CLEVELAND, Ohio — Seeing Elaine cruise through the California cliffs in her cherry-red 1960s Mustang convertible you might think that “The Good Witch” was some long lost witchy horror flick that’s been summoned from the past. That is, until she pulls into town and the rest of the cars look very much today.
No matter, because Anna Biller’s homage to ’60s Technicolor witchcraft yarns — which screens at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque Thursday and Saturday — is a mischievous send-up that is visually delightful.
It chronicles the life and crimes of a seductress (Samantha Robinson) who concocts “sex magick” potions to gain power over men. But not just that; she also aims to please them every which way and “give them what they want.”
You know, a striptease, maybe a fried steak for dinner, an omelet in the morning, a gentle hug and a soothing caress and some “oh, baby, oh baby” cooing after hot, steamy sex. Yeah, all that.
One problem. Those potions would never get FDA approval because they come with unpredictable side-effects… like mental meltdowns or, perhaps, death.
Ah, you mean this sweet, mannered and very stylish Stepford Wife could actually be a malevolent maneater on a feminist murder spree?
Well, yeah, there’s that. “The Love Witch” is at its weakest when it dives into a cauldron of pronouncements on sexual politics during a gab session set in a burlesque club.
It’s at its best when the focus is on Elaine and the uber-stylized settings around her. Biller manages to meticulously stitch every thread on every garment into some spectacular parallel universe that recalls the past, but also Elaine’s twisted ambitions.
Shot on 35mm film by M. David Mullen, “The Love Witch” boasts a look that’s just as spectacular.
Robinson, who delivers a performance that is alternately ironic and straight, is deft at bringing the whole shebang to life. She manages to simultaneously summon that other Samantha – of “Bewitched,” of course – and a more glamorous Manson Family girl on the road to hell and fury.
Ah, but isn’t it sweet how she drink tea like a mannered Victorian? Step right up, fellas.
REVIEW
The Love Witch
Who: Directed by Anne Biller, With Samantha Robinson, Laura Waddell and Jeffrey Vincent Parise. Running time: 120 minutes. Not rated. Contains scenes of nudity and violence. Adults only.
When: Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and 9:40 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, 11610 Euclid Avenue.
Info: Go to cia.edu/cinematheque or call 216-421-7450.
Grade: B+.
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