemmon, Elsa Lanchester, Janice Rule and Hermione Gingold, but sadly Ernie Kovacs (who left us too few film appearances) just seems too reined in for a role that should have been goofily over the top. While the film is sort of a middling affair, this is yet another strong looking and sounding release from Twilight Time, and for those who are Novak or Stewart fans, or indeed fans of this film itself, this release comes Recommended.
1955
1959
1957
2018
1995
1984
Warner Archive Collection
1948
1937
1937
1935
Warner Archive Collection
1936
Warner Archive Collection
1954
Warner Archive Collection
1963
2006
Fox Studio Classics
1957
2003
1962
Includes "The Shop Around the Corner" on DVD
1998
1961
Collector's Edition
2022