My (Partial) Thoughts On The Witches 2020 And Some Shameful Confessions · 2:06pm Feb 11th, 2021
So...I've been hearing a bit about The Witches 2020 produced by Netflix. Apparently it's one of many things just about everyone on Youtube is saying is the 'Worst Thing Evah' and 'Ruins The Original' and various other rants that somehow make the creators feel like they've achieved something.
Now, I am something of an Anne Hathaway fan, mostly for her work in 2002's Nicholas Nickleby.
On the subject; Rest in Peace Christopher Plummer. Your legacy in acting will never be forgotten.
I must confess, I haven't seen the whole of the movie yet, just certain scenes so far. I haven't done as much binge-watching as 2020 could have brought me. I'm a key-worker and also trying to get a webcomic going (Slow-Process) but I've seen snippets and...Hathaway looks like she's going at it.
And yeah, the original The Witches from 1990 starring Angelica Huston as The Grand High Witch is...hard to top. Anything produced by Jim Henson will be hard to top.
But here's where I must shamefully confess something...
I've never really liked the 'original' Roald Dahl films.
Okay, I like the BFG starring David Jason and James and the Giant Peach starring Paul Terry. But surprisingly, Matilda starring Mara Wilson and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder...never really appealed to me. Even as a kid.
I actually find I prefer the Tim Burton Version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
But even then, I feel as though Dahl doesn't translate to film that well.
And I am not alone in that.
While he was alive, Roald Dahl was famously caustic towards almost all attempts by studios to adapt his works cinematically. Now, a lot of writers can find themselves disappointed in film versions of their work, for one reason or another. But apparently, Roald Dahl actually went so far as to stand on a soapbox outside the theatre and rant about the film with a megaphone!
So for all the teary-eyed nostalgics out there, Daddy Dahl never liked your precious original anymore than he would the remake.
But also, my feelings about how the 2020 version changed a lot of the artistic designs, making the Witches look more human and less overly ugly and monstrous is bound in a difficult ethical dilemma I've found.
I don't think The Witches has aged well.
Yeah, it's written well and illustrated nicely by British National Treasure; Quentin Blake, contains many of Dahl's classic themes, nonsense-words, playful lyrics and, taken seriously, can actually provide a good allegory for children needing to be wary of potential predators.
But reading closely into the lines...
In the book, the titular Witches are portrayed as a race of inhuman creatures who pray upon children, have unlimited monetary power and secretly control governments and national interests in an underworld dominion hidden from the public.
And they have bulbous noses and protruding teeth...
Now, I know what you're going to say;
"Oh Patch, seriously? Are you actually looking for antisemitism in a beloved childhood classic just because it's old and was made before political-correctness was a thing? Etr. Etr."
Yes, well...here's where I must sadly shatter some treasured childhood illusions so if you don't want to read, it'll be in spoiler font.
Roald Dahl had a great many good qualities that made him a spectacular writer and, I'm a sure, a pleasant sort of chap to know.
He was, however...not a fan of the Jews.
He was open and unapologetic about his Anti-Semitic beliefs.
Granted, a lot of people were in his day but it gets worse when the Witches in his book are turned into mice and the heroes celebrate the likelihood of them being 'exterminated'...via gas chambers.
Nowadays...awkward...to say the least.
Now, I don't see enough proof that Roald Dahl actually supported the Holocaust if indeed he knew the full scope of it at all. A lot of information on the Holocaust did not become public knowledge until much later in his life and it's uncertain if he held onto those views until his death.
But still...it makes adapting a work like that very precarious as, even if you don't see Anti-Semitic rhetoric in an adaptation of a children's book...you still don't want public appeal and support from those that do.
The start of this year taught us just what those sorts of people are capable of.
So yeah, that's my issue.
I don't know if The Witches 2020 is genuinely better. It certainly has a lot going against it but the year really wasn't the best time to make a movie for anyone, all things considered. But I see nothing that convinces me it's outright bad, certainly not as much as some are saying.
Regardless, I'm glad they tried. Because if we never pushed our limits, we'd never know where they were.
Anywho, that's my two-cents on a fairly neutral cinematic standpoint.
Hope it added some sense to the storm of divisive opinions surrounding the topic and others like it.
Stay safe everybody.
I hear ya. Some things could really be better made/don't stand up to the original.
I watched yesterday a TV show called WandaVision, supposed to be Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), it shares continuity with the films of the franchise, and takes place after the events of the film ]Avengers: Endgame. It starts in a 1950s setting, then a 1960s setting, doing all the way to the 1980s setting, starts at black and white, later it gets color. It really isn't bad but trust me, it takes certain humor to get used to the show, as it kinda tries to show the humor of the 50s and 60s in a modern show. While I like that classic tribute...it could have been better planned
Holy Mary, mother of God.
I'm not alone anymore!
But all the same, thank you for saying this stuff. I get what you're saying, totally - there are stories of Dahl's that I really love, but yes, it's pretty impossible to not see his antisemitism at play in The Witches. And that's a shame, but sadly, it's just the way that he wrote the book.
5452254
Yeah, I've heard of that show.
I'm glad it's earning quite a bit of appeal but yeah, acquired taste certainly.
Still, I'm just very happy they tried something that might have been a big risk, especially Disney who generally don't take that many risks.
I don't know if it'll catch on but still, people should always try and see what they can make work.
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Thanks. Glad to be of help.
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yep, indeed