Magic (1978)

Director:

Richard Attenborough

Writers:

William Goldman (novel)
William Goldman (screenplay)

Release Date:

8 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

A Terrifying Love Story.

Plot:

A ventriloquist is at the mercy of his vicious dummy while he tries to renew a romance with his high school sweetheart.

Plot Keywords:

Psycho Thriller | Female Nudity | Beautiful Woman | Coffee | Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Charles "Corky" Withers / Voice of Fats
Ann-Margret	...	Peggy Ann Snow
Burgess Meredith	...	Ben Greene
Ed Lauter	...	Duke
E.J. André	...	Merlin
Jerry Houser	...	Cab driver
David Ogden Stiers	...	Todson
Lillian Randolph	...	Sadie
Joe Lowry	...	Club M.C.
Bob Hackman	...	Father
Mary Munday	...	Mother
Brad Beesley	...	Young Corky
Scott Garrett	...	Corky's brother
Beverly Sanders	...	Laughing lady
I.W. Klein	...	Maitre d'hotel

Also Known As:

Magia (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Lumous (Finland) [fi]
Magic (France) [fr]
Magic - Die Puppe des Grauens (West Germany) [de]
Magic - Eine unheimliche Liebesgeschichte (West Germany) (TV title) [de]
Pahan riivaama (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) (1978) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Blue Lakes, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

After the success of A Bridge Too Far (1977), producer Joseph E. Levine wanted to work with writer William Goldman and director Richard Attenborough again and bought the rights to Goldman's book with the intention of having Attenborough direct it. Attenborough accepted the assignment because he could use it to finance the film he really wanted to make, Gandhi (1982).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Members of the crew are reflected in the cabin window when Corky gets his jacket before going out in the boat with Duke.

Quotes:

Fats: [to Corky as he returns from Peggy Ann's] So how was the orgy? Didja score?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Magic (#1.152)" (1998)

great overlooked horror-thriller

Anthony Hopkins (with hair) plays Corky, an earnest but failed magician who spices up his act with a ventriloquist dummy called Fats, after which he rises to almost fame.....and when his manager asks that he have a medical exam before a big network TV thing he refuses on principle. He also takes Fats and disappears into upstate NY to a small run-down cabin on the property of a woman (Ann Margaret) who he had a crush on in high school. His manager (Burgess Meredith) manages to find him though, and walks in on him while he's providing good reason why he won't take a medical exam; Corky has blown his cork, and can't function without Fats. Of course, such a revelation can't get out to the world so the manager doesn't have any opportunity to tell anyone. Things are further complicated by the return of Ann Margaret's hubby (Ed Lauter) and of course at that point Corky and Fats are very busy. This is both creepy and sad, because Corky is a likable character despite the fact that he's obviously wacko, and he was so shy in high school that he never had a chance with Ann Margaret, and now he doesn't have a chance because of his condition. Fats is obviously a caricature of Corky himself, not to mention an extension of his personality, and not the good side. Fats is also rather creepy. This is a well done film and also somewhat forgotten when it comes to the "classics". The Dark Sky DVD is quite good and a big thanks to them for getting the rights to put this out. 8 out of 10.