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DVD Answers is reporting that Warner will release Nic Roeg's The Witches (1990) in the UK (R2 PAL) market on October 17th, apparently as a tie-in with the DVD release of Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (both films are based on Roald Dahl books). It will also be available in a box set (The Dahl Collection---clever title) with Charlie and the 1989 British TV movie, Danny, the Champion of the World (with Jeremy Irons and Robbie Coltrane), which hasn't appeared on DVD previously.

Specs haven't been announced for the UK disc of The Witches, but the question in my mind is whether Warner has finally done a new anamorphic widescreen transfer that this excellent film deserves. Warner said in a chat several years ago that they weren't planning to revisit the R1 full frame (Pan&Scan vs Open Matte) snapper release, and it still appears to be in print (going for $6-7 online). Still, the success of Burton's movie may have convinced them otherwise.

I have my fingers crossed both for a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and a proper R1 re-release. I guess we'll find out once the R1 release of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is announced.

It's too bad they don't include JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH in that set.

Alonzo the Armless wrote:It's too bad they don't include JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH in that set.

I agree---unfortunately it belongs to the Mouse House.

If this movie isn't enough to push Warner to deliver an anamorphic release, nothing will. I've already completely given up hope on CTHV doing one for Matilda.

It's looking more and more as if a new transfer (or R1 re-release) of The Witches is not forthcoming. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been announced for R1 without any mention of a tie-in with The Witches. Warner's press release for the UK edition makes no mention of the video aspect ratio, but I doubt that the company would pony up for a new transfer exclusively for the smaller UK market.

Rats! (or, in this case, Mice!)

I haven't seen The Witches since its original release, but my distinct impression at the time was that the ending felt tacked-on, as if it were a re-shoot after previews. Do any Roeg experts here know if the film was subject to studio tampering in that regard?

The ending of the movie is much happier than than of the book, where the main character (Luke in the movie - the protagonist of the book is never named) stays a mouse but continues hunting witches with his grandmother.

The Wikipedia page for the movie has a good breakdown of the differences between the two:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witche ... 90_film%29

Plus this interesting fact:

Felicity Dahl states that Roald Dahl hated the happy ending. He apparently stood outside cinemas with a megaphone, telling people not to watch the film. It was the last of Dahl's books to be developed into a film before his death; he died just months after the film was released.

I saw this when I was a kid and I loved the ending.

Felicity Dahl states that Roald Dahl hated the happy ending. He apparently stood outside cinemas with a megaphone, telling people not to watch the film. It was the last of Dahl's books to be developed into a film before his death; he died just months after the film was released.

He should have been grateful that Roeg didn't insist on one of his trademark sex scenes!

Thanks for elucidating, patrick - that's exactly the ending the film clearly wanted to have.

Hello there, can anyone one in the UK help me? I'm looking for this DVD for my girlfriend. I know I can get the R1 DVD, but it's fullscreen, and she won't want that. I found it on Amazon.co.uk. Is this version by any chance widescreen (preferably anamorphic)?

Thanks to anyone who can help.

willoneill wrote:Hello there, can anyone one in the UK help me? I'm looking for this DVD for my girlfriend. I know I can get the R1 DVD, but it's fullscreen, and she won't want that. I found it on Amazon.co.uk. Is this version by any chance widescreen (preferably anamorphic)?

Thanks to anyone who can help.

The UK version apparently is still the letterboxed one. I know there's a Dutch edition that's anamorphic and that just came out. So maybe that one will be released in other countries as well. Unfortunately the UK version is cut by two seconds (don't know if the Dutch version is cut) so I'd wait for some new release that I'm sure will turn up somewhere.