I just rewatched “The Witches of Eastwick” the other week, I think for the first time since it was theaters in 1987 – nearly 40 years ago! It’s a pretty bad movie, which I recognized even at the time. The metaphors landed better in John Updike’s novel, which I read when it first came to paperback, but to be honest, I wasn’t all that crazy about the book either.
First of all, so much money was thrown at the movie. And who’s idea was it to make it into such a broad comedy? The tone is all wrong, and none of the leads have any chemistry with one another, not with Jack Nicholson, not with anyone else. It’s a pretty depressing, resoundingly hollow movie, with Jack giving yet another one of his mad, oh so tiresome post-“Shining,” scenery-chewing performances. Moreover, the whole thing just devolves into a special effects extravaganza. Updike must have been vomiting harder than Veronica Cartwright.
On the plus side, this was the first time I noticed Richard Jenkins was in it. He’s gone on to much better things. But Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, George Miller (director of “The Road Warrior” and “Babe”), and John Williams! What was the price tag for this thing? I guess it was a modest success, making three times its budget – peanuts by today’s standards. And yes, the movie comes to life for maybe a minute or two during a diabolical rehearsal of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, but as a whole the film is Halloween entertainment for very undiscerning viewers. I’d rather rewatch “Phantasm.”
That said, Williams does what he can with it, and I have to admit the theme is an instant earworm. I found this clip in which he has fun with the music he composed for a telekinetic tennis match between the film’s four principals. In spirit, there’s a little Prokofiev in there, maybe a little Ravel, but all in all, it makes you lament that Williams wasn’t a concert composer in the early decades of the 20th century.
It’s also a rare opportunity to see what an accomplished pianist Williams is. In his youth, he entertained ambitions to be a concert pianist, but he also adored jazz. His talents as an improviser, arranger, and crackerjack sight-reader made him a perfect fit for the movies.
As an encore, Seiji Ozawa conducts “E.T.”
Williams squanders an indelible tune