The Girl on the Broomstick (1972)

December 5, 2024 4:36 AM

Saxana, a young incompetent witch facing 300 years detention, plans to escape to the human world for 48 hours and causes mayhem with her magic powers and questionable judgment. (1972 Czechoslovakia 76 minutes.)

Seems like the critics slept on goofy 1972 children's film Dívka na koštěti, so check out some letterboxd reviews if you like.

If Sabrina the teenage witch was directed by Wes Anderson in communist Czechoslovakia -- oracles

Only in Czechoslovakia could a group of shitty kids get excited about eating goulash. -- Liz.

Underlying the sweet, candy colored, funny story of The Girl on the Broomstick is a surprising reversal of the norm when it comes to villainy: here, the enemies of the teenage witch Saxana (Petra Černocká) — those who threaten her very survival — are kids, while the adults, for the most part, are sympathetic and helpful. I don't know enough about Czech history to be certain whether or not there was any intent to the shift, but given that the film was made during the post-Prague Spring years of Normalization, it is striking that the representatives of norms, convention, and tradition are the ones framed in the most positive light — and that the film's happy ending sees Saxana shedding her physical individuality, and becoming a happily compliant teen. -- sakana1

ReelGood and JustWatch don't know it, but this is on the Criterion Channel website (it just left the app; sorry), and there's a not very good quality rip on youtube.

NB This is the sort of movie that would be on MST3K.

posted by fleacircus (2 comments total)

The thing I might remember longest about this movie is the trio of bullies, who are written and played with delight, and bottomless malicious zest. They really are the fucking worst.

Pretty lame of Vacla Vorlicek to watch Harry Potter then travel back in time to make a movie about a boarding school where witches suck at casting spells with classical-ish invocations. Also lame of him to steal the Drow aesthetic from Gary Gygax for Haxipola in the same time trip probably.
posted by fleacircus at 4:54 AM on December 5 [2 favorites]

Only in Czechoslovakia could a group of shitty kids get excited about eating goulash

Goulash is Hungarian, so there's probably at least one other country.

In all seriousness, though, this movie looks 110% my shit, so thank you for bringing it to my attention.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:17 AM on December 5 [1 favorite]