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The Witches' Voice makes every effort to keep up on the media's portrayal of Witches & Witchcraft. Since our fundamental mission is to educate and "undo" centuries of bad press we are always on the lookout as to just how the media views our religion and its ways. We are thrilled when we CAN feature excellent portrayals of our religion.
| | VoxPath: Home / media / Witch Cinema (#6 - 1/21/2002) | Posted: 1/19/2002
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Witch Cinema: The Year Behind, the Year to Come
by Peg Aloi
Well, quite a year it was, with Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone
and The Fellowship of the Ring in theatres, as well as the
long-awaited mini-series of The Mists of Avalon and the DVD release of
The Wicker Man. But we had some other films which appealed to pagans,
because of their stories, deign elements or themes which ran through them. I
want to recommend some of these in case you missed them this year. Moulin
Rouge (a spectacular fantasy musical by Baz Luhrmann, gorgeous to look at
and thrilling in an old-fashioned way which owes nothing to its amazing
cutting edge special effects); Waking Life (an absorbing and unusual film
which looks animated although it is live action painted by hand-a young man
can't seem to awake from a dream-that's all I'll say, but go see it!); and
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (adapted from the hot Broadway musical about
a German transgendered singer who finds love after a life of pain).
There's also Memento (clever thriller about a man who cannot form new
memories); The Crimson Rivers (French thriller set in the Alps with
plenty of conspiracy theory); Session 9 (a spooky piece about the
energies and spirits left behind in an abandoned mental hospital and how the
place affects four men working there); Mulholland Drive (David Lynch's
beautiful, inscrutable mystery about two women; that's all I'll say)
Songcatcher (a Victorian musicologist discovers a rich source of folk
music in Appalachia); The Price of Milk (Australian romantic comedy
with magic realism and Aboriginal mythic elements) and Before Night Falls
(true story of an exiled gay Cuban poet). I also loved Bridget Jones'
Diary (Reneee Zellweger is great!), The Taste of Others (French
ensemble comedy), A Love Divided (true story of a Protestant/Catholic
Irish couple whose community turned against them), Life as a House
(moving story of a dying man's final task), L.I.E. (well-acted story
of a gay teenager's identity crisis), and Intimacy (Mark Rylance and
Kerry Fox in a powerful exploration of a sexual relationship that refuses to
remain casual).
None of these films are necessarily or specifically pagan; I just liked them.
So there! Soon to be appearing in theatres near you: Gosford Park
(what a cast! An English shooting party weekend turns into a murder mystery
with the serving staff privy to all), Italian for Beginners (Danish
Dogme film about a group of single people who slowly find themselves and each
other through their Italian lessons ), In the Bedroom (with the
amazing Sissy Spacek as a woman whose marriage is torn apart by grief), and
Brotherhood of the Wolf (French historical thriller about a medieval
beast which brutally murders women in the countryside and the heroic duo
which hunts it down only to find the whole thing has been orchestrated by the
Knights Templar). Also< I just saw a gorgeous new Japanese anime film called
Metropolis that is very impressive.
As for the year ahead, the biggest news (in my opinion, anyway) is that
The Wicker Man is going to be remade with a big budget... and set in Ame
rica. More on that when I hear more than what you saw in my column this
fall. In other movie news, the "prequel" of The Blair Witch Project
is set to begin pre-production (translation: the original directors have been
signed to write a script) this year. It's all very cloak-and-dagger
(naturally) but rumor has it this last installment will deal with the
historical events at the root of the Blair Witch legend. And for those who
did not like the second film, this prequel will be directed by the original
film-making duo of Ed Sanchez and Dan Myrick.
For Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans, the news that Anthony Stewart Head
is making a spin-off series about Giles that will take place in England is
very exciting indeed. Also, the storyline surrounding Willow's "addiction"
to magic has been very interesting to follow. In fact I think this show just
keeps getting better and better! It is one of the best shows on television in
terms of its acting and direction, and is now the hottest entertainment
import on British television! They get the shows a few months behind us, so
try not to spoil the endings for your British penpals! (Be warned: the next
paragraph contains some possible spoilers).
Although Buffy's depiction of Wicca, witchcraft and magic often leaves
us scratching our heads with its liberal interpretation of lore and facts
(remember all those times Xena Warrior Princess made us do the same
thing?), it is still a powerful story thread and I think many non-pagan
viewers are enthralled by it as well. All of the main characters seem to be
undergoing major transformations now and this is what all practitioners of
magic (not to mention those who dabble in occult forces) go through
eventually. The singular episode which seemed to encapsulate these changes
was (ta-daaa!) THE MUSICAL EPISODE. Now, I will admit I thought this was
gonna be one big cheese fest. But it was surprisingly well-written, a blend
of hilarity and emotional intensity. The effects of earlier months: the death
of Buffy and Dawn's mother, Buffy's sacrifice and subsequent resurrection,
Willow and Tara's problems with Willow's increasing dependence on magic,
Giles' growing alienation, Zander and Anya's relationship difficulties, and
of course Spike's hopeless love for Buffy: all found voice (literally!) in
this incredible episode. Let me give all you folks a tip, you who think
Broadway musicals are silly: No one knew how to map the human heart like some
of the great songwriting teams of the stage, especially Rodgers and
Hammerstein. Buffy the Vampire Slayer took a cue from the old-style
musicals and let these characters express things through song and dance that
they'd been keeping inside for way too long... and it worked! Bravo.
That's all for now. Until next time, see you at the movies!
Peg Aloi
Media Coordinator - The Witches' Voice
Monday, January 21st 2002
Email: albion@witchvox.com
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