Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Robert Stevenson

Writers:

Ralph Wright (animation story) &
Ted Berman (animation story) ...

Release Date:

13 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Tagline:

You'll beWITCHED! You'll beDAZZLED! You'll be swept into a world of enchantment BEYOND ANYTHING BEFORE!

Plot:

An apprentice witch, 3 kids and a cynical conman search for the missing component to a magic spell useful to the defence of Britain.

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Apprentice | Witch | Bed | Witchcraft

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Angela Lansbury	...	Miss Price
David Tomlinson	...	Emelius
Roddy McDowall	...	Mr. Jelk
Sam Jaffe	...	Bookman
John Ericson	...	Col. Heller
Bruce Forsyth	...	Swinburne
Cindy O'Callaghan	...	Carrie
Roy Snart	...	Paul
Ian Weighill	...	Charlie
Tessie O'Shea	...	Mrs. Hobday
Arthur Gould-Porter	...	Capt. Greer (as Arthur E. Gould-Porter)
Ben Wrigley	...	Portobello Rd. Workman
Reginald Owen	...	Gen. Teagler
Cyril Delevanti	...	Elderly Farmer
Rick Traeger	...	German Sergeant

Also Known As:

Bedknobs and Broomsticks: 25th Anniversary Special Edition (USA) (longer version)

Runtime:

117 min | USA:139 min (restored version) (1996) | 99 min (re-release) (1980) | Germany:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (25th anniversary special edition) | Mono (RCA Sound Recording) (original release)

Certification:

Peru:PT | Brazil:Livre | West Germany:o.Al. | Portugal:M/4 | New Zealand:G | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Dorset, England, UK

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

The Sherman Brothers wrote a song that never made it past pre-production, a Music Hall pastiche called "Solid Citizen," which Miss Price would have sung to distract King Leonidas and get the magic star. The song was scrapped, and the soccer game seen in the film today was used instead. It went unheard until a demo performed by Richard M. Sherman was included on the CD soundtrack reissue.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Miss Price attempts to ride her broom for the first time, the wires holding her broom up in the air can be seen.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain Ainsley Greer: You there, which way to Pepperidge Eye?
Elderly Farmer: Couldn't say, sir. It said on the wireless to paint out the sign posts in case the Nazis drop in.
Captain Ainsley Greer: I'm not a Nazi, I'm a British officer!
Elderly Farmer: That's what you'd say if you *was* a Nazi, isn't it sir?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Mypods and Boomsticks (#20.7)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Substitutiary Locomotion

My personal favorite

I loved this masterpiece and quite frankly I, too found Mary Poppins (although I love Julie Andrews and Dick VanDyke) to be silly and sacrine-sweet. Angela Lansbury plays her character to perfection and I don't know why people think of this film as distorted. It was magical and it was lots of fun to watch. Every scene held a certain charm as you got to know the characters better. You truly see how this little thrown together family learn to bond with each other, despite their age and differences. I thought the characters were well developed, especially Charles who was at "The Age of not Believing". Mary Poppins may be more popular and cherished by others but this little gem will be the one that I will always love and cherish.