"Love is Stronger than Witchcraft"
Veronica Lake as Jennifer. Credit: Paramount Pictures
Note: While I understand the movie is attempting to be lighthearted, I do not believe the salem witch trials and those burned at the stake are something to be used in a comedy setting. There is nothing funny about being murdered by being burned alive, helpless to do anything to save themselves- all without evidence that they could do anything that was proclaimed.
I Married a Witch is a lighthearted take of a revenge story for a witch in the (at the time) modern times. Veronica Lake as the titular witch, Jennifer, is perfectly cast as a centuries-old witch. On the screen, Lake certainly has the same lightness and gentle quality as Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha from Bewitched (although that came later in 1964). She oozes appeal without trying and is flirty and docile without being over-the-top.
The film begins in the 1770s in Salem with the burning of a witch (Jennifer) by a member of the Wooley family (Fredric March in a secondary role). Trapped in a tree for 270 years, it is this event that sets the stage for the main plot of revenge for Jennifer and her father now in modern times with the most current descendant, Wallace Wooley (Frederic March). The main revenge? No Wooley man will marry the right woman (a tame curse to be sure). Jennifer plans on making Wallace fall in love with her and not returning said love. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) the plan backfires.
The movie itself was a bit on the short side with a runtime of only 77 minutes. I would have loved to have seen a more fleshed-out screenplay, but with what we're given, the movie is simple, cohesive, and fun. Witch would have been better if it spent more time setting up the story as well as allowing us to see more of the progression of the revenge (and subsequent love) by Jennifer.
The set designs are rather well-done in this film, with Wallace Cooley's home (mansion) being one of the most elaborate sets used. Special effects are spot on as well. The white puffs of smoke that are meant to represent Jennifer and her father in spirit form are well done, as they look opaque enough to believe there is an energy within the smoke of a spiritual manifestation. The windstorm during Wooley's wedding was done well to give the effect of a storm but was not so overly done as to mar the viewer's sight of the scene.
All in all, I think IMaW is a good film worth watching if you're looking for a new movie to watch, or if you're looking to watch some older films in Hollywood's history (as it's not too long of a picture).
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