Bedknobs and Broomsticks - 1971
You'll beWITCHED! You'll beDAZZLED! You'll be swept into a world of enchantment BEYOND ANYTHING BEFORE!
Director
Robert Stevenson
Writer
Mary Norton
Ralph Wright
Ted Berman
Bill Walsh
Don DaGradi
Producer
Bill Walsh producer
Cast
Angela Lansbury - Eglantine Price
David Tomlinson - Mr. Emelius Browne
Roddy McDowall - Mr. Jelk
Sam Jaffe - Bookman
John Ericson - Colonel Heller
Bruce Forsyth - Swinburne
Cindy O'Callaghan - Carrie Rawlins
Roy Snart - Paul Rawlins
Ian Weighill - Charlie Rawlins
Tessie O'Shea - Mrs. Hobday
Arthur Gould-Porter - Captain Ainsley Greer (as Arthur E. Gould-Porter)
Ben Wrigley - Portobello Road Workman
Reginald Owen - General Sir Brian Teagler
Cyril Delevanti - Elderly Farmer
Rick Traeger - German Sergeant
Manfred Lating - German Sergeant
John Orchard - Vendor
Review by Theo Robertson
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
I had very good memories of this seventies Disney classic ( The early 70s being when the rot really set in for the studio ) and sat down to happily watch it again this afternoon . I did find a serious problem with the first half and that was the yawn inducing character introduction and a plot that goes more or less nowhere . Things did pick up slightly with a song and dance number featuring Sihks , Jocks and a Jamaican steel band but the movie felt like an inferior remake of MARY POPPINS , something that wasn`t helped by the casting of David Tomlinson and everyone trying to emulate a Dick Van Dyke inspired cockney accent . At this point I seriously began to question if I`d got BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS mixed up with another movie
Then about two thirds of the way through the movie takes off in a spectacular manner where the characters finally make a trip to " The bottom of the beautiful briney sea " where they meet animated characters and take part in a football match . They then go back to Britain in 1940 and use magic to hold back a dastardly German invasion . The final third of the movie is superb entertainment and this bitter cynical critic was totally enthralled by this part and knew right away why I enjoyed this movie as a child
But I have to repeat that it`s the much latter part of this seventies film that makes BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS so memorable and unfortunately tricks people into thinking that it`s a better film than it actually is since the first hour or so is very disappointing and slow . It`s not so much the memory that`s cheated - It`s the film itself that`s cheated the memory
Having said that even the sub standard parts are far better than anything JK Rowling could be capable of writing
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