The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Three single women in a picturesque village have their wishes granted, at a cost, when a mysterious and flamboyant man arrives in their lives.

Director:

George Miller

Writers:

John Updike (novel), Michael Cristofer (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	Daryl Van Horne
Cher	...	Alexandra Medford
Susan Sarandon	...	Jane Spofford
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Sukie Ridgemont
Veronica Cartwright	...	Felicia Alden
Richard Jenkins	...	Clyde Alden
Keith Jochim	...	Walter Neff
Carel Struycken	...	Fidel
Helen Lloyd Breed	...	Mrs. Biddle
Caroline Struzik	...	Carol Medford
Michele Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Nicol Sincavage	...	Ridgemont Child
Heather Coleman	...	Ridgemont Child
Carolyn Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child
Cynthia Ditmars	...	Ridgemont Child

Storyline

All three previously married but now single, best friends sculptress Alex Medford, cellist Jane Spofford and writer Sukie Ridgemont are feeling emotionally and sexually repressed, in large part due to the traditional mores overriding their small New England coastal town of Eastwick. After their latest conversation lamenting about the lack of suitable men in Eastwick and describing the qualities they are looking for in a man, mysterious Daryl Van Horne and his equally mysterious butler Fidel arrive in town. Despite being vulgar, crude, brazen and not particularly handsome, Daryl manages to be able to tap into the innermost emotions of the three friends, and as such manages to seduce each. In turn, the three women blossom emotionally and sexually. After an incident involving one of the town's leading citizens, the ultra conservative Felicia Alden, the three women begin to understand how and why Daryl is able to mesmerize them so fully. The three decide to experiment with some powers ...

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | sculptress | writer | teacher | children | 

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Taglines:

Three Beautiful Women. One Lucky Devil.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las brujas de Eastwick

Filming Locations:

Abbott Hall - 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$63,766,510

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.,The Guber-Peters Company,Kennedy Miller Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The town of Cohasset, Massachusetts was used for Eastwick. The film was also shot in Scituate in the same commonwealth. Massachusetts is also the location of Salem, where the famous witch trials of 1692-93 took place. It was also the home of source novelist John Updike.

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Goofs

When Daryl throws the ironing board, it lands on end with lots of stuff around it. In the next shot, it is flat on the floor with only one thing lying near it.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Carol Medford: You don't have to come today, you know, I mean, if you don't want to.
Alexandra Medford: No, sweetheart, I want to, it's just that I have a million things I have to do first.

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Connections

Referenced in 30 Rock: Leap Day (2012)

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Soundtracks

Nessun Dorma
from the Opera "Turandot"
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Performed by Luciano Pavarotti with John Alldis Choir (as The John Alldis Choir) and London Philharmonic Orchestra (as The London Philharmonic Orchestra),
Conducted by Zubin Mehta
Courtesy of London Records, a division of PolyGram Classic, Inc.

User Reviews

Strange Combination of Horror and Comedy

In the traditional and conservative Eastwick, the sculptress Alexandra Medford (Cher), the shy musician and teacher Jane Spofford (Susan Sarandon) and the journalist Sukie Ridgemont (Michelle Pfeiffer) are best friends. Alexandra is a widow; Jane is divorced since she can not have a child; and Sukie is divorced because she frequently gets pregnant and has five children. They are sexually repressed and one night, they describe the characteristics of their ideal man while drinking. There is a storm on the town and the mysterious Daryl Van Horne (Jack Nicholson) appears in town and buy a notorious mansion. NJobody can recall his name, but he seduces the three friends. Meanwhile the pious Felicia Alden (Veronica Cartwright), who is married with Sukie's boss Clyde Alden (Richard Jenkins), has a weird accident and feels that Daryl is the devil. When Felicia dies, Alexandra, Jane and Sukie realize that there is something strange about Daryl. But what can they do?

"The Witches of Eastwick" is a sexy and original film with a strange combination of horror and comedy. Jack Nicholson is comfortable performing another totally incorrect character. The sinful witches are represented by three gorgeous actresses. The special effects are great and responsible for funny scenes. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "As Bruxas de Eastwick" ("The Witches of Eastwick")