Magic
by Richard Attenborough
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ann-Margret, Anthony Hopkins, Burgess Meredith, E.J. André, Ed LauterDirector: Richard Attenborough
Brand: MPI
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 107 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-04-25
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Dark Sky Films
Product features:
- MAGIC A Terrifying Love Story Academy Award®-winner Anthony Hopkins (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) is Corky, a painfully shy, failed magician who finds overnight success as a ventriloquist. His brash, foul-mouthed dummy, Fats, becomes a huge nightclub hit. With his star on the rise, talent agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) arranges an important shot at national TV. But the pressure of failing t
Movie Reviews of Magic
Movie Review: "You'll never know how many people want to believe in magic."
Summary: 5 Stars
For some inane reason every time I think about the film Magic (1978), that song `You Can Do Magic", by the group America, gets stuck in my skull on a continuous replay loop (`You're the one who can put out the fire')...argh...anyway, back to the film, which is based off a novel of the same name by William Goldman (Marathon Man, The Princess Bride), who also provided the screenplay here, directed by actor turned director Richard Attenborough (A Bridge Too Far, Gandhi), and stars Anthony Hopkins (A Bridge Too Far, The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs). Also appearing is Ann Margret (Carnal Knowledge), Ed Lauter (The Longest Yard), and the late, great, perpetually crusty Burgess `Buzz' Meredith (Rocky, Clash of the Titans, Grumpy Old Men), who's always been one of my favorite actors ever since I saw him on the old Batman movie as the villain character The Penguin ("How was I to know they'd have a can of shark repellent Bat-spray handy?").
As the film begins we see a painfully nebbish magician named Corky (Hopkins) bombing miserably on stage during a club's amateur night appearance (no stage presence + an indifferent audience = lots of flop sweat). Afterwards Corky, who suffers greatly from an overwhelming sense of insecurity, gets a piece of advice from his ailing mentor in that he needs something to draw the audience in, that being charm. A year passes and Corky's playing the same club, but this time it's a packed house...seems Corky's found his charm in the form of a foul mouthed, smart aleck, extroverted ventriloquist dummy named Fats, who is a really creepy, exaggerated caricature of Corky himself (they even wear the same outfits). Anyway, Corky's act proves popular enough for his crusty yet savvy agent Ben Greene (Meredith) to generate interest from a television network, but the mounting pressure eventually drives Corky to split town and head home to the Catskills. Upon arriving he makes the rounds (the old homestead, the cemetery, etc.) before renting a funky cabin by a lake, owned by a woman named Peggy (Margret), whom Corky went to high school with so long ago and harbored a serious crush on...seems Peggy is married now, to her high school beau Duke (Lauter), but both are more or less going through the motions as the union has deteriorated significantly over the years. Anyway, Corky schmoozes it up with Peggy real good (you never fully get over those high school crushes) while Duke is away, resulting in a renewed sense of self confidence, but the feeling is short lived once Ben makes the scene and quickly realizes his client has some serious issues...some seriously bad things happen, Duke returns home, and things get progressively worse, all leading up to a monumental meltdown as Corky struggles with the formidable will of his wooden partner.
In one of the featurettes included on this DVD a man named Dennis Alwood, who's listed as the `ventriloquial consultant' on the film, provides a number of facts about this feature, some of the more interesting ones being that Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof) was the original director attached to the project and Jack Nicholson (Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), the original choice for the role of Corky. Well, Jewison dropped out (for whatever reason), as did Nicholson (apparently Jack refused to wear a hairpiece required for the role), and so, eventually Attenborough was hired to direct. The production was still without a male lead, so Attenborough turned to Hopkins (on the stipulation he could provide an American accent), whom he'd previously directed on the film A Bridge Too Far (1977), which, by the way, is an excellent WWII drama worth seeing if you're interested in that sort of thing. Also, Sir Laurence Olivier was in line for the role of Ben Greene, but due to illness he had to pull out, and so the role went to Burgess Meredith. Given these various elements one can't help but wonder how different the film might have been had the principle cast and crew remained in place, but know, despite the changes, this turned out to be an exceptionally creepy and entertaining thriller with some truly horrific sequences. Hopkins is amazing, not only in his role but also in his slight of hand abilities. I don't know if these were skills he'd previously possessed or if they were developed during the course of filming, but they add immeasurably to the credibility of his character. The other standout for me was Burgess Meredith, who played Ben Greene, Corky's agent. Meredith was one of those performers who, while in character, made you believe without a doubt he was truly the character he was playing. Such is the case here as was true in Rocky (1976), which he played the lead character's tough as nails manager. The best scene, for me at least, was when Corky was arguing with Fats in the cabin, as Corky was falling for Peggy. As the two are going back and forth, Corky notices Ben standing at the door and two things happen...Ben realizes there's something seriously wrong with Corky, and Corky feels the fear that comes from exposure of his dual personalities. Both result in a very creepy scene as Corky tries to convince Ben it was all part of a rehearsal for his act, but Ben, along with the audience, knows better. The overall intensity builds significantly after this as Corky becomes unglued and subsequently subjugated to the more powerful will. As truly frightening as I thought this film was, I only wish I could have seen it when I was a lot younger, as I'm sure it would have resulted in some really funky nightmares, given the level of psychotic energy that comes off the screen. If you're looking for an exceptionally intelligent, unnerving cinematic experience I'd highly recommend this one as it comes through with the psychological chills. The build up is slow, but the payoff is rewarding, and where else would you get to see a half nekkid Ann Margret? Homina, homina...
This Dark Sky Films DVD release features an excellent anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) picture along with a solid Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio track. There's a number of interesting extras on the disc including an entertaining featurette titled Fats and Friends (26:52), which has ventriloquist Dennis Alwood speaking extensively on the history of ventriloquism, along with talking about his experiences working on this film. There's also a twelve-minute interview with Victor J. Kemper, the cinematographer on the film, who also supervised the transfer of the film onto this DVD, a three-minute radio interview with Hopkins, an Ann Margret make-up test (1:18), a gallery containing photos and promotional materials for the film, the original theatrical trailer, four television spots, three radio spots, and English subtitles.
Cookieman108
Summary of Magic
Academy Award®-winner Anthony Hopkins (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) is Corky, a painfully shy, failed magician who finds overnight success as a ventriloquist. His brash, foul-mouthed dummy, Fats, becomes a huge nightclub hit. With his star on the rise, talent agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) arranges an important shot at national TV. But the pressure of failing the network?s required physical sends Corky into a panic. With Fats in tow, he flees the city to a nearly-deserted resort in the Catskills run by the love of his youth, Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margret).Peg?s spent years trapped in a loveless marriage with her high-school sweetheart, Duke. In Corky, she sees the chance for a loving relationship and accepts an offer to run away with him. After they make love, Corky confides to Fats that he may leave show business altogether. Fats becomes furious and lashes out at him, playing on his guilt and insecurity. Now under Fats? control, Corky is manipulated into a series of violent and unexpected confrontations.
Based on the best?selling novel by William Goldman and directed by Sir Richard Attenborough (A BRIDGE TOO FAR, GANDHI), MAGIC?s stellar performances and shocking conclusion make for gripping suspense from beginning to end.
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