The Witches

r96sk 1/11/2022 8:34:16AM 8.4

Rather zany, <em>'The Witches'</em> entertains sufficiently. Anthology films aren't usually my thing but I found the oddness of this production to be worth watching. It somehow works. There are five stories portrayed, all of which have their moments even if some are definitively better than others. The music is good, also. "The Witch Burned Alive", the opener, is the standout, "Civic Spirit" is amusingly short, "The Earth Seen from the Moon" is one of the weaker entries as it drags a little, "The Sicilian Belle" is a little forgettable and, the finale, "An Evening Like the Others" is the most strange but does satisfy due to its unusualness and comical nature. That last one's weirdness is elevated by the appearance of Clint Eastwood - which is made even more peculiar as he doesn't even voice his character due to the Italian language barrier; Giuseppe Rinaldi provides the voice, fwiw. It is bizarre yet, again, does work. The star of this 1967 release, though, is Silvana Mangano, who leads all five stories. She is excellent across them all, this is my first exposure to her and I'm intrigued to potentially see more of her work in the future.