From Book To Screen - MAGIC (1978)
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2021
- From Book to Screen MAGIC (1978)
Dolls are creepy, FACT. From The Great Gabbo to Dead of Night, Devil Doll, Billy from Saw and Dead Silence, dolls and in particular ventriloquist dummies, are a perfect tool for horror.
Directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Anthony Hopkins, Burgess Meredith and Ann Margret ,this psychological horror film is a brilliant adaptation of the book written by William Goldman.
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#horror #movies #moviereview - Фільми й анімація
I loved how Fats was engineered. The mouth moved but the upper lip could curl up and the lower lip down. That is very unique. The eyes not only moved side to side but up and down as well. This made his face very expressive. That is also very unique. The inside of the mouth was made to look very realistic. Notice the teeth. Fats was very well made.
Fats took 2 years to make. He is fiberglass. His upper lip sneer makes "A STAR!" I don't know who owns him now, most of the copies out there are NOT screen accurate.
That's what made him scary, the the lip curl and eyes.
What a great detailed & factual accounting of the dummy’s especial qualities- it was a smart tid-bit of sharing, thanks.
Also, I agree! Film production sets & props are truly MAGIC! They really DO work in the way an actor achieves characterization. It’s very clever & acutely eerie in some cases, like here.
2:00 That trailer scared the hell out of me when I was little. 😂😂 I remember jumping up and turning the channel when he would begin to speak. One time I turned the knob and it was on that one too. So I turned to PBS because I knew that they didn't have commercials. 😂😂😂😂
1:59 Oh Gawd YES!!! I can personally confirm this commercial haunted me in the fall/winter of '78. I would close my eyes and cover my ears when it would come on and my brother would run over to the tv and turn the sound up so I couldn't escape it! HAH! Good times!
Ahh, that's what brothers are for, haha!
"Abracadabra I sit on his knee..."
You can relive the terror the trailer is on UA-cam
I can remember my big sister chasing me around the house with a copy of Stephen King's Night Shift, because she knew the picture on the cover scared me. Your brother and my sister would probably have been good friends!
@@ttintagel Haahhahahahahaha!
The book and film are both tremendous works, which I return to on occasion. Hopkins gives an outstanding performance, one of his finest to this very day.
I was one of those children in the NY area that was frightened to death by the Magic TV spot back in 1978. I was four and WNEW channel 5 played it before my 7:30 / 8pm bedtime. It definitely spooked me. I didn't see the movie until I was well in my 30s and on a William Goldman kick. I watched The Great Waldo Pepper, Harper & Magic. It was a nice little marathon and I enjoyed them all.
That TV spot would definitely have given me nightmares as a kid, the damn doll is creepy enough as an adult! 😂
I never saw the film because the ad scared me so much as a small child. Same deal with Lucio Fulci's Zombie. Just the commercials gave me nightmares.
Tony can show all the emotion without talking, with his expressive eyes. The Elephant Man scene when he finds Merrick in deplorable conditions. Camera moves in on his face and he holds back a tear for, it seems like an hour, until it finally falls. OMG
Magic is the movie that made me a Tony fan for life. He was great in Lion in Winter, especially when you hear how Kate Hepburn chastised him for his drinking.
I met Tony in 1999 when he was making Hearts in Atlantis in Virgina. I had driven up from Jax, FL and he was interested in how long it took. I knew he loved driving all over the country himself. We got hugs and took pictures . He even signed a tshirt that I had placed a picture of him as Hannibal. He wrote the last line of the movie, "bye Clarice, i'm having an old friend for dinner." What a wonderful possession! I will cherish it for life.
I read the book and have seen the movie. In fact, I own it on DVD. I read the book in a single night; couldn't put it down. Both are fantastic!
I actually believe that story about Hopkins being initially freaked out by Fats. You can tell by reading his body language. When he's first asked about Fats, he looks down almost instinctively in reflection with a smirk that tells you he has some interesting memories of his first interpretations.
This video essay is superbly done. This movie really unsettled me. The scene where Burgess Meredith asks Anthony Hopkins to refrain from speaking as Fats for five minutes is absolutely nerve-racking. Amazing performance from Meredith.
Another brilliant film. Anthony scared the wits out of me in this film. So creepy🖤
Edit had to stop commenting too early cos l was cooking, always risky, and needed to get to the kitchen, lol. Ann Margret is sensational in this film, she’s an amazing woman. I think Anthony has a quality of sensitivity that is so effective. The scene in The Elephant Man when his eyes are speaking volumes about his emotional reaction, it’s the emotional lynch pin of the film, suddenly we realise the gravity of the situation. Now I want to watch all of these films again :)
Nice summary of a very fine piece of work. Hopkins' best genre performance, I think (I find his Hannibal Lector a bit to operatic for my taste). Glad this video didn't get blocked!
Thanks for the comment! I'm glad it didn't get blocked too 😂
Didn’t really need the parenthesis, what’s operatic about it? In ‘Lambs’ it was pretty reserved as well
I rewatched this movie recently but I just noticed the dummy has a full set of bottom and top teeth... as dentures. I loved the symbolism of the wooden heart in the ending
A forgotten underrated classic with a great Jerry Goldsmith score. I never forgot it. I remember seeing the trailer on TV as a kid. I had to see it and I did. Magic holds the distinction of being the first R rated movie I saw in the theater.
When I watched this film I went back to find to meeting of the doll. I saw a doll in the background of his mentor so I figured that there must have been something cut.
I rewatched this movie recently to get into the October spirit and I noticed that when Burgess Meredith is standing in the doorway witnessing Anthony Hopkins' character having an episode with the doll 'Fats' that it is actually Fats who sees him first before Corky has a chance to turn around which I thought was interesting
I was 6 when the trailer came out. Scared the living piss out of me.
As a child, I would visit my mom on the weekends and she would every so often put on this movie. It was very frightening to me. She would even hide dolls in random places in the house to scare me. As an adult, I every so often put this movie on and then text random pictures of Fats to my children, friends and coworkers to creep them out. I like giving them unsettling feelings that I could be crazy.
Would have been interesting if they had done some test footage of Gene Wild as Corky to see as a comparison. No disrespect to Gene, but I think the right decision was made with Hopkins.
The first time I saw this I wasn't sure if it was a psychological thriller or a supernatural thriller, it's only at the end it's made clear that Fats dies with Corky and it was purely psychological.
When I first saw the film I found it disturbing but watching it now I find it very sad and tragic. Anthony Hopkins gives a stunning performance as both Corky and Fats. On DVD copy there is an interesting bonus feature titled Fats and Friends about the making of the film, as well as interviews with the man who actually created Fats. He tells an anecdote about how Hopkins wanted to keep Fats with him in the hotel.where he waa staying during the filming. The guy calls a call at about one or two o'clock in the morning for him to come over and take Fats. Whatever happened is anyone's guess but he didn't last a whole day with Fats. I don't blame him. Fats is one of the creepiest props in cinema history. I remember having a little booklet which when one folds it out becomes a full-size poster of Fats as seen in terrifying trailer. I cannot recall if I ever hung it on my bedroom wall or what happened to it---it just went missing unfortunately. I'm rereading the novel and agree that the cuts made from the novel benefit the film greatly. A lot of pages are just of useless backstory and feel like padding for a story that could have been told just as effectively in the form of a novella. I find the writing "style" gets very contrived and convoluted and when it veers off into some digression it is a slog to read. I could see Gene Wilder in that part. It might have been hard to make that adjustment and accept him as a man who is at the very edge of sanity. The best scene is when Ben Greene asks Corky to make Fats shut up for five minutes. As the seconds tick by you can feel the cracks widen and that Fats (like Mother in Psycho) is the more dominant personality. It's a great scene.
Thanks for watching, I agree about the melancholic quality the film has now I'm older.
I enjoyed the film a while ago. I think I've seen it more than twice. I was just thinking of it. Then I saw your video. I enjoyed your video. Thx.
This movie made me so afraid of these puppets, I would jump through a window head first and swing at anything near me if I saw one of these in my apartment, and Jaws I still can’t jump in the ocean without seeing bottom, even in a big pool I am still afraid at 50 jump off the diving board and swim as fast as I can to the low end.
I’ve not read the book, but it’s going on my list as I do love Goldman’s writing that I’ve read in the past. The movie is a really decent adaptation and its a huge credit to Hopkins’ commitment to the craft, Attenborough’s direction and of course the author’s script that it works. I agree the split personality/DID trope can offend some, but it doesn’t really bug me despite my own mental health struggles
This video is Electric!!!!! As a kid I don’t know who scared Me more BEN the rat or FATS the Dummy.. Your channel is Fire!!!!
Thanks for watching and for the kind words. 💚
Great analysis. I saw a clip on the Dick Cavett where Hopkins said he learned ventriloquism for the part.
Thanks for watching! I'm pretty sure there's a clip of that interview on UA-cam.
This was a very well done video essay! Your channel will blow up soon enough if the rest of your content is just as good:)
This movie gave me nightmares as a kid, I forgot about it for years and now those vivid images are back.. thaaaanks! Lol
Thanks so much for the kind words!
Books and movies are completely different things & comparison is unfair. A book & movie adaptation can each be good in their own right respectively
I totally agree, however it's a little unfair to expect people not to compare and contrast with an adaptation of material they're already familiar with.
I was 7 years old when the trailers for Magic aired..
It terrifies me.. lol..
I would hide behind the sofa when it would come on.
I just watched this. And great video 😇
Thanks for watching!
Excellent review. I read the book many years ago and have seen the film several times. So I appreciated your overview of the adaption from book to screen.
Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to comment! It's such a good film, it stays with you.
@@MoxieMcMurder Just an interesting bit of trivia that I forgot to mention. Composer Jerry Goldsmith was prevented from scoring 'Superman: The Movie' because of his involvement with 'Magic'. Both Goldsmith and John Williams were hired twice (each) for 'Superman', but production delays and commitments to other films meant that finally only Williams was available at the right time. So, 'Magic' turned out to have more influence on film history than you would first think. And a Goldsmith 'Superman' score would have been special as well.
@@CaminoAir That's interesting!
It's a real shame that this movie gets overlooked. I don't see too many people talk about it, especially since this movie stars Hopkins pre-Hannibal Lecter.
9:14 doesn't this little clip where Fats moves on his own confirm he's a possessed/demon doll?
I've seen it referred to as a mistake when they were filming and it was creepy so they kept it in.
The director left that in on purpose. Goldman had plans to write a sequel. We aren't sure if it was Corky's psychic ability or something else...
Great Review / Comparison 👍
Ann Margaret and Burgess Meredith always bring something special to whatever they are working on. If you watch "Fats and Friends: the making of Magic" you'll see the ventriloquist that actually did the voice of fats. Brilliant performance. This was Hopkins first staring roll in a film. He was cast correctly for the roll, but I think he was still a few films away from finding his core as an actor. That said, There are some truly spin tingling moments through out this film. Oh....and I've also been seen mental illness up close and personal, and I don't think this film mocks that in any way. The ventriloquist in Fats and Friends actually discusses the phenomenon known at spontaneous schizophrenia, where the dolls says something on stage that the ventriloquist have never heard of or though of before.
I found the book in the movie to be very interesting in terms of adaptation the book has a little bit more background but that stuff is still there in the movie just not front and centre
I read an article that reported a REMAKE of MAGIC! Does anyone know if this is true? The original was perfect.
I see Sam Raimi is attached to that rumour. I kinda hope it's not true, as with most remakes it's pretty unnecessary.
@@MoxieMcMurder but there is a followup that says Raimi dropped out and Roy(Ray) Lee is still on board.
The only way I would be for it is if Tony played Merlin and the part was expanded.
I can attest to that. The commercial scared the fuck out of 6 yr old me.
It would have been fascinating with Gene Wilder.
Building two Fats at once.. mine will move and speak without anyone touching them.
Which should clear the bar...
This movie has creepy ass music too
Hopkins plays the Harmonica in The Wolfman as a Nod to MAGIC.
Metallica sad but true song
I bought the CBS/HBO(?) release of this film on VHS in 1987, love/hate this movie. Totally inaccurate, Goldman took tons of liberties with Magic and Ventriloquist arts as well as psychology. Most Magicians and Vents start as kids.
Actual Magic TV specials in the 70s got hugh ratings.
Doug Henning was a phenomenon back then. Harry Blackstone Jr, James Randi...
The 70s were great for magic on TV. Misdirection with a Vent Dummy isn't necessary at all, any slieght of hand worker, card, coin or cup n ball person knows there shit.
Corky can keep Fats quite for the car ride out to Lake Melody but not for a 10 minute doctor's exam? Bullshit. A medical exam is just a physical. Even if Corky performed for a room of Psychologist they wouldn't be able to tell if he had any mental illness.
People with mental health issues are masters of hiding any peculiarities unless they are in a state of Psychosis.
Vent figures, Puppets, dolls aren't scary or creepy. People that find them scary are wimps.
Hopkins vent trainer Dennis Alwood was recommended by Edgar Bergen who died in 78.
Corky has killed women from singles bars in the book.
We didn't know much about this kind of crime as The Boston Strangler was probably still the big name in true crime...
At the time this was written "serial" killers are just emerging in real world, soon to be infamous Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Son of Sam will be catapulted into the public eye.
If the book had been written post 1978 it would have been possibly more disturbing.
Two Fats are used in the film, the club Fats was a normal happy looking dummy and Evil Fats emerges when the camera pans to have Corky and Fats profile merge together. "STOP THE POSTMAN!"
Jaws and Halloween films and the ad campaign being removed from TV took a toll on the Box office.
Great movie, not accurate but Ann-Margret, Hopkins, Ed Laughter and Burgess Meredith are amazinging actors.
I am a magician, ventriloquist, escape artist and mental patient, I nor my dummy have ever murdered anyone.
Anthony hopkins DID NOT really do the ventriloquism.
Yes he did, ua-cam.com/video/jKNwF7tp64Y/v-deo.html
Yes he did. And he was very good at it.
He has demonstrated his ability and talked about it a number of times. He also learned a number of "magic" tricks for the role.
No he didn’t ua-cam.com/video/09Me2j1T0UI/v-deo.html