Magicians Documentary

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Richard Stokes
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Richard Stokes » March 15th, 2017, 9:22 pm

The documentary presented a pessimistic but plausible narrative implying that many of us lead lives of 'quiet desperation'.

This could well be true for most of us (whatever our profession). Life is a struggle - even in my sleepy, well-mannered, home town of heritage-drenched Stamford.

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Jonathan Townsend » March 15th, 2017, 10:25 pm

"quiet desperation" was done last century. Behind the glamor, on the other side of the footlights are people who've made tough choices to bring magic to their audiences.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 15th, 2017, 10:26 pm

That's the problem with the documentary: not all magicians are lonely losers by any means. That's the director's agenda: to portray magicians as living "quiet lives of desperation."
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Tim Ellis
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Tim Ellis » March 16th, 2017, 8:49 am

We improvised a "documentary" for our own amusement many years ago.

It was funny to us at the time... but now it just looks real.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDzmRTh2Gew

performer
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby performer » March 16th, 2017, 9:11 am

I found this one more amusing. Tim Ellis being a busybody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En3vUlBjrgM

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Tim Ellis
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Tim Ellis » March 16th, 2017, 9:27 am

That was an interesting time. The mining company actually contacted us to try to convince their CEO that Uri was a fraud.

Despite evidence, he chose to pay Uri a quarter of a million dollars sum to fly him over an island with a map and a pendulum.

They ended up having to say they found minerals (not what they were mining for) because, as a publicly listed company, they realised their share prices would plummet if their "new way of mining" had failed.

Uri always lands on his feet...

There's a nice follow up here - including a mention that Zanex ended up "terminating their loss-making mines" in the Solomon Islands.

https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/201 ... uri-geller

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erdnasephile
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby erdnasephile » March 17th, 2017, 4:14 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:That's the problem with the documentary: not all magicians are lonely losers by any means. That's the director's agenda: to portray magicians as living "quiet lives of desperation."


Totally agree--many magicians do not fit the "lonely losers" stereotype. We talked earlier about how this pervasive meme is propagated by various forms of media and also seen in a couple of the aforementioned films.

However, I wonder if we are sometimes responsible for feeding this stereotype as well? For example, the last several biographical articles I've read about magicians all present a picture of a bullied suburban youth who uses magic as a crutch for a suboptimal social situation. Even Copperfield has played the geeky youth card (before he transformed himself into "Sex Wizard Coppi" -- the coolest handle ever ;) )

I also just watched a really fine presentation at a large conference by a wonderful performer; however, the main theme was how magic isn't as lame as you think. Finally, many magicians use patter lines like: "I'm not going to use trick cards like those other magicians..."'

I've not heard other variety artists put down their peer group as frequently as magicians seem to. (I could certainly be wrong. Do clowns beat up on other clowns?)

performer
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby performer » March 17th, 2017, 8:36 am

Tim Ellis wrote:That was an interesting time. The mining company actually contacted us to try to convince their CEO that Uri was a fraud.

Despite evidence, he chose to pay Uri a quarter of a million dollars sum to fly him over an island with a map and a pendulum.

They ended up having to say they found minerals (not what they were mining for) because, as a publicly listed company, they realised their share prices would plummet if their "new way of mining" had failed.

Uri always lands on his feet...

There's a nice follow up here - including a mention that Zanex ended up "terminating their loss-making mines" in the Solomon Islands.

https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/201 ... uri-geller


I bet every single one of the smug self righteous skeptics would also go searching with a map and a pendulum if they were offered a quarter of a million dollars to do so. They would be daft not to!

Joe Mckay
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Joe Mckay » March 17th, 2017, 12:19 pm

Uri Geller is a legend. He is like a modern day PT Barnum. I never care much for Uri Geller when I was younger - but as I become more knowledgeable about magic the more impressed I am by him. He has a lot in common with Houdini and will be one of the few people in magic who will still be famous a hundred years from now.

I find Kreskin fascinating as well.

Jonathan Pendragon
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Jonathan Pendragon » March 25th, 2017, 3:38 am

Henry David Thoreau

Jonathan Pendragon
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Re: Magicians Documentary

Postby Jonathan Pendragon » March 25th, 2017, 3:47 am

In college, I saw Harry Anderson play the part of the strict school teacher in a production of "The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail." He was a trained actor before his high profile roles in film and TV. The considered drama of his work in magic betrays his roots, he loves to tell stories.


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