Magic is a concept that has fascinated humans for centuries. It is portrayed in various forms, such as fairy tales, movies, and literature. Many people are drawn towards the idea of magic because of its ability to provide an escape from reality. One aspect of magic that is particularly intriguing is the idea of superpowers. Superhuman abilities like flying, reading minds, or manipulating objects can add an element of excitement and wonder to any story. These powers allow characters to do things that are not possible in the real world, making them larger than life and capturing the imagination of the audience.

‘Practical Magic’ Helped Me Embrace Being Jewish and Different

These powers allow characters to do things that are not possible in the real world, making them larger than life and capturing the imagination of the audience. Another aspect of magic that is often explored is its connection to the supernatural. The idea of witches, wizards, and other magical beings has been a popular theme throughout history.

The 1998 film is neither explicitly Jewish nor explicitly queer, but it was still a secret celebration for kids like me who were anything but “normal.”

Ever since I was a child, I have been sure of two things: 1) I want to be a witch and 2) my family is different.

The two threads were not unrelated. I was attracted to the world of witches because of their unapologetic confidence in what made them different. They weren’t just proud to be strange —they drew power from it. Something I desperately craved.

As a nice Jewish girl from Northern California, I was fortunate to have a community that offered me the space to explore and connect with my identity. And still, growing up Jewish meant that I was often on the outside looking in. When my family was buying lamb shanks and burning all of the bread in our house the rest of the world was dressing in pastels and throwing garden parties with a large stuffed rabbit.

But if being Jewish wasn’t enough to make me feel like an outsider, I was also the kid on the block with three parents, all of whom are gay. As I’d learn later around my 16th birthday, I was the first kid in California to legally have three parents. Cool? Yes. Wildly different? Double yes.

Feeling like the odd one out amongst my peers was both isolating and integral to my identity. Back then, there were few places I could turn to see me, my family and our life reflected back as “normal.” In truth, the media landscape of the 1990’s was in many ways a diversity desert. To see Jewish life on the screen I had “Seinfeld,” Fran Fine and those two episodes of “Rugrats” that my mom would pop into the VCR each year like clockwork. But when it came to representation of queer family life, there were even fewer options. And representations of Jewish, queer family life? As I write this I can’t think of one major movie or TV show from that time that centered around a family that looked like mine.

Except for “Practical Magic.”

For those astute readers thinking — Hey, there are no Jewish or queer characters or plot lines in “Practical Magic!” — well, technically, you’re right. The 1998 film is neither explicitly Jewish nor explicitly queer (though it is based on the novel of the same title by Jewish author Alice Hoffman). But for a young Maya, it was a secret celebration for kids like me who were anything but “normal.”

The first time I saw “Practical Magic” I instantly felt at home. Its story revolves around Sally Owens, a young witch played by Sandra Bullock, who lives with her two aunts. Her aunts, enchanting women with long flowing locks and jewel-toned kaftans, looked nothing like my two moms. And yet, the way they defied convention reminded me of my childhood. Sally’s aunts served dessert for breakfast, danced under the full moon and brushed aside slurs from goyishe townies dressed in almost head-to-toe khaki. My moms twirled to Bonnie Raitt in our living room, fried cheese blintzes for dinner and never seemed to care what the outside world thought of how they looked, loved or raised their family.

Early on in the film, we see Sally and her sister get taunted by the local kids. They chant “witch, witch, you’re a witch!” at the girls as they cower on the ground in tears. Then their Aunt Frances, played by Stockard Channing, says: “It’s not that they hate you, it’s that — well — we’re different.”

Different. I knew what that felt like. I still know what it feels like.

As Sally grows up, the locals continue to misunderstand her family. “They make placenta bars,” the normie non-witches whisper. “They’re into devil worship!”

I remembered the time a boy looked at me quizzically after I told him I celebrated Hanukkah and then gulped when asking me where my horns were.

Misunderstood, I knew what that felt like. I still know what it feels like.

In the film’s opening scene, we’re introduced to the Owens’ ancestral matriarch Maria, just as she’s about to be hanged. But before she uses her powers to escape, Channing’s melodic voice explains that: “For more than 200 years, we Owens women have been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong in this town.”

Watching the women of “Practical Magic” navigate their outsider status with unbridled self-assurance gave me hope. I wanted to be like them. They were beautiful. They were powerful. They were the women I wanted to sit down with at dinner.

In my eyes, these witches had it made. They could cast spells for amusement or self-protection and rocked the hell out of a velvet minidress. But throughout the film, Sally still aches for what she calls a “normal life.” She looks at the non-magical folk in her town the same way I look at non-Jewish folk who don’t have to fast or atone on Yom Kippur.

When Sally’s character cries, “All I want is a normal life,” I realized that I, too, had often wondered what it would be like to live a “normal” life. To have a family that matched the descriptions on Hallmark cards, to not have to explain my beliefs and traditions to the outside world or defend my humanity in times of tragedy. But soon enough, the fantasy of fitting in gets eclipsed by the reality of what makes me — and my family — magic.

I make a point to watch “Practical Magic” every spooky season, and every time I hear Aunt Frances ask Sally: “When are you going to understand that being normal isn’t a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage,” my heart lifts. I remember that the things that set me apart from the herd, my beautiful and unusual family and my Jewishness, are the same things that have shaped my strength of mind and spirit. I can draw power from my differences — and that’s magic.

Late Take is a series on Hey Alma where we revisit Jewish pop culture of the past for no reason, other than the fact that we can’t stop thinking about it?? If you have a pitch for this column, please e-mail [email protected] with “Late Take” in the subject line.

I put a spell on you

The behind the scenes account seemed too good to be true –
almost a case of life imitating art. A story spread stating that
while filming the upcoming Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman witch
movie "Practical Magic," mysterious occurrences took place – namely
that during a scene in which a coven of women are chanting, a door
started eerily slamming.

Director Griffin Dunne laughs, "I realized the door slammed
because we had a special effects guy in the other side, slamming
the door. That was part of the bit."

Alas, another Hollywood myth shattered. But the anecdote is
actually quite appropriate. For "Practical Magic," which opens
today, is not your typical witch movie. It isn’t a sinister,
gothic, only-shot-at-night type of portrayal of witches steeped in
brooms, hats, toads and spiders.

The film is about enchanting sisters Sally (Bullock) and Gillian
Owens (Kidman) who are tormented by a family curse. The curse
condemns any man that falls in love with an Owens woman to an
unfortunate death. So Sally grows up yearning for a magic-free life
and hoping to never fall in love. Gillian, however, takes the
opposite route, loving the attention and running wildly and
recklessly.

"The approach that this movie has to magic is like its title –
very practical," Dunne explains. "The characters grow stuff in
their garden that they use for love spells. It’s all in their
kitchen. Whatever they need is in the pantry based on the herbs
they grow. It is almost a holistic approach. And I like that earthy
aspect of it."

While none of the cast members admit to believing in
incantations and hexes, they acknowledge the bits of magic they see
in life.

"There are so many different levels of what they call
witchcraft. I believe in karma. I believe in destiny," says
Bullock, who read up on witchcraft in preparation for her role.

"How can I explain that I have a dream about a friend of mine
who I’ve known all my life, and he’s always had long hair? I have a
dream that I’m having a hard time and he cuts off all his hair in
the dream. And the next day I called and said, ‘I dreamt that you
cut off your hair.’ He says, ‘You think I would do something like
that?’ And I said, ‘No.’ He came to visit me that day. He cut his
hair the night before and I didn’t know. How do you know those
things? I hadn’t talked to him in months.

"It’s weird things like that that happen to me all the time that
I try to explain. I can’t. And I like the idea of not knowing,
believing in something more magical because it gives you hope," the
actress says. Dressed in a sleek black skirt and grey Alberto
Ferreti sweater with silver trim, Bullock reflects on the
unexplainable everyday occurrences.

"Why do you fall in love with a certain person? Why this person
and not someone else? What is it that makes you feel like you’ve
known each other? Why do you get things that no one else gets?"

Co-star Aidan Quinn, who plays Bullock’s love-interest (Officer
Gary), has his own definition of magic.

"Magic can be just controlled, focused energy," Quinn says.

"I’ve learned things in survival wilderness class that are
magical but they’re not necessarily magic. And what is hunting?
It’s disguising your spirit or slowing down your heartbeat so the
animals won’t know you’re there. I mean all these things are
magical. We have so many magical things."

Definitions aside, there is something intriguing and appealing
about magic. And Bullock says the attraction to the unanswerable is
one of the things that attracted her to the film.

"I love the belief in things that we really can’t logically
explain, because I can’t explain so many things that happen in my
life and why they happen," Bullock says. "And there really is a
higher connection. But we’re jaded and we want a scientific
explanation for everything that we’re not comfortable enough to
say, ‘You know what? This is something that goes beyond what I can
explain.’ And I love that aspect of it."

And the magic in the film concerns perhaps the most
unexplainable yet common experience – love.

"The theme is that love is the most powerful form of magic,"
explains producer Denise Di Novi. "The title ‘Practical Magic’,
what it says to me that I find so delightful, is that life is
magic. That everyday things are as magical as these supernatural
things, extraordinary things that we’re fascinated by. Whether
people are psychic, crystal balls, these sort of things.

"That a mother’s instincts about her children, or love at first
sight or having prescient dreams, that these things that everybody
has are what magic is. That’s what magic is about."

FILM: "Practical Magic" opens Friday.Photos courtesy of Warner
Bros.

"Practical Magic" is a romantic comedy about a pair of sisters
who are witches cursed in love.

Gillian Owens, played by Nicole Kidman, continues to date Jimmy,
played by Goran Visnjic, even though she knows he is cursed to
die.

Sandra Bullock plays a witch who is reluctant to find love.

Comments, feedback, problems?

© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]

HistoryLink.org

On April 6, 1998, Hollywood arrives in Washington as filming for the movie Practical Magic begins on Whidbey Island. The Warner Bros. production calls for shooting on both Whidbey Island and San Juan Island, as well as one pivotal scene near Anacortes. The big-budget film, starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, brings a month of excitement, stars, money, physical changes, and controversy to the island communities of Coupeville and Friday Harbor.

Practical Magic

Sally and Gillian are sisters torn between their witchy heritage and their desire to live normal lives. In Alice Hoffman's novel Practical Magic and the film of the same name, the girls grow up in a magical house with two aunts who are practicing witches. Through tragedy, family drama, spells, and curses, the Owens sisters finally find balance.

Practical Magic, the movie, premiered in the fall of 1998 to mixed reviews. Critics and audiences, trying hard to pigeonhole the film as a "romantic comedy," were befuddled by elements of horror and pathos.

The film did have star power: Warner Bros. snagged Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman for the parts of sober Sally and fun-loving Gillian. Veteran actors Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest play the spell-casting aunts, while Aidan Quinn provides hunk power. A not-yet-famous Evan Rachel Wood plays Sally's older daughter.

Scouting the Islands

The studio scheduled the film for production in the spring of 1998. Location scouts had to find a coastal community that could stand in for a mythical Massachusetts island. The film called for a sunny location; California was still suffering the erratic weather patterns of the 1997-1998 El Nino phenomenon, making coastal filming difficult. As an alternative, Warner Bros. turned to the relatively protected inland waters of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.

On a bluff on the west side of San Juan Island overlooking Haro Strait, the scouts found the perfect spot for the Owens House, a towering Victorian with plenty of gingerbread. No matter that there was no house there -- one would be built for the shoot!

For the charming New England town of Martha's Island, the crew chose Coupeville, a nineteen-century maritime village hugging the east coast of Whidbey Island and within the Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve. One of the oldest non-Native settlements in Washington, Coupeville had preserved a main street of clapboard storefronts with seaside charm. Here we see Sally meet her doomed husband, the tragic accident that takes his life, the opening of Sally's botanical store, and her encounters with a possible new love.

Going Hollywood in Coupeville

Coupeville had caught the eye of Hollywood before. In 1989 the town stood in briefly for Nantucket Island in the Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner black comedy The War of the Roses. However, this time the shoot called for a greater transformation. To begin with, the entire length of Front Street was painted white. Locals liked to say "Don't stand in one place too long. Anything that doesn't move gets painted white" ("Coupeville Star-struck").

False fronts were then applied to some structures, and new signs appeared. Coupeville Liquor became The Speckled Hen Grocery; Kingfisher Books became Lesher's Hardware; Toby's Tavern was transformed into The Catch and Fry; and Tartans and Tweeds (now the Knead and Feed Bakery), both exterior and interior, played the role of Sally's shop, Verbena Botanicals. A do-it-yourself farmers market sprang up at the end of the street, complete with real produce from local farmers and seafood donated by Penn Cove Shellfish. Local labor was hired for much of the prep work.

Locals were also called on to be extras and, in a few cases, singled out for roles that required speaking -- or chanting or screaming. Several local kids were cast as "chanting children," charged with taunting the daughters of Sally Owens in a sing-song voice. Coupeville resident Alice Martin screamed a warning to Sally's husband too late to save him from being hit by a truck. A local biking group was recruited to careen through town in the same scene. Travel agent Mandy Haluscsak was hired as a stand-in for Sandra Bullock, and Jack Kirschke earned a named credit as "Old Man Wilkes."

Auditions were held twice in Coupeville and once in Friday Harbor. Eighteen years after the event, most locals remembered the fun of working for $40 per day with time and a half for overtime. Coupeville High School students Venessa Matros and Linnane Armstrong were cast as extras on the film. Armstrong described it as a fun way to spend spring break:

"The farmers market scenes were the main things I was in, but like I said I didn't make the final cut. I was walking our golden retriever across the street in the scene when the guy gets hit by a truck. One of the highlights for me was getting my picture taken with Aidan Quinn. He was very nice and approachable!" (Armstrong).

Matt Iverson, now an insurance agent in Oak Harbor, pitched in as an extra and did some driving. In a 2016 interview he described how a few locals, hired as stand-ins for the stars, revolted at the low pay and quit their gigs, and recalled the final scene of the movie, where the extras were invited to don their own costumes to celebrate Halloween and witness some practical magic at the Owens House.

Stargazing

Of course what most remembered best were the stars. Before shooting, Warner Bros. informed merchants and residents that:

"Sadly for some, Tom Cruise [Nicole Kidman's husband at the time] will not be here during filming. Nicole Kidman is only scheduled for one day in Coupeville so she will just zoom in and out. But Sandra and Aidan Quinn will be here!" (Matthews).

Perhaps Kidman's one scene took longer to shoot than expected, but for whatever reason, the "it" couple of the day did appear in town, Cruise driving his black Blazer and wearing his trademark Ray-Bans. Word was that the pair, fresh from filming Eyes Wide Shut, had rented a house on San Juan Island overlooking the sea for the duration of filming.

Bullock and Quinn definitely were on scene. Rebecca Wheeler, who described herself as a huge Sandra Bullock fan, remembered it well:

"I went down a few times to watch and see if I could catch a glimpse of her. The town looked pretty all white. I always loved the fact that my friends and I figured out that the scene when Bullock runs into town from her house was the wrong direction from the house" (Wheeler).

Both Quinn and Cruise appear to have whiled away much of their free time playing pool. Quinn charmed the locals at Toby's Tavern in Coupeville, while Cruise was spotted at Herb's Tavern in Friday Harbor. Matt Iverson went kayaking with Quinn off Coupeville one day -- a jaunt that ended with the actor flipping his kayak.

Casting a Spell on Friday Harbor

For many moviegoers, the most memorable part of the film was the Owens House, by all accounts a character in itself. The elaborate, richly decorated Shingle-style pile erected for the filming earned a write-up in Victoria magazine in October 1998. The house, with its remarkable kitchen, conservatory, interior staircases, widow's walk, gardens, and nooks, continues to be an inspiration for decorating websites and blogs. To this day some refuse to believe that it was all film illusion.

The reality is that the house, constructed on a bare piece of land in San Juan County Park, about six miles due west across San Juan Island from Friday Harbor, was largely a hollow shell. Interiors were fashioned on a Hollywood soundstage; only the kitchen and conservatory were transported piecemeal to the house for some scenes. Gardens were constructed using a mixture of real and artificial greenery.

To obtain permission to build on county park land, the filmmakers had to agree to raise the house on a platform. Because of the spot's Native American heritage, the county parks and recreation commission would not allow any digging into the soil. The studio also had to promise to dismantle the structure as soon as shooting was complete, and this, indeed, happened the day after filming wrapped. Production designer Robin Standefer told Victoria magazine that she made a salad from garden greens just before the entire set was leveled.

The film features one more location in Washington: The blue lights of the Shell Oil Refinery on March Point near Anacortes provide an appropriately eerie background for a scene in which the sisters are forced to kill a nasty individual -- for the first time.

Charm or Curse?

Big-budget filmmaking was a mixed blessing for the small Whidbey Island and San Juan Island communities. The experience brought an influx of cash from both the 150 studio personnel and the hiring of locals for everything from painting to traffic control to work as extras. Set designers purchased many local products, reportedly scouring antique stores all around Puget Sound. Then there were the intangibles of publicity and prestige that come along with being a part of a major motion picture.

But not everyone was happy with the disruptions to daily life and commerce. In Friday Harbor, negotiations between studio representatives and the town council over parking became heated. Turning over large swaths of downtown parking to studio vehicles for a week's period had some crying foul, particularly because it meant a delay in an ongoing storm-drain improvement project. Some in the community, who remembered the filming of Free Willy (1993) and its 1995 sequel, may have had visions of Friday Harbor becoming a studio back lot. However, compromise was reached and filming went forward.

In Coupeville there were naysayers as well. Their concerns centered on street closures in the historic waterfront area and expected traffic backups, threatening loss of business. While restaurants and inns clearly would benefit from the flood of studio folk and tourists, many retailers were not so happy and complained about the low compensation offered by the studio -- $30 a day. "We're very disenchanted," said Phyllis Jackson of Ye Kitchen Shoppe, turning a phrase ("Practical Magic Welcome Falls Short . ").

Suspicion of the "temporary" changes to storefronts may have been partly justified when one business, Coupeville Liquor (in 2016 A Touch of Dutch), elected to keep the false front applied to its exterior. At least one other business, the now-defunct Penn Cove Antique Mall, decided to retain its new paint job. An editorial cartoon in the Coupeville Times mocked the high hand of the studio bosses, showing a set director paying off local contractors while the historical society and the National Park Service protested.

Somehow the town survived the week's shooting. Mayor Nancy Conard was optimistic about the long-term benefit: "After the movie comes out, I'm hoping that people will see what a charming little community this is and want to visit" ("Town Takes Stock in Wake of Movie").

In Friday Harbor, an editorial in the local paper offered a largely positive review of the whole experience:

"Thank you, Warner Bros., for providing San Juan Island with a much needed infusion of money and jobs during our typically dismal shoulder season. We hope you'll return soon. It's been a blast having you.

"The original figure of $3 million to $5 million which local production of the film was to bring to the county may have been second-guessed to $1.5 million to $3 million, but no matter: the financial boost has been undeniable.

"More than money, however, the studio's presence here -- or more to the point, the presence of big-name screen personalities -- has been a moral shot in the arm to the archipelago. For a month, latest dish on the movie has been the hot topic at the Donut Shop, the health club and everywhere in between" ("That's All Folks").

As for Hollywood's feelings about the experience, we can only resort to the commentary on the DVD. In the words of Denise De Novi, the movie's producer, "This movie is about magic, and that place was magical," while Sandra Bullock describes seeing orcas and bald eagles and recalls the day a seal came to watch the filming on San Juan Island: "Those islands are some of the most blessed" ("Practical Magic Commentary").

Practical Magic , movie poster, 1998

The Owens House exterior designed by architects Roman and Williams, constructed for the film Practical Magic on the San Juan Islands, May 1, 1998

Courtesy Roman and Williams site

They are often depicted as possessing knowledge and powers that are beyond the understanding of ordinary humans. This mysterious and otherworldly aspect of magic creates a sense of intrigue and mystique. In addition to its entertainment value, magic also plays a significant role in culture and folklore. Many ancient civilizations believed in the power of magic and incorporated it into their rituals and traditions. Even today, there are still communities and groups that practice magic as a spiritual or religious belief. Magic has the ability to inspire and ignite the imagination. It allows us to dream of a world where anything is possible, where the laws of nature can be bent to our will. Whether it is through books, movies, or performances, magic continues to captivate audiences and remind us that there is still room for wonder and enchantment in our lives..

Reviews for "Unleash Your Inner Magician: Master the Art of Superg Fine Magic"

1. Sarah - 2/5 - I did not enjoy "Magic one superg fine" at all. The storyline was confusing and the characters were one-dimensional. The plot seemed disjointed and there were many loose ends that were never tied up. I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters or care about what was happening to them. Overall, I was disappointed with this book and would not recommend it to others.

2. Jason - 1/5 - This book was a complete waste of my time. The writing was poor, with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout. The characters were uninteresting and their actions made little sense. The plot was unoriginal and lacked depth. I struggled to get through the book and was relieved when it was finally over. I would not recommend "Magic one superg fine" to anyone looking for a well-written and engaging read.

3. Emily - 3/5 - While "Magic one superg fine" had an interesting premise, I felt that it fell short in execution. The pacing was slow and the story dragged on in certain parts. The character development was not strong, and I didn't feel a connection to any of them. The plot twists were predictable and lacked the element of surprise. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed by this book and wouldn't consider it a memorable read.

Secrets of Superg Fine Magic: Tricks That Will Leave You Spellbound