Product: Magic [VHS] (1978)
Rating: 5.0
An underrated classic comes to DVD
I cannot even begin to tell you how terrified I was of the 1978 film "Magic". Actually, I never got around to seeing the film until recently. What scared the blazes out of me were the darn commercials that ran on television when the film played in the theater. In 1978, I would have been seven or eight years old, depending on when the movie came out. No wonder I was scared! Those advertisements for the film surely rank as one of the most effective marketing campaigns in motion picture history. If you have a copy of the DVD, check out the extras' section on the disc. The ads are there, and they're still horrifying. All we see in the television spot is a closeup on Fats, the main character's dummy, as he recites a poem. It's the music playing in the background, and how the dummy says the words and how he looks when he speaks them, that still send shivers down my spine. I ran out of the room with my hands over my ears when I first heard the commercials, and I felt like doing so again recently. Scary. So scary, in fact, that I spent YEARS looking under my bed every night just to make sure that the maniacal little dummy wasn't waiting for me.Now that I can bring myself to watch the movie without screaming over those commercials, it's nice to see "Magic" and realize it's an excellent, chilling little film. The protagonist of the story is Corky (Anthony Hopkins), a failed magician looking for the one thing that will launch his star. Early on we get to see the utter horridness of his act. It's bad largely because he's so insecure and hesitant onstage. Flash forward roughly a year and we see that our hero has found the golden ticket to Hollywood. Corky managed to construct a highly entertaining ventriloquist act with his dummy Fats. We see him in action in front of a packed house, and it's like he's a totally different person. Confident, funny, not sweating like Richard Nixon on crank--Corky is ready for the big time. His seasoned agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) thinks his client is ready for bigger and better things, too, but there's a slight problem. The television network wants our man (not the dummy) to take a physical as a precondition for employment. Corky flat out refuses to take the examination, and runs off to his childhood stomping grounds somewhere in the Catskills in order to lie low and clear his head.What's the big deal about taking a physical, anyway? Well, Corky knows he's slipping mentally. He can feel it day by day. His old insecurities never really went away. They actually worsened, and now they manifest themselves through Fats. Call it a split personality. Call it schizophrenia. Whatever the case, our main character is crazy, crazy, CRAZY. He prays the trip will help his condition, and hope seems within reach when he hooks up with his childhood flame Peggy (Ann-Margret). She's in a relatively loveless relationship with the overbearing Duke (Ed Lauter), and is just looking for a way to get out. So is Corky. The two quickly come to the realization that they could run off and live a new life together. Alas, Fats isn't interested in a new life. The dummy wants to remain at the center of Corky's existence, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to win the battle going on in the magician's soul, including committing a series of heinous murders. It soon becomes apparent that no one in Corky's inner circle is safe--including Corky. The situation worsens when Peggy refuses to leave without telling Duke her plans. Too bad her old man isn't around anymore..."Magic" is pure magic, a vastly underrated suspense and horror thriller that undeservedly slipped into semi-obscurity for nearly thirty years. The film simply sparkles with creativity, excellent performances, and memorable sequences that stick in your head long after the credits roll. The idea of using a dummy to represent one half of a schizophrenic personality was a stroke of genius. Bolstering this theme are the performances from Anthony Hopkins (amazing) to Burgess Meredith (excellent) to Ann-Margret (also excellent). A great cast always helps make a film great, and "Magic" is no exception to that rule. Also giving the movie added vigor are several memorable sequences. I can think of three off the top of head. There's an amazing scene between Meredith and Hopkins where the agent asks Corky to ignore the dummy for just five minutes. The fact that our protagonist can't do it speaks volumes about his deteriorating mental state. Another sequence involving Corky, Peggy, and a deck of cards underscores his condition as well. Finally, when we see the dummy "manipulating" Corky instead of the other way around...well...prepare yourself for some serious scares. Thanks go to everyone, from director Richard Attenborough on down, for a job extremely well done.The DVD version of "Magic," brought to us from Dark Sky Films, exceeds expectations. The picture and audio quality look and sound excellent. Extras abound. We get trailers, an old interview with Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret make up footage, a still gallery, an interview with cinematographer Victor Kemper (who reveals several intriguing cast changes that make one wonder what the film might have looked like had they went with their initial plans), a lengthy "Fats and Friends" documentary, and previews and radio spots for the film. Fats himself even shows up to say a few words. I'm so glad I finally got the opportunity to see this film on disc. I'm also thankful for the opportunity to commiserate with so many other folks my age about those horrific commercials. It's almost therapeutic to learn I wasn't the only one running for the door, hands clamped firmly over my ears and shrieking like a banshee!