Ringside Report Reviews The Witches

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By Janet Grace

I discovered a few hidden gems about this book, turned movie, written by one of my favorite writers, Roald Dahl, who brought us “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”

1. He’s biased against women.
2. He was perceived as misogynistic.
3. His book, “The Witches”, was banned by some libraries in England because of his misogynistic views.

4. The author insisted that witches could only be women. There were no male witches. His quote: “Most women are lovely. But the fact remains that all witches are women. There is no such thing as a male witch. On the other hand, a ghoul is always a male… both are dangerous. But neither of them is half as dangerous as a REAL WITCH.” – Roald Dahl [1]. You can almost hear the “DUM, DUM, DUM!” from the orchestral horns after that statement.

While it bothers me that it’s ignorance such as his that gives a bad name to an entire group of innocent people; I realize that there are those who’s intentions are skewed and it is to those, whom he speaks. For the sake of this article, lets go with his scary portrayal of these horrid, evil witches, after all, it is almost Halloween so let’s do what we can to enjoy it.

The story is about a young boy who goes to live with his grandmother after the death of his parents. After encountering an evil witch, they flee to a presumed safe haven which; unbeknownst to them, is the very place hosting an Evil Witches Convention.

The 2020 Remake of “Witches” was an absolute pleasure to watch. The storyline has taken a few notes and a deep dive into our evolution these past thirty years.

The original movie, first aired in England in 1990. It starred the all-white cast of Anjelica Houston, known for being a memorable villain in many movies as well as the perfect Morticia Addams; Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson of “Mr. Bean” fame, Brenda Blethyn, Charlie Potter, Bill Patterson and others.

The switch to having this storyline be about a black family in Alabama, set in 1967, with my favorite; the fabulous Octavia Spencer, as the grandmother, brought the biggest smile to my face. What a pleasant surprise. I knew it was going to be ever so good now. Everything she touches, turns to gold. Miss Spencer is an American Actress, Author and Producer, with a plethora of accolades including: an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, three SAGA awards. She’s best known for her work on “Hidden Figures” and “The Help”.

Anne Hathaway’s portrayal as the Grand High Witch was both splendid and scarier than the previous “Fraggle Rock” looking non scary witches we saw the first time around. This witch is, well, I’ll let you see. Miss Hathaway is another multi-diversified American Actress, who has received an Academy Award, Primetime Emmy Award and The Golden Globe. She starred in the “Princess Diaries”, “Devil Wears Prada”, “Les Miserables” to name a few.

Stanley Tucci starred as the Hotel Manager. His makeup was brilliant. I couldn’t place him until I read up on the movie, afterwards. Mr. Tucci is an American Actor, Producer, Director, Writer and former fashion model known for both his TV and movie fame. He worked with Meryl Streep in Prada, was cast in Beauty and the Beast and Burlesque, to name a few. He’s another favorite of mine who can star in diversified roles at the drop of a dime.

Jazeer Kadeem Bruno played our Hero in this movie. This Little One is known for his work in The Christmas Chronicles. He was perfect. I hope we’ll be seeing more of him.

Chris Rock is our narrator. Mr. Rock is an American comedian, TV Producer, Actor and filmmaker. The children will know his voice immediately from his work on the Madagascar Films. He has won three Grammy Awards, four Emmys. He’s been nominated 127 times and has won 27 awards.

Rated PG
Director: Robert Zemeckis

Don’t expect any spoilers from me beyond these. I want you to enjoy this every bit as much as I did. Every surprise counts.

I will point out that the racial and biased innuendos were on target for that time and era. The golden nuggets disguised within the story line as quipped remarks alert you to the fact that THIS Grandmother held Maya Anjelou’s wisdom within.

The little ones may climb into your bed after seeing this, or at least want to sleep with the light on, you know, just in case. Be quick to point out to children that it is just make up and special effects.

The IMDb gave this movie a 5.4/10. Rotten tomatoes 52%

I rate it as a 4.7 because I forgot about EVERYTHING in the world and was totally entertained for 1hr45mins and that; of itself, was worth it.

So, gather the children and get the popcorn. Let me know what you thought after you see it. This is a perfect trick for a treat night in.

FYI- The scariest people in the entire world are not witches, ghosts, Freddy Kruger’s, Jason’s, Michael’s or Pin Heads. They are Conservative Christians and America’s GOP attempting to vote women’s rights and our healthcare away. Those are the true ghouls and goblins.

[1] Quote obtained from the csmonitor.com

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Till we meet again, my friends, do your best to imagine our blue wave putting out the fires and a Biden/Harris win blessing our nation.

Peace/Out.

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