Perhaps best known for his role in ‘An American Werewolf in London’ and also as the put upon IT employee in Scorsese’s underrated ‘After Hours’ actor Griffin Dunne turned his hand to directing in 1995 with a TV movie followed by a film each year when he helmed Practical Magic based on the book of the same name by Alice Hoffman.
The film was set in a small, contemporary New England town where two sisters from a family of witches resided. For them the two women falling in love turns out to be the trickiest spell of all. They struggle to use their gift for magically guiding fate to overcome their family curse: The men they fall in love with are doomed to an untimely death!
The story of Practical Magic…..
It’s novel premise and casting the two female leads saw Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play Gillian and Sally respectively. Bullock needed a hit after her two previous film had been the disastrous Speed 2 a much anticipated sequel that had bombed and was then followed by ‘Hope Floats’ that was cruelly summed up by one critic with the phrase ’Shit sinks’. Kidman fared better with her previous film, ‘Portrait of a Lady’ gaining respectable reviews and taking on a lighter role in Practical Magic that would give her much needed light relief from the epic shoot for Stanley Kubrick’s last film, ‘Eyes Wide Shut’.
A generally happy shoot with Kidman and Bullock getting on like…well, sisters and a stand out aspect of the films overall look was the house or at least the exterior that was actually just a shell that had been erected on protected Native American ground. It’s a terrific piece of design by Robin Standefer so good that several Hollywood stars requested him to design the interior of their own homes. It was further enhanced by cinematographer Andrew Dunn who had been BAFTA nominated three times previously including the acclaimed The Madness of King George
Released on 16th October 1998 in time for Halloween the film received mixed reviews with audiences unsure of its mash up of genres that saw supernatural fantasy, domestic abuse drama, romantic comedy and crime procedural in one film. The film opened to mixed reviews but the film has gone on to build a devoted following.
Those bonus features….
This 4K UHD would be a must for fans of the film though it is a little thin on bonus features which include:
Casting the Spell – Director Griffin Dunne and producer Denise Di Novi, along with stars Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn and Goran Visnjic, reflect on the joys of bringing Practical Magic to life.
Making Magic – Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew of Practical Magic as they share their insights on bringing Alice Hoffman’s novel to the screen.
Commentary – By director Griffin Dunne, producer Denise Di Novi, star Sandra Bullock and composer Alan Silvestri
Best of these is the commentary though it does miss any input from Kidman and there’s a wealth of stories that fans will enjoy. It’s an unexpected release from Warners back catalogue but perhaps not so much of a surprise when almost 30 years later a belated sequel is to be release and is likely to attract new fans and in fairness for its demographic it has obvious and enjoyable appeal.
related feature : ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ – 4K UHD
related feature : Sarah Alexandra Marks talks about her role in supernatural thriller, ‘Witch’
Here’s the trailer…..
Practical Magic will be available on 4K UHD Blu-ray on August 24 & SteelBook on October 5
