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Magic Details

1978

70
from 599 members

Starring	Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Director	Richard Attenborough
Genres	Horror, Thriller

Magic

Anthony Hopkins is Corky, a painfully shy, failed magician who finds overnight success as a ventriloquist. His brash, foul-mouthed dummy, Fats, becomes a huge nightclub hit. With his star on the rise, talent agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) arranges an important shot at national TV. But the pressure of failing the network's required physical sends Corky into a panic. With Fats in tow, he flees the city to a nearly-deserted resort in the Catskills run by the love of his youth, Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margret).

Peg's spent years trapped in a loveless marriage with her high-school sweetheart, Duke (Ed Lauter). In Corky, she sees the chance for a loving relationship and accepts an offer to run away with him. However, when Corky confides to Fats that he may leave show business altogether, Fats becomes furious and lashes out at him, playing on his guilt and insecurity. Now under Fats' control, Corky is manipulated into a series of violent and unexpected confrontations.

Based on the novel by William Goldman, writer of the Marathon Man and Butch Cssidy And The Sundance Kid novels and screenplays, who had previously collaborated with Richard Attenborough in supplying the script for epic war film A Bridge Too Far.

Starring	Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter
Director	Richard Attenborough
Studio	ANCHOR BAY HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 42 mins
Certificate
Genres	Horror, Thriller
Language	DVD: English
Hearing-impaired	English
Released	Production year: 1978 To Rent: DVD: 21 Aug 2006

Magic (1978)

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A troubled nightclub performer is intimidated by his all-too-human dummy. The almost demonic puppet has an inc...
Sign up Magic - Bonus Features

'Screenwriting For Dummies' featurette 'Fats And Friends' featurette Interview with Victor Kemper 1978 i...

Critic's review of Magic
View all (1)
- A hammed-up version of the old chestnut about the ventriloquist who is 'taken over' by his dummy, clumsily adapted by... read more on Time Out
- 49526
- - Time Out
  - 04 Nov 2008 at 00:20
Most helpful member's review of Magic
View all members' reviews (9)
- - 2
  - 0
  Madness gone mad
  
  An entertaining a quite spooky study of a madman reduced to conversing, and taking instructions from, a ventriloquist dummy. You can see why Hopkins was ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 428985
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - David Magni
  - Kent
  - 11 Apr 2007 at 16:23
Most recent members' reviews of Magic
View all members' reviews (9)
- - 0
  - 0
  Was like watching an old episode of Goosebumps - except the KIDS were replaced with ADULTS
  
  NO, NO and, errrr...... NO.
  
  Perhaps in the 70's this scared the flowery pants off people, but I can honestly say it was like watching an old ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1024324
- - vanilla_quiff
  - 265 reviews
  - Gatwick, England
  - 02 Aug 2011 at 10:11
- - 1
  - 0
  Was far scarier when I was a kid
  
  I remember watching this film when I was between 12 and 15 and I remember being terrified. The ending always haunted me and I thought about 'magic' many... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 812797
- - Marazzi
  - 1 review
  - Borehamwood
  - 20 Sep 2009 at 20:23
- - 0
  - 0
  not one of hopkins best
  
  just could not get in to this film after 40 minutes we turned off
  
  Report this review
- 701418
- - a customer
  - Southampton
  - 03 Feb 2009 at 20:30
View all members' reviews (9)
News and features
View all
Killer role for DiCaprio
- 02 Nov 2010
Leonardo DiCaprio is set to portray a notorious serial killer in a new big screen biopic, according to a U.S. report. The actor's Appian Way production company has acquired the screen rights to The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic And Madness At The Fair That Changed America, which tells the story of prolific murderer Dr. H.H. Holmes. Holmes is believed to have murdered up to 200 people in Chicago in the run-up to 1893's World's Fair, luring them back to a hotel before brutally killing... Read more
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Rating breakdown

599 Member ratings

100	34
90	37
80	149
70	145
60	113
50	51
40	28
30	18
20	16
10	8

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- Magic
  
  Anthony Hopkins is Corky, a painfully shy, failed magician who finds overnight success as a ventriloquist. His brash, foul-mouthed dummy, Fats, becomes a huge nightclub hit. With his star on the rise, talent agent Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith) arranges an important shot at national TV. But the ...