A young witch isn't all that interested in learning her spells. Given detention for many, many long years she looks for an out. This means surfacing in our own reality, where she turns up as a pupil in an unremarkable school. It's the beginning of a tale of love, discovery, juvenile delinquency and rabbits - lots and lots and lots of rabbits...
Now I am a middle-aged Belgian. As a child I watched many a movie, on television, which came from Central and Eastern Europe. (This, seen in retrospect, must have been the result of some international exchange project between Belgium and other countries.) I never had cause to regret this, since many of these countries made fine fairytale, comedy and/or fantasy movies for children.
So I watched "Girl on a Broomstick" as a child - and I laughed my head off. I re-watched it recently, as part of an exercise in babysitting. It still amused and entertained me. I also discovered that I remembered a lot : whole scenes were stuck in my brain, like insects caught in amber. The unfortunate teacher about to sport rodent teeth ! The little parable about the cup and the saucer ! The happy madwoman witnessing ever more insane events ! The small car carrying three louche bishops !
So yes, this is a memorable movie. It is also a model of a comedy/fantasy movie done right. There are some fine effects (which, probably, cost a pretty penny) but these effects are used in order to support and enliven the story, not the other way round. And the fright factor is carefully measured, so as not to scare the children witless or scar them for life.
The opening credits seem to betray a love for the work of the great Ronald Searle, but I might be mistaken.
Recommended.
Now I am a middle-aged Belgian. As a child I watched many a movie, on television, which came from Central and Eastern Europe. (This, seen in retrospect, must have been the result of some international exchange project between Belgium and other countries.) I never had cause to regret this, since many of these countries made fine fairytale, comedy and/or fantasy movies for children.
So I watched "Girl on a Broomstick" as a child - and I laughed my head off. I re-watched it recently, as part of an exercise in babysitting. It still amused and entertained me. I also discovered that I remembered a lot : whole scenes were stuck in my brain, like insects caught in amber. The unfortunate teacher about to sport rodent teeth ! The little parable about the cup and the saucer ! The happy madwoman witnessing ever more insane events ! The small car carrying three louche bishops !
So yes, this is a memorable movie. It is also a model of a comedy/fantasy movie done right. There are some fine effects (which, probably, cost a pretty penny) but these effects are used in order to support and enliven the story, not the other way round. And the fright factor is carefully measured, so as not to scare the children witless or scar them for life.
The opening credits seem to betray a love for the work of the great Ronald Searle, but I might be mistaken.
Recommended.