Product: Magic [VHS] (1978)
Rating: 5.0
A classic. One of the 100 best films ever made.
Magic (Richard Attenborough, 1978)Abracadabra, I sit on his knee.Presto chango, and now he is me.Hocus pocus, we take her to bed.Magic is fun... we're dead.It is likely that anyone over the age of thirty will remember the traumatizing television spot for Magic, David Attenborough's riveting drama about Corky (Anthony Hopkins), a magician who's on the skids until he teams up with a dummy named Fats (also voiced by Hopkins). When Ben Green (Burgess Meredith), Corky's agent, mentions that Corky will have to have a medical exam before doing his first television special, Corky flips out and retreats to his childhood home, where he meets up with Peg (Ann-Margaret), a girl he had a crush on in high school. Will Peg be Corky's salvation, or will Fats get jealous?Adapted by William Goldman from his own novel, Magic is a wonderful piece of work that's finally gotten itself a good DVD treatment (including, of course, the infamous television spot). While Attenborough is usually a brilliant director, Magic shows him at the height of his powers. Every shot is perfectly framed, the pace is right on cue at all times, and he pulled incredible performances out of his entire cast. While the film faded into entirely undeserved obscurity, now it's poised to return to its former glory. If you've never had the pleasure of seeing this brilliant film, do so. ****