20th Century Fox released Magic on 8 November 1978.
As a kid, I saw Magic in the theater. The MPAA (Bastards!) rated it R. But my parents let me see lots of movies I shouldn’t! I also read the novel. I was really into magic when I was young.
It’s not a great film for kids. I didn’t identify with the whole love story. But I’ve revisited it as an adult. It holds up well. I genuinely like it. But I’m shocked that it was made or even that the novel was published.
Producer Joseph E Levine gave William Goldman a million dollars for the screenplay! That’s $5 million today. For what? A story about a ventriloquist who goes insane? That’s almost as common as “boy meets girl.”
But I get it. There aren’t that many original stories. It’s all about the rendering. And Goldman (as usual) does a fine job of rendering this story. What’s more, it does end well in a sweet way that resonates with me.
Just the same, it isn’t nearly as good as “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” in Dead of Night. And I prefer supernatural ventriloquist stories. My favorite is the exceptional Devil Doll.
I still think everyone should watch Magic. It works. And it looks great. The budget ends up on the screen in terms of production design, filming, and acting.
So let’s celebrate the 47th anniversary of Magic by watching this free copy:
Magic (1978) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
