The Witches (Keepcase)
YOUNG BOY STUMBLES ONTO A WITCH CONVENTION AND MUST STOP THEM, EVEN AFTER HE HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A MOUSE.This splendid adventure-fantasy from 1990 was adapted from Roald Dahl’s book and directed by maverick British filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who turned out to be a perfect (if seemingly unlikely) interpreter of Dahl’s fiendishly clever tale of witchcraft in contemporary England. Scary, funny, and wildly entertaining, it’s all about a young boy named Luke (Jasen Fisher) whose parents have died in a
Rating: 
(out of 111 reviews)
List Price: $ 12.98
Price: $ 6.60
The Witches
- ISBN13: 9780142410110
- Condition: USED – GOOD
- Notes:
Meet a hero, a wise old grandmother, and the most gruesome, grotesque gang of witches imaginable!This Roald Dahl classic tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who has a run-in with some real-life witches! “In fairy tales witches always wear silly black hats and black cloaks and they ride on broomsticks. But this is not a fairy tale. This is about REAL WITCHES. REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary
Rating: 
(out of 268 reviews)
List Price: $ 6.99
Price: $ 2.23
Review by Sheldon S. Kohn for The Witches (Keepcase)
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“The Witches” is one of my favorite films. The film combines the substantial filmmaking talents of Nicholas Roeg with the wonderworking of Jim Henson and an unforgettable performance from Angelica Huston. Every time I watch this film, I find something new to like about it.Since I have seen the film numerous times, I was a bit disappointed that the DVD did not contain any special features, such as a commentary from the filmmaker or one of the actors. Other than the most basic chapter selection, the DVD does not offer any of the bonuses that one would like to see. Fortunately, the film itself is so good that it is worthwhile to buy this disc in spite of the substandard packaging.From the very beginning of the film, we are thrown into an imaginative world where witches reside in literally every small village and where no child is safe in any country. As the credits roll across the screen, Roeg treats us to a ride on a broomstick, to a witch’s-eye view of the frozen Scandinavian countryside.The film then introduces us to Luke and his grandmother, the protagonists of this tale. We learn that the grandmother has long been fighting the witches and even has lost part of her finger in the struggles. After tragedy strikes the young boy’s parents, the pair travel to England, which is literally infested with witches. Fortunately, Luke has been well-warned how to recognize them and can play safely in his tree house when other children would be in grave peril.The delicious irony compounds when the grandmother takes Luke to a seaside resort hotel for her convalescence. It is the precise time when all the witches of England are meeting under the cover of the Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children. In a closed-door session, the witches remove their wigs and uncomfortable, yet practical, shoes, letting us see them in all their repulsiveness. The Grand High Witch (played to perfection by Angelica Huston) reveals her plan to turn all the children of England into mice. Of course, the witch’s plan goes astray, and tables are turned on all the witches in one of the most delightful scenes in all of modern cinema. Every time I watch it, I think to myself how much fun it would be to make a film like this one.This is a charming, delightful film with enough diversions to keep children fascinated, told with enough skill to keep adults interested. It is a keeper, worth watching many times.
Review by Amanda Richards for The Witches (Keepcase)
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That woman with the purple eyes
and ugly square-toed shoes
The one who’s scratching at her scalp
is certainly bad news!
Does she look faint when kids draw near
or hold her nose and run?
If women like this roam the world
God bless us, everyone
Convention time at the hotel
we goggle at the sight
of Grand High Witch Angelica
whose wig is on too tight
Her followers cheer gleefully
as she takes off her mask
revealing all her ghastly warts
and gives them one big task
“Quit your jobs,” the Chief Witch says
“and open candy shops,
free chocolate should do the trick
we’ll pull out all the stops”
The witches have an evil plan
to rid the world of brats
those stinky, smelly rotten kids
will now be meals for cats
But all bad deeds must have a hitch
their plan’s been overheard
a clever boy is eavesdropping
and has heard every word
Soon he’s crawling through the kitchens
and dropping in the cress
too many cooks DO spoil the broth
and make an awful mess
The ending differs from the book
it’s really very sappy
I’m sure Dahl’s rolling in his grave
because they made it happy
Rated: 3.5 stars
Amanda Richards, July 29, 2006
PS – The sound quality on this DVD is not up to standard, and you’ll need to watch it with remote in hand to make volume adjustments. There are no sub-titles or closed-captioning, and the packaging is of the cheaper variety.
Review by R. C. Walker for The Witches (Keepcase)
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“Witches” is a marvellous film: cleverly written and wittily produced. Alas, this is a mutilated copy: the usual tactic of corporate greed. The original, filmed in a ratio of 1.85:1, this copy has been mutilated — slashed and hacked to leave a visual aspect of 1.33:1.
If you want to buy this butchered version, go ahead. Just remember that you’re missing about a third of the original. If steak is $5 s pound, would you pay $5 for 11 ounces? Just remember that the butcher still has his or her thumb on the scale, waiting to get your money again when she/he later offers correct weight for the price.
If you still want to buy this thing, let me know. I have some riverside property in New Orleans I’d like to sell you.
Review by John Farr for The Witches (Keepcase)
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Roald Dahl, best-known for his “Charlie and The Chocolate Factory”, also penned this dark little tale, which is brought to vivid cinematic life by gifted director Nicolas Roeg (“Walkabout”, “Don’t Look Now”). The late Jim Henson’s distinctive talents are on display in some of the rodent and witch representations, and the film also boasts broadly amusing turns by Anjelica Huston (as The Grand High Witch) and Brits Brenda Blethyn and Rowan Atkinson in supporting roles.
Review by Susan Y. Schoonover for The Witches (Keepcase)
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I enjoy Roald Dahl’s books and was eager to see the film adaptation of THE WITCHES. The movie is well crafted with awesome special effects for the year it was made and Jim Henson’s mouse puppetry is convincing. However I was disappointed by the DVD in several ways. First of all the sound was just awful especially with the Norwegian, British, and er High Grand Witch accents. To compound matters there is no close captioning of any kind on the disc so the viewer needs to be in a quiet room and listen very carefully. Needless to say the the DVD is also devoid of any special features.
As to the story I actually found the first part quite disturbing for a “family film”. Luke’s loving Norwegian grandmother tells him an awful story of a childhood friend who was imprisoned in a painting by a witch until her eventual “disappearance” in old age and the story is so realistically enacted it is really quite sad and chilling. Grandma also shows him the scar where her little finger was before an encounter with a witch and gives him some warning advice as to how to recognize the creatures. The next morning Luke and his grandmother learn Luke’s parents have both been killed in an accident. Shortly after Grandma Helga comes down with a serious case of diabetes and she and Luke leave for a vacation at an English seaside village.
At their vacation hotel they run into a convention of witches and this more surreal part of the story is actually more light hearted and comical despite some intense scenes. The filmmakers give a happy contrived ending to the story unlike what Roald Dahl wrote in the novel. I usually strongly object to filmmakers altering such major plot points but Helga and Luke had suffered so much earlier in the film I was glad to see them experience some joy. Really young or really sensitive viewers will probably find this story too disturbing to be enjoyable.
Review by C. A. Matha for The Witches
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I purchased this book for the purpose of reading it allowed to my daughter who is 5. Boy did we BOTH enjoy it. I found myself laughing out loud to many parts in this book, what a fun sense of humor! It read very quickly. It is interesting he (the author) uses his heritage of Norwegian parents and living in Wales. The book takes place between Norway and England. Even though I am not completely for making witches the vile things as he presented, his sense of humor made it a very worth while read. We really really enjoyed this book and will be looking for his other works.
Review by Katie T. for The Witches
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This is the third Roald Dahl book I have read. The first was called Matilda, and I think it is his most famous. I have also read George’s Marvelous Medicine. The Witches is a funny book and has wonderful drawings. The witches in this book wore wigs and pointed shoes to hide their bald heads and square feet with no toes! The witches in this book had eyes that changed colours, and were mean and mischivious. The witches in this book where cruel to children and turned them into mice. They live in a castle in Norway. The other characters in this story are a grandmother, her 7-year-old grandson, and the grandson’s friend, Bruno. The witches were having a meeting in the hotel where the others where staying. The witches turned the children into mice, but in the end the children get even. I really enjoyed this book. Roald Dahl is a wonderful children’s writer. I would recommend all his books!
Review by rzaster for The Witches
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The Witches by Roald Dahl was a true treat for me. One day while bored I came across this book and voila, I read it. It has a truly funny story that any child or adult alike would love. The book is about “a boy,”(the boy is not named) and his grandmother who encounter The Witches. The boy accidentaly gets into a top secret meeting of the witches and learns their new plan. He must stop them immediatly. With the help from his grandmother and food loving bruno(who was turned into a mouse by the witches with the secret formula) fight all the witches and bring the highest witch down. They finally succeed and the witches get a taste of their own medicine. This book is a really funny book that all people will enjoy!
Review by for The Witches
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The Witches is a fantasy story by Roald Dahl where this average boy gets turned into a mouse at the annual witch meeting being held at a hotel in England. After the boy’s parents died, he travels from Norway to England with his grandmother. The boy meets up with a gang of witches that aren’t scary, but they do have a big secret and a very special formula to turn children into mice. The repugnant witches’ plan is to buy a candy store to entice children. Children are not the witches’ favorite type of people.
The boy and his grandmother want revenge on these witches. This involves some drastic measures that include the hotel kitchen, a humongous pot of soup and some formula. The metamorphosis of the witches will make you want to cheer for the boy and his magnificently brave plan.
I would recommend this book to many other people because it is a great adventure and you won’t want to stop reading it. This is a wonderful book to read.
Review by for The Witches
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The Witches is a scary story about the lives of real witches. The author is Roald Dahl. My favorite part is when the boy thinks of a plan to deal with the witches. (I wish I could tell you more details, but that would give away the story!) My least favorite part was when the witches turned the boy into a mouse. I would recommend this book to a kid who likes magic and taunting stories. I think anybody who reads this would like it.