Product Details

• Actors: Meredith Vieira, Anjelica Huston
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Unapix / a-Pix Ent.
• VHS Release Date: June 1, 1999
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1575238314
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,162 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From the Brothers Grimm to The Wizard of Oz, witches feature prominently in the lore of Western culture; the hag with the black hat and hooked, warty nose helped shape our early conception of evil and taught us never, ever to accept advances from strangers. This Lifetime documentary examines the various representations of witches through time and across cultures, looking, too, at the waves of paranoia inspired by their mysterious craft. The film's dramatizations of the Salem witch trials aren't nearly as interesting as its interviews with modern-day followers of Wicca, who gather around the world to celebrate the marriage of natural and supernatural forces. A haunting score and a plethora of images make Intimate Portrait: Witches an interesting introduction to the legend (and reality) of the Great Coven. --Claire Campbell

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Broad generalizations, fact-checking needed, November 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Witches [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The video starts with a very broad overview of the Salem witch trials, along with some other historical events. It then features some very brief interviews with contemporary witches, amongst which Z. Budapest, Laurie Cabot and Janet Farrar. The focus is mainly on combatting stereotypes and making viewers aware of the possible discrimination that present followers of Wicca might suffer. It only gives the most basic information on the religion (a nature spirituality pretty much sums up what the video has to say), and makes several broad generalizations which are passed as facts regarding the history of Wicca and witchcraft. I'd say this is a good eye-opener for someone that has absolutely no idea that Wicca exists, but I'd urge them to get better factual information on history and also on the beliefs and practices of Wicca. Two good videos for those wishing to learn more about the last point are: "Discovering Witchcraft: A Journey Through The Elements" by Stewart and Janet Farrar and "Discovering Witchcraft: The Mysteries" by Stewart and Janet Farrar.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intimate Portrait - Witches, January 6, 2000

By 

Steve Sokolow (Harwinton, CT. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Witches [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A good basic overview of the history of Witches. It focuses mainly on the persecution of women through the ages, I would have liked to have seen a little more about the men in Witchcraft. The Interviews with modern Witches are interesting, but leave you asking for more. Worth watching.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth the money, July 16, 2002

By 

Witchy woman (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intimate Portrait: Witches [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I bought this used and i must say that I loved it. My only dissapointment was that it wasn't longer. It had interviews with modern witches and I wish they had devoted some more time to that. The peice was mostly about the Burning Times, and I guess I wish they'd made two seperate videoes. I would have bought both. It was still excellent, I was very impressed with it.