Line #25 Film/BellBookAndCandle


1	%%
2	%% Image selected per Image Pickin thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16947897370.96707600
3	%% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread.
4	%%
5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bbc.png]]
6
7	''Bell, Book and Candle'' is a 1958 romantic comedy/fantasy film [[TheFilmOfThePlay adapted from]] a 1950 play of the same name by John Van Druten, directed by Richard Quine and starring [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]], Creator/KimNovak, Creator/JackLemmon, and Creator/ErnieKovacs.
8
9	Shep Henderson (Stewart) is a Manhattan book publisher who happens to live above a dealer in African art named Gillian Holroyd (Novak). In addition to being an art dealer, Gillian is a witch from a family of witches that includes her aunt Queenie (Elsa Lanchester) and brother Nicky (Lemmon). Gillian takes an interest in bachelor Shep, and when she finds out that he's about to marry her old college enemy Merle Kittredge (Creator/JaniceRule), she casts a spell to make Shep fall in love with her instead. Complications arise when Nicky gets in touch with Sidney Redlitch (Kovacs), an author of books about witchcraft, and threatens to expose Gillian's secret life.
10
11	''Bell, Book and Candle'' was the follow-up to a far different Stewart-Novak pairing from earlier that same year, ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''. It is also notable as the last film in which Stewart played a romantic lead. The TV sitcom ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'', which premiered six years later, borrowed several elements from this film. (It didn't hurt any that this was a Creator/ColumbiaPictures film and ''Bewitched'' was produced by Columbia's Creator/ScreenGems subsidiary.)
12
13	It was remade as a 1976 MadeForTVMovie, directed by Hy Averback and starring Creator/YvetteMimieux, Creator/MichaelMurphy, Creator/DorisRoberts, Creator/JohnPleshette, and Creator/SusanSullivan.
14
15	----
16	!!Tropes:
17
18	* AllWitchesHaveCats: Gillian has Pyewacket, a Siamese that she uses as her {{familiar}}. (ShownTheirWork as that's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyewacket_(familiar_spirit) a genuine name for a witch's familiar]] although the original list by Matthew Hopkins specifies the cat's name was Holt, while Pyewacket was an imp.)
19	* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Artistic License – Witchcraft? The mantra "ring the bell, close the book, quench the candle" quoted in the movie is characterized as an exorcism rite when it was actually an excommunication rite.
20	* {{Beatnik}}s: The setting is [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity Greenwich Village]] in TheFifties, so Gillian and Nicky adopt this persona as their {{masquerade}}.
21	* ChekhovsGun: It is established early in the film that witches (and likely warlocks) can't cry or blush, and that falling in love results in a witch losing her powers. At the end, Gillian falls in love and loses her powers, and Shep realizes she loves him for real when she blushes and cries.
22	* CheshireCatGrin: Nicky often sports one throughout the movie.
23	* {{Chickification}}: Gillian is an icily sexy witch who mainly dresses in black beatnik pants outfits or vivid red dresses, and runs a cool, vaguely spooky art dealership specializing in African and Oceanian folk art. When she's de-powered, she takes to wearing yellow or white sundresses, and she turns her shop into a seashell emporium.
24	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Queenie is a somewhat flighty lady.
25	* ContrivedCoincidence: The bachelor who lives above Gillian's store is engaged to Gillian's worst enemy from college.
26	* DidIMentionItsChristmas: The first part of the story takes place on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
27	* DisposableFiancee: Merle for Shep. Her past as a snobbish college bully makes her less sympathetic.
28	* EmeraldPower: Magic, when visible, is depicted as green. (The particular shade is reminiscent of the kind seen in Novak and Stewart's previous film, ''Film/{{Vertigo}}''.)
29	* {{Familiar}}: Pyewacket, the Siamese cat that Gillian uses to cast spells. In the end, after Gillian is de-powered, Pyewacket leaves her and moves in with Queenie.
30	* HighClassGloves: Fashionable HotWitch Gillian wears them with one of her Sexy Backless Outfits.
31	* HotWitch: Novak at the height of her sexiness, wearing a series of flattering, revealing outfits throughout the movie.
32	* INeedAFreakingDrink: Shep downs one with a shaking hand when his inability to leave their building finally convinces him that Gillian is not kidding and is actually a witch.
33	* LovePotion: A spell, actually. Gillian might have been able to make Shep fall in love with her the regular way, but Shep's getting married tomorrow, so she has to act quickly. She uses Pyewacket to cast a love spell on Shep.
34	* MagicalBarefooter: Gillian (she even used to go to her classes without shoes). [[spoiler: In full accordance with the trope, when she loses her powers, she also loses her penchant for going barefoot.]]
35	* MsFanservice: Gillian wears two {{Sexy Backless Outfit}}s, a series of tight dresses, and a silk robe with a NavelDeepNeckline.
36	* POVShot: Multiple black-and-white shots from the POV of Pyewacket.
37	* ThePowerOfLove: Will make a witch lose her powers.
38	* PrefersGoingBarefoot: One of the first peculiarities we're shown about Gillian is that she prefers to be barefoot all the time, and when she's first introduced, the camera pans out to draw attention to her bare feet. She will wear shoes for appearances' sake only. In conversation, she mentions that she has started wearing shoes in public to avoid being criticized. [[spoiler:She outgrows this habit after losing her powers- [[AgonyOfTheFeet and after running out into a cold and slushy street full of snow.]]]]
39	* RomComJob: Shep's a book publisher. Gillian owns a shop dealing in African art.
40	* SalemIsWitchCountry: Not directly stated but hinted at with the Holroyds, whom Queenie describes as "an old Massachusetts family". Gillian also describes her witching life to Shep as "''early'' American".
41	* SexyBacklessOutfit: MsFanservice Kim Novak wears two different such outfits over the course of the movie.
42	* TitleDrop: Sidney quotes the "ring the bell, close the book, quench the candle" ritual, and later Shep refers to Gillian and her circle as the "bell, book, and candle set."
43	* UrbanFantasy: Witches in 1958 New York.
44	* WantonCrueltyToTheCommonComma: The actual onscreen title is shown as ''Bell Book and Candle'', even though the play's title officially had the comma after "bell". And there's no "bell book" anywhere in the film. Still, most people still use the comma when writing about the film. Of course, whether there should be an Oxford comma after "book" is another issue.
45	* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Witches can't fall in love lest they lose their powers. When Queenie finds out this has happened to Gillian, she asks her what it's like.
46	* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: It eventually becomes clear that the Zodiac club where the witches hang out is also a gay bar.
47	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Merle hates thunderstorms.
48	* WitchWithACapitalB: Shep's jilted fiancée Merle ''almost'' calls Gillian the b-word.
49	--> '''Merle''': A witch?\
50	'''Shep''': Yes!\
51	'''Merle''': Shep, you've just never learned how to spell.
52

Context Film / BellBookAndCandle