Richard Attenborough's 1978 opus MAGIC is a minor masterpiece of cinematic horror that, while oft overlooked, arguably helped pave the way to the slasher craze of late '70s and early '80s (it was released within a mere month of John Carpenter's now better known HALLOWEEN). Though Attenborough and scripter William Goldman--who adapted from his own identically titled bestseller--play down the grislier slasher aspects of the novel, they do generate genuine psychological terror with the help of an outstanding performance from actor Anthony Hopkins (yes, THAT Anthony Hopkins, who would later leave a bigger mark on horror cinema portraying another fictional loon, the infamous Hannibal Lecter). Excellent supporting performances from Ann-Margaret, as Hopkins' love interest, and Burgess Meredeth add to the believability and, in turn, the scare factor of this delightful genre gem.Hopkins portrays Corky Withers, a painfully shy but talented magician who overcomes his stage fright and ignites a meteoric rise to fame when he takes on a sidekick--an extroverted and bawdy ventriloquist's dummy he names Fats. As Corky's act becomes more and more popular and draws the attention of big-time agents and Hollywood brass, introverted and insecure Corky allows the artificial Fats personality to take control. And Fats will do anything--ANYTHING!--to help Corky keep his split personality a secret.
True, the plot of MAGIC is not totally original. Not only had a few cinema offerings already told the same basic story--1929's THE GREAT GABBO and a segment of the 1945 British anthology DEAD OF NIGHT, to name a few--but TV's ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (in an episode entitled "The Glass Eye") and THE TWILIGHT ZONE (in a segment called "The Dummy") also featured startlingly similar subject matter. Still, MAGIC has two things going for it that make it rise way above the miasmic story line--the superb dramatic (and, surprisingly, ventriloquistic) talents of Anthony Hopkins, and a scene featuring the eye-poppingly gorgeous bare of the beautiful and talented Ann-Margaret. Seriously, though, the performances in MAGIC, especially that from Hopkins, make the worn plot seem compelling and fresh--not that Ann-Margaret's naked don't add a certain allure--and fans of the horror and thriller genres who haven't seen the film already should definitely seek it out.
Fortunately, the new DVD release of MAGIC from Dark Sky Films makes it easier than ever for genre fans to see this cinematic jewel. Not only does the disc offer a pristine widescreen digital transfer made from original 35mm negatives, it also offers some pretty cool bonus material. Included are a featurette in which ventriloquist Dennis Alwood, who was a consultant on the film, discusses the challenges in creating the Fats dummy and in tutoring Anthony Hopkins in the art of ventriloquism; interviews with Mr. Hopkins; TV and radio spots in both English and Spanish; and much more.
In short, 1978's MAGIC is a great horror flick that, unfortunately, has been eclipsed by other more sensationalized genre films from the same era. But thanks to the folks at Dark Sky Films, horror fans can now see a near-perfect copy of this wonderful film, and serious genre fans will definitely want to add the DVD to their collections.
Anthony Hopkins is utterly convincing as the fearful and hallucinating ventriloquist. His manic performance is dynamite; he will break your heart and send chills up your spine. Ann-Margret is good as the cheerleader turned haus frau, but doesn't look dowdy enough. Ed Lauter gives an excellent performance as her brutish husband. Burgess Meredith plays the sophisticated and worldly agent with regal aplomb and almost steals the show.
William Goldman's script is thrilling without resorting to gore, and the soundtrack, which is often simply a discordant harmonica solo, adds to the spookiness. I thoroughly recommend "Magic" to fans of Anthony Hopkins and psychological thrillers; you will not be disappointed.I've never been so bone-chillingly afraid of ANYTHING in my life. When I was six, the TV spots, known to me & my sisters as "The Dummy Commercial" aired during our nighttime television viewing time. The first exposure left me petrified. Each succesive airing made me run as far from the TV as possible. In recent years I collected the nerve to rent the film on VHS, hoping for some kind of reckoning with 'Fats'... but the mood of the film was bland compared to my intensely frightened memories. Now, at last, the film with all the press material, including that startling TV spot is available on DVD. My heart thumped in my chest as I brought home this DVD and explained to my roommates the significance of what they would soon watch with me. I made them leave the room as I cued up the spot, turned off the lights and asked them to be seated. I started the commercial and watched both of my 30+ roommates freeze. I confronted that harshly lit face and did not look away. I studied every detail. As a 33 year old man, I'm still afraid of the 'Dummy Commerical'.
Read Best Reviews of Magic (1978) Here
For 1978, this movie had its scary moments. Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margret did a wonderful job in Richard attenborough's adaptation of William Goldman's classic. Lucky for me, I still have the un-edited version on cassette. What I remember most about this film was Corky, the ventriloquist going slowly insane, due to schizophrenia, and romancing his childhood sweetheart, Peggy Ann Snow. The love scene between Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margret was passionate and beautiful, if not a bit steamy. Nevertheless, the scene was executed well and came out right. Some of the more frightening moments in the film were also executed well. Corky using Fats to kill his agent and Peggy's husband are fine examples. As was Corky going completely insane in the end. I, too, remember the commercial for the film, and it did not bother me as much. Magic was a very good film. The soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith was really ominous and haunting. It would be great to see Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margret work in another film together.This review has nothing to do with the above pictured videotape edition of this film. If the other reviews are to be believed (and I see no reason why they shouldn't) this tape contains a cut version of "Magic" which I must nay-say on general principle. And now back to Matt's life:I first saw this movie at about the age of six or seven when it premiered on network television. Of course I'd already been intrigued and frightened near to death by the super-creepy t.v. spot that ran in 1978 (kudos to other reviewers here for reminding me of that little gem after twenty-some years). While the film in no way dissuaged my intent on becoming a professional magician and ventriloquist, it did spook me pretty good. Now, after over a decade, I finally decided to revisit the past.
While the film certainly isn't great, it is nowhere near as bad as some people would have you believe. It also does not approach the level of banality to which Mr. Hopkins has, in recent years, apparently resigned himself. While I have never been old Tony's biggest booster, I think a case can be made for his performance here. If nothing else, the role is the perfect showcase for his acting style and those who go into the film loving him will only love him more. Ann-Margret does a good turn as Peggy-Ann Snow and Burgess Meredith trots out his usually excellent curmudgeon bit. While the whole dummy/ventriloquist personality swap is nothing new to the genre ("Dead of Night" as well as a Twilight Zone episode starring Cliff Robertson come to mind as but two forerunners), this film is nonetheless dark, bleak, menacing, creepy, powerful and very scary. It's not perfect. The love scene between Ann and Tony is even yuckier today than it was when I was five. It is, however, worth a good deal more attention than it has been alotted in recent years. I'm praying for a DVD with the t.v. spot to hit the shelves very soon.
Some interesting points to watch out for:
*William Goldman's dialogue is just as fast paced and witty as anything David Mamet has ever written and really shows his chops as a screenwriter.
*David Ogden Stiers (whose presence pretty much guarantees watchability in any scene he happens to be in, though here he is only in three).
*Ed Lauter (if you don't know the name you surely know the face. Rent "True Romance" or, if you're into bad movies, "Death Wish 3." The guy plays the same hard ass over and over, but does it better than anybody.)
*Check out how closely Corky's face resembles Fats in the scene where he waits for Peg to pick up the wooden heart. Probably the scariest shot in the film.
*The scene where Ben challenges Corky to keep Fats quiet for five minutes is undoubtedly brilliant, but is closely followed by the scene where Fats really exercises his control. Corky screams with a migraine then crawls around on the floor on his hands and knees in a sicko-psycho-Simon-Says game with the dummy.
*Peg's closing line is, I think, supposed to be her own ventriloquist character voice. I always thought it was a dubbing flaw, but now I don't believe so. It's a very weird way to cap the film.
*Check out how Corky's entrance in the final scene with Fats mirrors his entrance in the opening scene with Merlin, his ailing mentor. There are several similarities and ironies not the least of which is that in both cases Corky is relating false events of what just happened to him.
As I say, not a perfect flick, but hopefully the above list will tickle your fancy enough to give it chance. And if anybody out there knows anyone at Twentieth Century Fox, please exercise some influence and get this puppy on a DVD. Thanks.
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