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Bell, Book and Candle

Play trailer Poster for Bell, Book and Candle 1958 1h 43m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In the late 1950s, Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) is a modern-day witch living in New York City's Greenwich Village. When she encounters charming publisher Shepherd Henderson (James Stewart), she decides to make him hers by casting a love spell. Gillian takes added pleasure in doing so because Henderson is engaged to her old college rival (Janice Rule). However, Gillian finds herself actually falling for Shepherd, which poses a problem: She will lose her powers if she falls in love.
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Bell, Book and Candle

Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com 12/14/2023
4/4
Is 1958’s Bell Book and Candle the greatest Christmas-set supernatural rom-com ever made? Go to Full Review
Michael Sragow The New Yorker 04/20/2015
Stewart, playing the foil, deserves better material, and the movie's midsection is perfunctory. But the fun quotient is high ... Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 09/10/2022
Director Richard Quine gives the witches an almost beatnik sensibility, a real Greenwich Village subculture hanging out in underground clubs and smart curio shops. Go to Full Review
George Bourke Miami Herald 08/19/2021
Director Richard Quine has extracted a lot of laugh-filled moments from all this nonsense. Go to Full Review
Florence Epstein Modern Screen 01/14/2021
Kim's no ordinary witch; and the movie itself has a delightfully magical air. Go to Full Review
Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 11/14/2019
On the screen, it retains some funny moments but suffers gravely from the inadequacies of Kim Novak in the central role... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Sarah R. @sassywilk Mar 1 i'm sorry am I the only one that noticed that is a 26 year-old Kim Novak's playing against a 51 year old Jimmy Stewart? Like ewe. He looks so old and she is so gorgeous and young. It just feels weird. I just don't understand how they used to do that distracted me from the plot which was very light and breezy and never addresses the fact that he's just this old guy who's for some reason still a bachelor cruising on this chick who's barely out of college . oh the good old days See more Jarrod R @RT27243469 Mar 28 In Bell Book and Candle, we are transported back to New York in the 1950s. We're introduced to Gillian, played by Kim Novak, who we learn throughout the story is a witch. She does seem taken by her upstairs neighbor, Shep Henderson, played in his own special way by Jimmy Stewart. One thing leads to another, and Gill places a love spell on Shep, which upends his plans, including his impending marriage. Along the way, we meet writer Sidney Redlitch, played by Ernie Kovaks, who is fixated on witches and their mysterious ways. In his brief time on screen, I noticed that he must have made an impression on Jeff Goldblum since his vocal patterns are nearly identical. (Digging deeper, I learned that Goldblum portrayed Kovaks in Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter in 1984) Jack Lemon is in the supernatural club, too, and we learn about his powers little by little in a playful performance. All in all, this is a rom-com with a witch-y twist. While the ending was predictable, I still had a great time and wish that I could become a regular at the "Zodiac Club." See more E N @RT58474833 01/18/2025 I'm in love with Kim Novak! Absolutely great movie! See more Robert S @RT85704625 11/03/2024 It isn't just about witchcraft; it pertains to any "oddness" in personality or behavior, like Autism, e.g., and the conflict with "normalness" and the decisions that have to be made. Wonderful! See more Orin R @rehorst 10/30/2024 You just can't take your eyes off her! See more 09/22/2023 A really good one here with James Stewart and Kim Novak. Yes I recommend this one James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas September 22, 2023. See more Read all reviews
Bell, Book and Candle

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the late 1950s, Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) is a modern-day witch living in New York City's Greenwich Village. When she encounters charming publisher Shepherd Henderson (James Stewart), she decides to make him hers by casting a love spell. Gillian takes added pleasure in doing so because Henderson is engaged to her old college rival (Janice Rule). However, Gillian finds herself actually falling for Shepherd, which poses a problem: She will lose her powers if she falls in love.
Director
Richard Quine
Producer
Julian Blaustein
Screenwriter
John Van Druten, Daniel Taradash
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Phoenix Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 1958, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 28, 2000
Runtime
1h 43m
Sound Mix
Stereo
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Flat (1.85:1)
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