Bell, Book and CandleCountless songs and plays have been written about how falling in love is like being under a deep hex; what if it wasn't just a metaphor? Bell, Book and Candle is a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist, about a lovely--yet despondent--witch named Gillian "Gil" Holroyd (Kim Novak) who enchants her neighbor, book publisher Shepherd "Shep" Henderson (James Stewart), to fall in love with her and gilt his fiancee, Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule). As Gil spends more time with Shep, she discovers the truth about an "old wives' tale"--that witches cannot fall in love--and struggles to live between two worlds.
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Bell, Book and Candle is a charming film--excuse me for an inescapable pun--which was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name by John Van Druten. It is set in Manhattan, and exhibits many theatrical elements, such as vibrant set design and bold colors, as well as the way the plot and character interaction feels like a theater piece. That said, the artifice is actually a positive quality of Bell, Book and Candle, adding levity as well as a subtext of deception, which is important since Gil belongs to a secret society of witches and warlocks operating out of the Zodiac Club in Greenwich Village. The first look at this groovy, basement-based coven hideaway immediately evokes the kind of hip, counter-culture jazz clubs and cafes which prefaced hippies and beat poets just on the horizon at the end of the Fifties. A lot of this has to do with the sounds of sonorous bongo drums played by Gil's brother, Nicky (Jack Lemmon), and smoke of seaweed cigars filling the air. By juxtaposing this edgy-for-the-era lifestyle with the occult, Bell, Book and Candle creates a direct parallel between the two and the bohemian likes of Gil and her friends versus upper-crust "straights" like Shep and Merle. In essence, the witchcraft is a metaphor for the transgressive love affair which Shep and Gil have, since they fundamentally belong to different circles--supernatural or otherwise. This vibe is also apparent in the decor of Gil's shop; she makes her living selling African and Oceanic tribal artwork, relics from totemic cultures (like Wicca), embodying unfamiliar (and thus sometimes misunderstood) lifestyles like Gil's. From the start, Gil harbors a wish that she could experience something "different" from what has become a humdrum existence, even if that includes spells and sorcery--the grass is always greener on the other side. After she is given an excuse to introduce herself to Shep via her "auntie", Queenie Holroyd (Elsa Lanchester)--who plays a harmless prank on Shep--she plants the suggestion in his mind for him to visit the Zodiac Club (albeit with the uptight Merle); this is when Gil discovers that Shep's fiancee is her former nemesis from college. Queenie suggests that this is the excuse she needs to steal away Merle's beau--something Merle had a pattern of doing--out of vindication, or even spite. Gil had heretofore been toying with the idea of seducing Shep without the aid of her incantations or "tricks", as she calls them, but when push comes to shove and Gil learns that Shep and Merle intend to marry the next day on Christmas, Gil pulls out all the stops. With the assistance of her familiar--a cat named Pyewacket--she thoroughly bewitches the nearly-married man, smashing his plans of marriage and making him her plaything with ease. But the question that haunts Gil (and the film) is whether Gil would have had the strength to make Shep fall in love with her without tricks--and thus subverting his free will--a lingering thought that vexes Gil to consider what love means to her.
Originally a part of a contract deal between Paramount and Columbia Pictures, the casting of Kim Novak and James Stewart in Bell, Book and Candle makes comparisons between this film and Vertigo inescapable. Gil is a seductive lynx when she needs to be, but exudes qualities of the icy blonde Madeline she played in Hitchcock's film. The spell Gil casts on Shep is fundamentally similar to the obsession which overtakes Scotty as well; both make varied attempts to unravel the mystery of the hex that has afflicted them. Although advertisements for Bell, Book and Candle placed James Stewart's name first, it is really the story of Gil as the lovelorn witch who starts to live a secret life away from her other secret life. Gil is forced to leverage how both her worlds view her and whom she can trust when she steps outside that comfort zone--a theme that is similar to Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy, a romance and comedic analysis of gay culture (and contrary attitudes about the purported inclusiveness of it). And the theme of a witch--often characterized as crone-like or wicked--being a beautiful woman who longs for love (and thus acceptance) is also explored in films like Anna Biller's The Love Witch. Bell, Book and Candle was a blockbuster hit in its day, and served as one of the more obvious inspirations for the popular television show, "Bewitched". It's evident that Gil is reluctant to expose her lifestyle as a witch to the public, and similarly discourages Nicky and Queenie out of fear. Gil is experiencing a kind of "identity crisis", and that is manifested in her desire for Shep, who represents something outside the rules and culture she has become entrenched within as a witch. Gil is not, however, a wilting flower who chases Shep, as if acquiring a man will "complete her". She is capable of defending herself in subtle ways, like how she gets "catty" right back at Merle in the Zodiac Club, emulating her feline familiar. Gil is a complex character, embodying real doubts and insecurities, even a low self-esteem masked under her cool exterior. Gil has a moral compass--a quality which appears to be rare for a witch, given her companions--but only seems to feel guilt at having deprived Shep of his ability to love her for who she is. In this way, she treats him as an inferior by removing this choice altogether, and comes to regret this as she feels true affection for him. These qualities are not flaws, but ironically real human characteristics which makes Gil both a relatable protagonist as well as a proto-feminist heroine, an characterization sometimes attributed to witches persecuted throughout history.
Recommended for: Fans of a loose, jazzy interpretation of witchcraft, made more complex with age by its metaphors for counter-culture and marginalized groups. Due to the casting of the lead actors, Bell, Book and Candle also feels like a counterpoint to Vertigo, while also being blessed with an ensemble cast including Jack Lemmon and Elsa Lanchester.
Originally a part of a contract deal between Paramount and Columbia Pictures, the casting of Kim Novak and James Stewart in Bell, Book and Candle makes comparisons between this film and Vertigo inescapable. Gil is a seductive lynx when she needs to be, but exudes qualities of the icy blonde Madeline she played in Hitchcock's film. The spell Gil casts on Shep is fundamentally similar to the obsession which overtakes Scotty as well; both make varied attempts to unravel the mystery of the hex that has afflicted them. Although advertisements for Bell, Book and Candle placed James Stewart's name first, it is really the story of Gil as the lovelorn witch who starts to live a secret life away from her other secret life. Gil is forced to leverage how both her worlds view her and whom she can trust when she steps outside that comfort zone--a theme that is similar to Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy, a romance and comedic analysis of gay culture (and contrary attitudes about the purported inclusiveness of it). And the theme of a witch--often characterized as crone-like or wicked--being a beautiful woman who longs for love (and thus acceptance) is also explored in films like Anna Biller's The Love Witch. Bell, Book and Candle was a blockbuster hit in its day, and served as one of the more obvious inspirations for the popular television show, "Bewitched". It's evident that Gil is reluctant to expose her lifestyle as a witch to the public, and similarly discourages Nicky and Queenie out of fear. Gil is experiencing a kind of "identity crisis", and that is manifested in her desire for Shep, who represents something outside the rules and culture she has become entrenched within as a witch. Gil is not, however, a wilting flower who chases Shep, as if acquiring a man will "complete her". She is capable of defending herself in subtle ways, like how she gets "catty" right back at Merle in the Zodiac Club, emulating her feline familiar. Gil is a complex character, embodying real doubts and insecurities, even a low self-esteem masked under her cool exterior. Gil has a moral compass--a quality which appears to be rare for a witch, given her companions--but only seems to feel guilt at having deprived Shep of his ability to love her for who she is. In this way, she treats him as an inferior by removing this choice altogether, and comes to regret this as she feels true affection for him. These qualities are not flaws, but ironically real human characteristics which makes Gil both a relatable protagonist as well as a proto-feminist heroine, an characterization sometimes attributed to witches persecuted throughout history.
Recommended for: Fans of a loose, jazzy interpretation of witchcraft, made more complex with age by its metaphors for counter-culture and marginalized groups. Due to the casting of the lead actors, Bell, Book and Candle also feels like a counterpoint to Vertigo, while also being blessed with an ensemble cast including Jack Lemmon and Elsa Lanchester.