Magic
Director: Sir Richard Attenborough
Cast:Anthony
Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Dark Sky DVD
R0 NTSC
Abracadabra,
I sit on his knee.
Presto, changeo,
And now he's me!
Hocus Pocus,
We take her to bed.
Magic is fun;
We're dead.
Anthony Hopkins is Corky, a painfully shy
and withdrawn young man who wants success as a magician but lacks the charisma
to achieve it. His first experience on stage is a dismal failure and he is
racked with guilt and remorse. He is given a dummy called Fats and achieves
overnight success. Fats is everything Corky is not,
charismatic, foul mouthed and brash. Their stage act causes quite a stir with a
mixture of conjuring, tricks and cutting humour. Talent agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) has
been guiding Corky all the way and after years of struggle he arranges a pilot
episode for his own show on a national broadcaster. The neurotic Corky cannot
deal with the pressure and using a medical required for the contract escapes
Corky is unable to communicate without
Fats and seems to be spiraling out of control. He is thrilled to see Peg again
and with Fats help seduces her. Peg has lived for some years in a marriage on
the rocks, she had married her high school hero Duke at the top of his “cycle”
and from there it has been a downward slide. In Corky, she sees the chance for
a new life, she finds him sensitive and engaging and Fats an unusual but
exciting diversion.
After they make love, Corky suggests to
Fats that he may leave show business altogether. Fats reacts
with confusion and anger and Corky experiences some sort of episode. Fats
begins to embody everything Corky is afraid of, he voices his fears, guilt and
insecurities and drives Corky to violence. Just at the wrong time Ben Greene
tracks Corky to the cabin and witnessed his psychotic performance with Fats,
when Corky cannot sit fir five minutes with using Fats to communicate Greene
realizes he is severely disturbed. Corky decides to remove those who stand in
his way and begins a cycle of violence with the killing of Green.
This is a fascinating exploration of
madness and fear, we watch a sensitive and gifted but neurotic artist gradually
disintegrate and taunted by his own inadequacies become alienated, paranoid and
violent. While not a traditional horror film, the interplay between Corky and
Fats is powerfully portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. At times you wonder if it is
all madness or whether there is more to the dummy than meets the eye, careful
editing and occasional hints about telepathy and psychic ability help sustain
the mystery. There is a constant tension between make believe and reality,
between magic as illusion and real psychic ability, while these are more prominent
in the book on which the film is based, there is still more than enough ambiguity
to make this an “edge of your seat” experience.
Magic is a powerful film with superb
performances from all involved,
This is the full version of the film
offered for the first time on DVD with a high definition transfer taken from
the original 35mm print. The quality of the picture is truly impressive, the colours are solid, the clarity of the image is astounding and
there is no sign of damage or wear. The voices is
clear and the soundtrack creates a truly textured mood.
This is a must have DVD and will more
than satisfy even the most discerning film buff.
This is a superb package from Dark Sky
including a wide range of extras including:
- Fats & Friends Featurette
- An Interview with Victor J. Kemper
- An Interview with Anthony Hopkins
- Anthony Hopkins Radio Interview
- Ann-Margret Make-up Test
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV and Radio Spots
- Photo Gallery