Magic

I liked Magic. Its a far more sophisticated movie than Child's Play, Bride of Chucky and other unrealistic horror movies with doll's taking on a life of their own. In fact, Magic is less horror and more a study of a deeply disturbed man. Hopkins is the shy unsuccessful magician who creates an alter-ego in the form of Fats, his puppet. Together, the magician and Fats make for a very successful act and the magician starts to achieve notable success. When asked to give a health test in order to sign on for a lucrative TV deal, he refuses and runs away. He stays at an isolated island as a paying guest with his now unhappily married college crush - played by Ann-Margret. As romance starts to blossom, the Fats side of Hopkins personality also starts to take over.

Magic reminded me of The Wicker Man - a low budget but chilling Brit horror flick. To be honest, I thought Magic was the better of the two. The similarities it shares with Wicker Man are low budget, reliance on atmosphere, relative realism for the horror genre, a macabre performance by the leading man Hopkins/Christopher Lee respectively and an isolated setting close to the sea. Magic draws the viewer in more because of Hopkins performance which shows likability and vulnerability. 60's sex symbol Ann-Margret, a talented actress, has yet another small role that completely under utilises her.

I can't understand the reason for the low rating on IMDb and obscurity of this film. Even after Hopkins carved out a name for himself in the celebrated horror movie Silence of the Lambs, this was never revisited.

The best meals and the best movies have this in common: they're filling. Hungry? Watch Magic. Goldman's intensely suspenseful, spooky novel shows up intact on the screen, featuring Mr Hopkins in the psychotic lead. I love Hopkins enough to have several favorite performances (Guilty Conscience, Silence of the Lambs, Magic, A Married Man); while additionally loving Goldman (Princess Bride, Magic, Marathon Man, The Hot Rock, Misery) enough for you to understand where I'm coming from. Our sympathy for Hopkins' character, Corky, a ventriloquist, is forced early on, as we begin to realize the relationship Corky has with his dummy named "Fats". So, there are two main characters...if you will. The other characters just get in the way...oops...I give too much away...

Look for the following scenes especially: 1) the card game; and, 2) Corky must remain silent for 5 minutes...

Strangely neglected at the time of its release, this is a creepy and sort-of black humored character study of a man who, basically, splits his personality in two halves; imagine Norman Bates with a dummy fixation instead of a Mommy fixation and you get a general idea what is in store. The scene where Burgess Meredith asks Anthony Hopkins to make the dummy stop talking for five minutes is worth the price of admission. Plus you get brief glimpses of Anne Margaret's bare breasts!

On the whole the plotting reminds me very much of a Jim Thompson novel. Not at all typical of the work of Director Richard Attenborough...unless to remember that as an actor in 1970 he portrayed real-life British Serial murderer & necrophiliac John Christie in TEN RILLINGTON PLACE (which was actually filmed in the exact house where the real-life killings took place!)

Richard Attenbourough has directed an intriguing and creepy little psychological thriller about a schizophrenic ventriloquist who 'splits' his identity with his dummy. Attenbourough has given a lot of attention to the setting creating an atmospheric effect such as the silent gloomy lake (inhabited by snapping turtles) and Corky's lonely cabin. The cinematography, particularly the closeups, are very impressive. 'Magic' is a simple film and while many have assumed that it's a horror film where the dummy is expected to become some kind of horrific entity (as I thought), that is not the case. Anthony Hopkins gives a stunning performance as the complex, shy and lonely Corky who finally finds love and his manipulative dummy Fats. There are so many moments of his excellent acting. Some examples include the scene where Corky is subjected to 'stop being Fats' for 5 minutes, the boat sequence and Hopkins's scenes with Ann Margret. Though he is more recognized for his 'chilling' Hannibal Lector persona, 'Magic' definitely showcases one of his best performances. The sexy Ann Margret also does an excellent job as the love of Corky's life. She brings a lot of depth to Peggy and she shows more than expected. Burgess Meredith leaves a mark as Corky's concerned manager. Overall, it's nice to see a different kind of Attenborough film. One that is quite well made and very well acted.

This was one of the first films I ever saw that absolutely creeped me out as a kid; I hadn't seen it in years and just caught it recently on Bravo, and I have to say that it still gives me the willies! Anthony Hopkins's performance is nothing short of remarkable (he's a great Lechter, but really, his first Oscar nod SHOULD have been for this film); his scenes with Fats - and the voice he provides for the character - still make my flesh crawl. If you can get past the low production values, and hang in there past the first 15-20 minutes (plus if you can actually find this in a video store), you're in for a pretty frightening psychological ride. Hey, DVD distributors, somebody pick this one up (and get a commentary track with Hopkins, Attenborough and Ann-Margaret!)