The fantasy sitcom Bewitched began fifty years ago and half a century later, it remains a cult classic with new generations embracing this unique piece of escapism. I personally have fond childhood memories of watching the show on Channel 4 early morning slots.
The premise is simple; Samantha seems like any other normal American girl, but is in fact a witch with a variety of powers. These were memorable amongst viewers particularly the nose twitch, becoming her trademark and has since entered the pop-culture consciousness. Marrying her mortal husband Darren who disapproves of her magic powers, she decides to live her life as a ‘normal’ mortal housewife. However her meddling family, particularly her mother Endora, make it virtually impossible for Samantha to really give up ‘the habit.’
Running for eight successful seasons, a Hollywood remake was mooted for years until finally in 2005, a Bewitched movie was released in cinemas. Written by the late screenwriter Nora Ephron and with Nicole Kidman as the lead, the movie should have worked.
However, instead of adhering to the traditional format of a classic TV show to movie remake by updating the formula to fit modern tastes, like Charlie’s Angels and The Fugitive, the Bewitched movie concept involved more of a meta-reference. Kidman plays Isabel, a witch who decides to give up her powers and is chosen by Jack Wyatt, a failing actor, to play opposite him as Samantha in a remake of the series Bewitched. Like Samantha and Darren, love blossoms amongst the occasional disagreements.
Within the movie, every character while aware of the TV
show’s existence, are in fact allegories of Bewitched characters; for example,
Shirley Mcclaine plays an actress playing Endora, who is also a witch and
mimics Endora’s wicked and sly characterisation. Other characters included
Isabel’s Aunt Clara, who ironically looked and acted like the Aunt Clara from
the series, and a dream sequence involving Uncle Arthur played by Steve
Carrell, who did nothing more than an impersonation of Paul Lynde. However,
these inclusions seemed forced into the plot.
While I can appreciate Ephron’s attempts at subverting the movie remake clichés, its execution resulted in a poorly structured movie, becoming a notable flop and heavily criticised by fans and critics. Even I remember feeling bitterly disappointed when it was released, and after a recent reviewing a decade later, I can’t say my feelings have changed. Had it been a romantic comedy that updates the original premise to fit in the modern world, it would have worked so much better. While Nicole Kidman is an outstanding actress, no one can do the nose twitch quite like Elizabeth Montgomery.
Since then there have been reports of a Bewitched TV reboot with one recently being picked up by NBC. It will follow on from the series, centring on Samantha’s granddaughter Daphne who decides against using her powers in order to find a man. While I admire the concept, I will only watch the pilot out of interest but will avoid whatever follows. For me the only appeal would be if Elizabeth Montgomery reprised her role as Samantha, and as this year is the twentieth anniversary of Montgomery’s death, they can only either kill Samantha off or replace her with another actress. Either way, it won’t be good.
Although there have been many poor attempts at rebooting classic TV shows for the big screen, Bewitched had the potential to be one of the more successful due to its scope and the endless opportunities to develop the concept. However, due to subpar writing and some poor casting, it was a missed opportunity. And while the up and coming TV reboot will attempt to update the format, not matter how hard it tries, it simply won’t have the same enchantment the original series has.
While I can appreciate Ephron’s attempts at subverting the movie remake clichés, its execution resulted in a poorly structured movie, becoming a notable flop and heavily criticised by fans and critics. Even I remember feeling bitterly disappointed when it was released, and after a recent reviewing a decade later, I can’t say my feelings have changed. Had it been a romantic comedy that updates the original premise to fit in the modern world, it would have worked so much better. While Nicole Kidman is an outstanding actress, no one can do the nose twitch quite like Elizabeth Montgomery.
Since then there have been reports of a Bewitched TV reboot with one recently being picked up by NBC. It will follow on from the series, centring on Samantha’s granddaughter Daphne who decides against using her powers in order to find a man. While I admire the concept, I will only watch the pilot out of interest but will avoid whatever follows. For me the only appeal would be if Elizabeth Montgomery reprised her role as Samantha, and as this year is the twentieth anniversary of Montgomery’s death, they can only either kill Samantha off or replace her with another actress. Either way, it won’t be good.
Although there have been many poor attempts at rebooting classic TV shows for the big screen, Bewitched had the potential to be one of the more successful due to its scope and the endless opportunities to develop the concept. However, due to subpar writing and some poor casting, it was a missed opportunity. And while the up and coming TV reboot will attempt to update the format, not matter how hard it tries, it simply won’t have the same enchantment the original series has.
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