MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 7,581 this week

Bell Book and Candle (1958)

6.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.8/10 from 5,065 users  
Reviews: 80 user | 39 critic

A modern-day witch likes her neighbor but despises his fiancee, so she enchants him to love her instead... only to fall in love with him for real.

Director:

Writers:

(play), (screenplay)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 69 titles created 23 Apr 2011
 
a list of 5779 titles created 5 months ago
 
a list of 2925 titles created 10 months ago
 
a list of 15 titles created 13 Sep 2011
 
a list of 827 titles created 11 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Bell Book and Candle (1958)

Bell Book and Candle (1958) on IMDb 6.8/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Bell Book and Candle.
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Topper (1937)
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A fun-loving couple, finding that they died and are now ghosts, decide to shake up the stuffy lifestyle of a friend of theirs.

Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Stars: Constance Bennett, Cary Grant, Roland Young
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X  

Sally and Gillian Owens have always known they were different. Raised by their aunts after their parents' death, the sisters grew up in a household that was anything but typical--their ... See full summary »

Director: Griffin Dunne
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

In 1930s New Jersey, a movie character walks off the screen and into the real world.

Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

After an accident, a chauvenistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking.

Director: Nancy Meyers
Stars: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

When he discovers his adopted son is a genius, a New York sportswriter seeks out the boy's birth mother: a prostitute.

Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Pamela Blair, Rene Ceballos, Woody Allen
Weird Science (1985)
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

Two nerdish boys attempt to create the perfect woman, but she turns out to be more than that.

Director: John Hughes
Stars: Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock, Ilan Mitchell-Smith
All of Me (1984)
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

A dying millionnaire has her soul transferred into a younger, willing woman. But something goes wrong, and she finds herself in her lawyer's body - together with the lawyer.

Director: Carl Reiner
Stars: Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Victoria Tennant
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A lonely landscape architect (Ruffalo) falls for the spirit of beautiful woman (Witherspoon) who used to live in his new apartment.

Director: Mark Waters
Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo, Donal Logue
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The Devil arranges for a deceased gangster to return to Earth as a well-respected judge to make up for his previous life.

Director: Archie Mayo
Stars: Paul Muni, Anne Baxter, Claude Rains
Fantasy | Comedy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Boxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years too soon due to a heavenly mistake, and is given a new life as a millionaire playboy.

Director: Alexander Hall
Stars: Robert Montgomery, Evelyn Keyes, Claude Rains
Bedazzled (1967)
Comedy | Fantasy | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A hapless loser sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for 7 wishes, but has trouble winning over the girl of his dreams.

Director: Stanley Donen
Stars: Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Eleanor Bron
Serendipity (2001)
Comedy | Romance | Fantasy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A couple reunite years after the night they first met, fell in love, and separated, convinced that one day they'd end up together.

Director: Peter Chelsom
Stars: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale, Jeremy Piven
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
Shepherd 'Shep' Henderson
...
...
...
Sidney Redlitch
...
Bianca de Passe
...
...
Merle Kittridge
Philippe Clay ...
French Singer at the Zodiac Club
Bek Nelson ...
Tina - Shep's Secretary
...
Andy White - Shep's Co-Publisher
The Brothers Candoli ...
Musicians at the Zodiac Club
Edit

Storyline

Gillian Holroyd is just your average, modern-day, witch, living in a New York apartment with her Siamese familiar, Pyewacket. But one day a handsome publisher, Shep Henderson walks into her building and Gillian decides she wants him--especially as it turns out he's marrying Merle Kittridge, an old poison penpal from Gillian's college days. So, Gillian casts a spell over Shep. But her powers are in danger of being exorcised by something stronger than the bell-book-and-candle routine: Love. Written by Kathy Li

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

A bewitching comedy about an enchanting subject!


Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

19 December 1958 (Finland)  »

Also Known As:

Bell, Book and Candle  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was James Stewart's final appearance as a romantic lead. This was because many of the leading ladies that were playing his romantic interest were becoming younger and a few were half his age. The critics in 1958 felt that Stewart was miscast as a suave New York businessman, and he apparently agreed. After this film he would concentrate more on roles that portrayed him as an everyman or as a father figure. See more »

Goofs

In the Zodiac Club, when the Candoli Brothers begin playing "Stormy Weather", the soundtrack features trumpets with cup mutes, but the performance on screen is without mutes. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd: Oh, Pye, Pye, Pyewacket. What's the matter with me? Why do I feel this way? It's such a rut. The same old thing day after day. Same old people. I know I'm feeling sorry for myself but it's true. Why don't you give me something for Christmas, Pye?
The Cat: Meow.
Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd: What would I like?
The Cat: Meow.
Gillian 'Gil' Holroyd: I'd like to do something different. I'd like to meet something different.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Law & Order: Criminal Intent: The Consoler (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"From Here To Eternity"
(uncredited)
Composed by Bob Wells and Fred Karger
Short excerpt in dance scene
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Kim Novak at her best (looking)
20 May 2002 | by (Fishers, IN) – See all my reviews

Bell Book and Candle is not a great movie by any means (it's fair), but it's worth checking out for a couple of reasons. First, it's almost hard to believe this is the same Kim Novak that graced the screen in Vertigo the same year. The combination of her manner in this film, and her incredibly striking natural good looks make her almost hypnotic. She wears little or no makeup throughout the film, and looks infinitely better than being slathered in makeup in all her other films. Sharon Stone wishes she looked this good.

The second reason this film is worth checking out is Jimmy Stewart. Now, while I consider Stewart my favorite actor of all time, there were many instances where he was just not effective in the role he was playing. He's at his best when he's playing the naive sap (Mr. Smith, Destry, Harvey), the everyday man (Made for each other, Philadelphia story), or the straight nose who is thrust into unusual situations (this film, You Can't Take it with you) where he can play off of what's happening to him. His weaker performances, I felt, were in his straight forward dramatic roles (liberty valance, man who knew too much, even Vertigo). This film is a chance to see his everyman thrust into wacky situations.

This film is a little too tame to be considered screwball, but as with any good screwball, the supporting cast is as important as the leads. Elsa Lanchester, AKA Bride of Frankenstein, is hilarious. Ernie Kovacs, as Sidney Redlitch, is an absolute riot. I had to pause the film when he goes looking for a little "post holiday cheer", I was laughing so hard. Then, of course, there's a pre-The Apartment Jack Lemmon in a supporting role, as well.

Bell Book and Candle isn't great, and it never really seems sure of what kind of film it's trying to be, but it's pretty funny and worth seeing for the performances alone.


40 of 63 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
That poor cat!!! shaun_sayre
White hair dvbar1
My favorite part Sorcerersbroom
Never Understood rbiegler-1
Bewtiched? Campsitemassacre
name of the cat/familiar? nweissman
Discuss Bell Book and Candle (1958) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?