Bell, Book and Candle
| Bell, Book and Candle | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Directed by | Richard Quine |
| Produced by | Julian Blaustein |
| Written by | Daniel Taradash |
| Based on | "Bell, Book and Candle" 1950 play by John Van Druten |
| Starring | |
| Music by | George Duning |
| Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
| Edited by | Charles Nelson |
|
Production
company |
Phoenix Productions, Inc.
|
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
|
Release date
|
November 11, 1958 |
|
Running time
|
106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.5 million (estimated US/ Canada rentals) |
Bell, Book and Candle is a 1958 American romantic comedy Technicolor film directed by Richard Quine, based on the successful Broadway play by John Van Druten and adapted by Daniel Taradash. It stars Kim Novak as a witch who casts a spell on her neighbor played by James Stewart. Rounding out the supporting cast are Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Hermione Gingold and Elsa Lanchester. The film is considered Stewart's last as a romantic lead.
During the Christmas holiday season, Greenwich Village witch Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak), a free spirit with a penchant for going barefoot, has been unlucky in love and restless in life. She admires from afar her neighbor, publisher Shep Henderson (James Stewart), who one day walks into her gallery of African art to use the telephone, after Gillian's aunt Queenie (Elsa Lanchester) put a spell on his phone. When she learns he is about to marry an old college enemy of hers, Merle Kittridge (Janice Rule), Gillian takes revenge by casting a love spell on Shep, and she eventually falls for him herself. She must make a choice, as witches who fall in love lose their supernatural powers. When she decides to love Shep, Gillian's cat and familiar, Pyewacket, becomes agitated and leaves.
Sidney Redlitch (Ernie Kovacs), the author of the best-selling book Magic in Mexico, arrives in Shep's office (thanks to a little magic) after Gillian discovers Shep's interest in meeting him. Redlitch is researching a book on witches in New York, and he acquires an "inside" collaborator when Gillian's warlock brother Nicky (Jack Lemmon) volunteers his services in exchange for a portion of the proceeds.
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