The Witches of Eastwick

Director: George Miller George Miller

Overview

Three romantically deprived women all find satisfaction in affairs with the same mysterious, charming stranger but slowly come to realize that this man may in fact be Satan himself. This popular fantasy drama features an all-star cast and a script based upon the best-selling novel by John Updike.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/01/2006
UPC:	0012569732452
Original Release:	1987
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Letterbox, Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:58:00
Sales rank:	3,198

Special Features

Closed Caption;Production notes; Theatrical trailer; Languages: English & Français; Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Nicholson	Daryl Van Horne
Cher	Alexandra Medford
Susan Sarandon	Jane Spofford
Michelle Pfeiffer	Sukie Ridgemont
Veronica Cartwright	Felicia Alden,Actor
Richard Jenkins	Clyde Alden
Keith Jochim	Walter Neff
Carel Struycken	Fidel
Helen Lloyd Breed	Mrs. Biddle
Caroline Struzik	Carol Medford
Becca Lish	Mrs. Neff
Ruth Maynard	Mrs. Biddle's Friend
Carole Ita White	Cashier,la caissière
Margot Dionne	Nurse
John Blood	Deli Counterman
Ron Campbell	Ice-Cream Counterman
Eugene Boles	Minister
Lansdale Chatfield	Doctor
James T. Boyle	Doctor,un médecin
Michele Sincavage	Ridgemont Child,Ridgemont Child
Heather Coleman	Ridgemont Child
Carolyn Ditmars	Ridgemont Child,Ridgemont Child,un enfant de Sukie
Robert Steinmiller Jr.	Actor
George Miller	Actor
Craig Burket	un membre du quartet
Abraham Mishkind	un membre du quartet
Christopher Verrette	un membre du quartet
Babbie Green	une femme au marché
Jane A. Johnston	une femme au marché
Merrily Horowitz	une femme au marché
Harriet Medin	une femme au marché
Richard Muziek	Actor
Keith Joakum	Actor
Corey Carrier	Lenoi School Band (cymbals)
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Michael Cristofer

John Updike

George Miller	Director
Rob Bottin	Special Effects
Neil Canton	Producer
Rob Cohen	Executive Producer,Producer
Don Devlin	Executive Producer,Producer
Alan Gibbs	Stunts,Stunts
Peter Guber	Producer
Mike Lanteri	Special Effects
Jon Peters	Producer
Michael Lantieri	Special Effects Supervisor,Special Effects
Bruce Walters	Special Effects
Ed Jones	Special Effects
Michael Cristofer	Screenwriter
John Updike	Screenwriter
Barbara Affonso	Special Effects
Mary Andrews	Sound Effects
Wayne Artman	Sound Effects
Tom Beckert	Sound Effects
James Beshears	Sound Effects
David Cohn	Sound Effects
Wallis Nicita	Casting
Donna Evans	Stunts
Christine Baur	Stunts
Spike Silver	Stunts
Arthur Rochester	Sound/Sound Designer
Tom Dahl	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Whatever one thinks of the possibly sexist overtones in the film, there is little doubt that The Witches of Eastwick is a tour de force for Jack Nicholson as horny little devil Daryl Van Horne. Sure he has big showy scenes, like the closing monologue in the church, but watch his interplay with each of the three lead actresses to see a talented actor at the top of his game. With Cher's Alex he is direct, with Sarandon's Jane he is passionate, and with Pfeiffer's Sukie he is gentle. That he can make each of these seductions different, but believable, shows the range and skill of a performer often underestimated by a public who thinks of "Jack" as a celebrity first and an actor second. The actresses who play these scenes with him are, for the most part, up to the challenge. Sarandon, shedding the pinched, matronly look of the beginning of the film for a passionate wild-woman, seems to be having the most fun. Pfeiffer is delicate and vulnerable without coming across as mousy or helpless. She makes it easy to believe that Daryl actually does soften when he is near her. Cher invests Alex with a feistiness the audience normally associates with the actress, but she suffers because Daryl seduces her by being even more feisty. Once she succumbs, she has been beaten at her own game and recedes slightly as a character because of it. There is not much to recommend in the film apart from the performances. The screenplay reveals its schematic structure early on and never figures out how to get out of the route it has established. The special effects-laden finale seems terribly out of place considering the strength of the film is in the performances. However, the dénouement, with Daryl's face on a large television monitor, talking to his three infant sons, does a good job of reminding the audience what was best about this interesting hybrid of supernatural romance and horror.