“Bedknobs and Broomsticks” (1971): The possible motivation of Miss Price.

Throughout the film, even in the very beginning of her character’s introduction, Eglantine Price. Like many other British at that time during the Blitz, she is very passionate about the war effort and about defeating Germany. As well as defending her home country of Great Britain. The only difference between her, and your “normal civilian” is that our character Miss Price chooses to use …..witchcraft.

Because could there have been something deeper, more personal, hidden in the motivations of Miss Price? Why was she so eager to help in a way that obviously nobody else could? The answer can actually be given with a few very subtle clues in a few scenes.

Firstly, in the scene when Miss Price is first introduced to us, General Teagler, of the old home guard mentions to the captain from HQ that he once served with Miss Price’s late father. Telling us that Price’s father was in the military.

Secondly, in the scene where Miss Price shows the children the room in which they can sleep in at her house (her father’s old room). You can clearly see a portrait of her father on the wall in military uniform. Also if you look more carefully in the room you will see her fathers officer’s saber, as well as a World War I era style British helmet.

Miss Price later dons these in the final battle against the Germans while flying her broomstick.

The theory is this;

That her father was an officer during World War I. You have to be a little bit more familiar with British history in that particular era. As a result of World War I, the British lost what many were considered to be an entire generation of people. Leaving many victims, family members, even survivors with extreme emotional as well as some physical trauma.

So if Miss Price’s father was a survivor during World War I, he may have been suffering from some form of survivor’s guilt. Many mental issues and even going into dangerous habits such as drug addiction were unfortunately very common for survivors of the battlefront. It’s possible that Miss Price, in the last years of her father’s life, slowly saw the man that she loved and respected turn into somebody that she didn’t even know.

This may also explain her attitude as the film begins in learning her witchcraft, about how reluctant she is to kind of open up to other people in this case the children that have been sent to stay with her.

Joe’s Random Movie Trivia: “Superman 2” (1980)

For the second film, Christopher Reeve and Marlon Brando shot one scene together in person. The scene was later cut, but restored on the 2006 DVD release of “Superman 2: The Richard Donner Cut”.

Everybody going into the project knew Marlon Brando would get top billing, as he was well known, and Reeve was basically an unknown at the time.

According to an interview with Christopher Reeve, Brando took him aside one day on set and said, “Kid, I may get top billing on this, but this is YOUR movie. Take it!”

Joe’s Random Movie Trivia: “Reservoir Dogs” (1992)

This shot, from early in the film, gives away the identity of which of the main characters was a “rat” for the cops. Just look at the background.

Before seeing, “Doctor Sleep” King’s sequel to “The Shining”….

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!

 

The film has a very ambiguous nature, in that it is never stated if the spirits of the Overlook Hotel are real, or just in Jack’s head. Except for one BIG clue: The ghost Grady lets Jack out of the Cooler he’s locked in.

This is significant because it is the first time the supernatural world directly effects the real world. Telling you, the audience, that the ghosts are in fact real.

 

Now, for the interesting part.

There are three characters in the story that have the “shining” (or psychic powers) Danny Torrence, Mr. Hallorann, and one of Danny’s parents. We know this because Hallorann tells Danny the shining is passed from generation to generation. Now, a lot of fans thought it was his mother Wendy, but until the ghosts manifest themselves, she seems to be completely in the dark about what’s happening.

 

The third character in the story with the “shining” is Jack. But he has no knowledge of the gift he has. Just like Hallorann also told Danny: “There are some folks out there who have it, but don’t know it, or don’t believe it.” This is why Jack sees the ghosts, and why he is susceptible to the Hotel telling him to murder his family.

 

This fact in the character of Jack Torrence is integral to the story of King’s “Doctor Sleep”.

Joe’s Random Movie Trivia: “Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019)

According to reports on this upcoming Terminator film, director Tim Miller had to repeatedly tell actress Linda Hamilton (returning as Sarah Connor) to stop smiling every time she fired a gun.

Joe’s Random Movie Trivia: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975)

The writer, musician and actor Richard O’Brien, who plays Riff Raff in the film, would later go on to play the villainous Mr. Hand in the 1997 scifi film “Dark City”.

 

Joe’s Random Movie Trivia: “Wolf” (1994)

Five facts about the werewolf makeup used in the movie.

WARNING! CONTAINS SPOILERS!

1. Rather than a film about somebody who changes into a werewolf during the full moon. The werewolf as it appears in this movie, is more less meant to represent man’s primitive side. The idea is it Will Randall (Jack Nicholson), changes every single night until the night of the first full moon. When the wolf spirit finally consumes his rational, human half. Because this character was going through such a gradual transformation throughout the film, the makeup used on him was extraordinarily simple. Simply being; yellow contact lenses, long sideburns along Nicholson’s face, pointed ears, fangs, and claws. Make up artist Rick Baker compared to the werewolf make up used in the 1935 film “Werewolf of London”. With the makeup gradually getting more and more extreme as the character continues to transform.

2. With his newfound wolf senses, the physical features of the character Randall would gradually at least appear to be getting a little bit younger after each transformation. For example one feature that is extremely noticeable throughout the film, is that the hair on his head is getting thicker. In the beginning of the film, Nicholson sports his traditional thin hair. Towards middle of the film the makeup department put powder in his hair to make it look like it was thicker. And then by the final third of the movie, Nicholson actually had to wear a toupee to further give the illusion that his character was getting some sort of youthful vitality back. Baker suggested that they actually use special wire to pull back Nicholson’s face to take some of the wrinkles out of it to give his face a kind of youthful appearance. To which Jack Nicholson smiled and replied “Absolutely not”.

3. Jack Nicholson had a severe allergic reaction to the spirit gum traditionally used to stick fake hair on people. So Rick Baker had to use a special medical adhesive before applying Nicholson’s make up. But one day Baker had accidentally misplaced the medical adhesive and gave the actual spirit gum to Nicholson. The next day Nicholson came on said he had large red welts on his face.

4. For the scene where Randall hears everybody in his office building with his newfound wolf senses, Baker strapped a couple of electrodes to the back of Jack Nicholson’s ears. And then remotely made his ears twitch to give an almost canine look to his face as his ears moved to the sounds he was receiving.

5. James Spader’s werewolf make up took a little bit longer than Jack Nicholson’s. When Spader inquired Rick Baker about this, Baker explained that Spader’s face needed more work because his face wasn’t as “animated” as Jack Nicholson’s face was. And later explain that if he just gave him the hair, the fangs, the contact lens, and the pointed ears without doing the additions to his face, Spader would’ve come out looking like “Eddie Munster”.