Product: Magic [VHS] (1978)
Rating: 5.0
"Take Two...They're Big..."
What I first loved about the 1978 film "Magic" was the fact the television trailer I saw in the summer of that year caused me to run out of the room. Granted, I was eleven years old, but the creepiness of this alone made me want to know more. I wouldn't find out more until years later when the film was broadcast in an "edited for television" version. I liked it then, but love it in its complete form provided on this dvd.As some viewers may have already expressed, "Magic" contains one of greatest scenes in all of American film. Not by chance, it occurs between two fantastic actors: a young Anothony Hopkins and Burgess Meredith. In the scene, "Gang Green" (Meredith) pays his client Corky (Hopkins) a surprise visit in a country cabin. Green is convinced that Corky has gone insane and presents him what should have been a simple challenge: "Make Fats (the dummy) shut up for five minutes." The tension that follows is unmistakable as we watch the brilliant Hopkins struggle through these seconds. Meanwhile, Green studies his client with a prophetic eye, knowing that his young magician client can't accomplish the task. It's incredibly suspenseful waiting for Corky to crack, because we already know what Green does, and now are just anticipating his reaction. You will likely never forget this scene, and will feel compelled to watch the film repeatedly just because it's there.Of course there are many other delights in this minor horror film, which had the misfortune of being released at almost the same time as John Carpenter's "Halloween." For those of you who enjoy Ann Margret, we get an eyeful of her as well, and Ed Lauter is superb as her suspicious husband. The star of the film is Fats himself, who is charming and creepy all at once. The DVD also contains some nice bonus footage, including the trailer that I previewed as a child.