I Married a Witch (1942) 5/10
In the 1600s in New England, Jonathan Wooley (Frederic March) condemns a witch (Veronica Lake) and her father to burn. She curses Wooley and all his descendents to be unlucky in love. In 1942 a chance lightning bolt frees father and daughter from their supernatural prison, and they decide to plague Wooley’s descendent (also March) on the eve of his wedding and as he’s about to be elected governor.
I have a problem with dumb comic fantasies: I get caught up in the plot. I want it to make sense; or at least enough sense so that I stop worrying about whether or not it makes sense. And this one just utterly failed on that level. If these witches are so amazingly powerful (and oy, vey you can’t believe!), then why did they get caught and burned? How could people have stopped believing in immortal creatures that did big, obvious, bizarre things without trying to cover it up? The world we know cannot accommodate witches of this type, nor gubenatorial candidates like Wallace Wooley, nor any number of events the movie needs the audience to swallow (however temporarily).
On the other hand, I happen to think that Veronica Lake is one of the great beauties of the 1940s, and she is simply transfixing to watch. March, sadly, looks like a bug-eyed monster, but he is amiably confused and charmingly well-meaning (and not much of a politician).
This is the sort of movie that Wiccans either avoid or decide they simply must see. I recommend the former unless you really can’t get enough of Veronica Lake. In which case, just watch Sullivan’s Travels instead.
I think I will take the warning and skip this one =)
Phew. My work here is done. 😉
Anyone who hasn’t seen Sullivan’s Travels should watch it regardless of how they feel about Veronica Lake. They should also watch The Lady Eve, Hail the Conquering Hero, Palm Beach Story, The Great McGinty, Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, and Unfaithfully Yours (not the horrible Dudley Moore remake), more or less in that order.
I meant, watch Sullivan’s Travels again. 🙂
I’m not as big a Sturges fan as you, and I don’t care for Stanwyck, so The Lady Eve didn’t float my boat, but I do love Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, and look forward to catching up with the rest.