The Witches of Eastwick

This is a rather curious entry in the John Williams canon since it is not a Speilberg film, but nor is it one of the rather heavy dramas Williams routinely scores when Stephen and George are busy spending all their dosh. I found it to be a highly entertaining, if very demonic romp with Jack Nicholson as the Devil and assorted females types (including Cher) as women who seem to fall for Satan's unseemly charms, but ultimately come acropper and swear to get the Devil back at the end (and do in style I might add). The second reason this score is so famous is that it is notoriously hard to come by. It's not as if it's a limited edition, it just appear that Warner Bros. are notoriously stingey when it comes to the length of print runs and as such Witches of Eastwick sold out before everyone who wanted a copy got one! Opinions as to the merits of the music are somewhat mixed, but it is certainly something that I've come to enjoy more and more with each listen. I can imagine it being the kind of film that Danny Elfman would have scored had it been made a couple of years later (although goodness knows what he'd come up with if he scored it in his present style). Of course this is a John Williams score and so will certainly be a notch above the norm even if it's perhaps a tough listen in places.

The opening cue, The Township of Eastwick features an almost Joe Dante/Jerry Goldsmith style suburban version of the main theme performed with twinkling celeste and flute, then with a kind of hoe-down string backing coming in over the top. Certainly a lot cosier than the rest of the score. On a side note, the way the score opens with a small whoosh as the clouds part as we get an aerial shot of the town is very clever indeed and works perfectly. The Dance of the Witches is the stand alone concert piece (essentially the end credits) and is featured as the second album track as well as at the end (possible overkill, but it actually sets the score up quite effectively). The piece is a danse macabre of sorts with enough comedy and fun to avoid it perhaps getting quite as demonic as The Omen or something. After all, this is a comedy film. The next track is the first of a few slightly difficult to listen to cues which appear at various places and features scratching fiddles, the odd bit of grinding dissonence and string glissandos and yet a bit more of the hoe-down string intervals. A more lightweight cue is one of the most amusing scenes in the film which features a tennis game that is not more than a little possessed. Williams follows the curious movements of the tennis ball with little piano trills and music that bounces about in a quite delightful way.

One of the best tracks was somewhat altered for the final film version. The first half, the Seduction of Suki features a lengthy flute solo, but eventually gives way to strings and harp. It's perhaps a bit too eerie for pure romance music, but the atmosphere does work brilliantly in the film. Around halfway through an new piano theme is introduced for the Ballroom Sequence. It is this section which in the film is superbly edited into Nessun Dorma, the evergreen tenor solo. It has to be said that it was very effective and the transition is nearly perfect. Of course the album features what Williams originally wrote (or perhaps wrote specifically for the album), a lush string interlude which glides about effortlessly and stands as perhaps an even more enjoyable centrepiece cue for the album than the Dance of the Witches.

The final few cues tend toward crashing action cues which are gloriously over the top and thoroughly enjoyable. The Destruction of Darryl being the most protracted of these action efforts, although it ends with a tiny lullaby version of the main theme which possibly sounds odd out of context, but when fitted to the images emphasises a rather amusing end to the film. The Children's Carousel is another lullaby and draws the more thunderous material to a rather lovely, if still mildly eerie close. A reprise of Dance of the Witches rounds out the album.

If you're dying to hear this, my suggestion is to grab yourself a DVD player and buy the DVD which has the entire score isolated. Luckily, there aren't great edits or fade outs to ruin the music and the volume tends to remain reasonably constant so copying it onto tape or minidisc actually provides for a perfectly decent listening experience. Of course we can hope that the score is re-released sometime so everyone can hear it since it makes an interesting diversion from either Spielberg, Lucas or heavy drama that constitutes the usual Williams diet these days. Worth seeking out, but I would never pay a huge amount for any score even if it is by John Williams, but definitely work getting if you have the chance.