In 1977, actor turned producer/director Richard Attenborough had just come off of “A Bridge Too Far”; an award-winning epic war drama that put him on the map as a director. He was in development on another epic about the life of Mahatma Gandhi, but the project was running into difficulty. Attenborough was having a rough time raising the money needed to make the movie. So he teamed up with screenwriter William Goldman (who had co-written “A Bridge Too Far”) to adapt a well-received novel Goldman had written in 1976. Attenborough’s thought was to make a commercially viable film that would make good money at the box office, then use the profit to fund the film he really wanted to make. The movie that came of this plan was 1978’s psychological Horror film MAGIC.
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MAGIC stars Anthony Hopkins as Corky Withers, a down on his luck stage magician who is failing to draw any crowds to his show. After disappearing for a while, Corky comes back with a new wrinkle in his act. In addition to magic, he has added ventriloquism. His dummy is a foul-mouthed cretin named Fats, and he is a huge success with audiences. Although his agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) has Corky lined up for his own television show, Corky refuses and retreats to the Catskills. It turns out, Fats is actually a manifestation of Corky’s own raging id and he can not be controlled - even off stage. The smaller venues can’t contain Fats forever, though, and as the secret gets out, Fats forces Corky to kill those who discover the truth.
Attenborough and Goldman get pretty much everything right in MAGIC. The film has smart dialogue, sure and steady pacing, and a mood that is constant and tense. We are right with Corky as he nervously navigates his life - always wondering when he will be found out. MAGIC boasts more than just a great screenwriter and director, though. The A-list cast of Hopkins, Meredith, Ann-Margret, Ed Lautner, and David Ogden Stiers deliver first-class performances. Add an intensely creepy, carnivalesque score by the great Jerry Goldsmith and you’ve got a scary movie extraordinaire.
The gambit paid off for Attenborough. MAGIC was a hit with audiences and critics alike - many of whom placed the movie among the top ten films of the year. MAGIC made enough money in ‘78 that Attenborough was finally able to get “Gandhi” off the ground. It took another two years of development and two years after that to get “Gandhi” in the can, but it was worth it - Richard Attenborough had finally made his epic, Oscar-winning dream project. As for MAGIC, it disappeared for a long time after leaving theaters in 1979. 20th Century Fox somehow neglected to secure the home video rights and the film languished in legal Hell for several years - showing only occasionally on broadcast t.v., and even then it was heavily edited. It is easy enough to find now, though, and it is time for audiences to rediscover this gem of a Horror movie.
After all, MAGIC is the scary movie that gave us “Gandhi”.
Parental Guide: No gore, but great suspense and mature themes. 16+
MAGIC fun facts -
Laurence Olivier was originally going to play Ben Greene, but had to back out due to illness. Burgess Meredith replaced him.
The Fats dummy was modeled after Anthony Hopkins’ face. Hopkins was so unnerved by the Fats dummy that when he took it home to rehearse, he couldn’t even keep it in his house the first night he had it. Richard Attenborough had to go to his house personally to calm him down.
The original trailer was pulled from television advertising after parents called the stations to complain that the ad was terrifying their children.
The first choice to play Corky was Gene Wilder. Though Attenborough and Goldman wanted him, producer Joseph Levine nixed him due to the fact that Wilder was know only for comedies at the time.
Fats - “We’re going to be a staaaaaar!”
Ben Greene - “A pro never forgets his good lines, kid.”
Ben Greene- “Make Fats shut up for five minutes.”