Rent I Married a Witch (1942)
3.4 of 5 from 77 ratings
1h 17min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
In seventeenth century New England, witch burning was all the rage, and puritan Jonathan Wooley (Fredric March) helps convict Jennifer (Veronica Lake) and her father Daniel (Cecil Kellaway) of sorcery. They are put to death but not before Jennifer places a curse on Wooley's family line - they will forever be unlucky in love. Cut to 270 years later when a lightning bolt releases their spirits from beneath an old oak tree, Jennifer and Daniel happen upon a party celebrating the marriage of Wallace Wooley to the daughter of a newspaper baron played Susan Hayward, they wreak havoc on Wooley's plans as he falls under Jennifer's spell. 'I Married a Witch' has been acknowledged as the inspiration for the classic television show 'Bewitched', directed by Rene Clair this is a delightfully wacky, romantic comedy that helped turn Veronica lake into a short lived, but long remembered Hollywood star. - Actors:
- Fredric March, Veronica Lake, Robert Benchley, Susan Hayward, Cecil Kellaway, Elizabeth Patterson, Robert Warwick
- Directors:
- René Clair
- Producers:
- René Clair, Preston Sturges
- Writers:
- Robert Pirosh, Marc Connelly, Thorne Smith, Norman Matson, René Clair, André Rigaud, Dalton Trumbo
- Others:
- Roy Webb
- Aka:
- He Married a Witch
- Studio:
- Blackhorse Entertainment
- Genres:
- Comedy, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Collections:
- A Brief History of the Tradition of Quality, All the Twos: 1902-62, Cinema Paradiso's 2022 Centenary Club, A Brief History of Film...
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Reviews (2) of I Married a Witch
Surprisingly fast-paced 1940s US fantasy romantic comedy - I Married a Witch review by Mr Aquarium
Daring to base a comedy on past New England witch-burning, but this somehow gets the tone right. The action, mainly set in contemporary 1940s New England, is witty and farcicial, and the tight pace rarely drops. "Bizarre but beguiling" one critic wrote at the time of the film's release, which I think is spot-on. For the time, the special effects are very good. Its French director, Rene Clair, is an interesting figure from the start of French film-making, and his surviving films are worth pursuing if you have an interest in Gallic movies. There's a surreal undertone to much of his work, which comes across in this film.
I would've given this 4 stars, but this particular DVD seems to have been reproduced from an creakily ancient copy of the film. It badly needs someone somewhere to unearth a good negative and restore this film to its original glory.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Proto-Bewitched. - I Married a Witch review by Steve
Charming screwball fantasy about a Puritan in Salem in the 1600s who condemns a young woman to burn for witchcraft. She curses his descendants to suffer from miserable marriages for evermore... In 1942, the spirit of the witch (Veronica Lake) is loosed to spread havoc with the latest heir of her spell (Fredric March) as he plans to marry a spectacularly ill tempered tyrant (Susan Hayward).
Of course, the wedding is called off and the star crossed adversaries fall in love and marry instead. The husband has his eyes on the Governorship of the state and his new wife will use all the guiles of her witchcraft to help him. Yes, it was the inspiration for '60s sitcom, Bewitched.
Some of the fun to be had may depend on a tolerance of Veronica Lake, and I have little. It seems neither did Fredric March... But there is much else to enjoy. Hayward is marvellous and the support is well cast. The script is witty and genuinely funny. The many effects are well done.
René Clair's touch is light and enchanting, like a Parisian Ernst Lubitsch. He draws a congenial performance March, who is usually known as an intense dramatic actor, and confects a most delightful comedy. Clair had a gift for making decorative frou-frou, and this is a sweet, sugary treat.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.