The Magic Christian
by Joseph McGrath
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DVD details
Actor: Caroline Blakiston, Isabel Jeans, Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Wilfrid Hyde-WhiteDirector: Joseph McGrath
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-01-21
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Republic Pictures
DVD Reviews of The Magic Christian
DVD Review: I love this movie
Summary: 4 Stars
The Magic Christian is an inspired, wacky sixties film, based on the brilliant novel by Terry Southern. Appearing with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr in the film are Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman, Goon Show alumnus Spike Milligan, Christopher Lee, Racquel Welch, Roman Polanski, and Yul Brenner as a lounge-singing transvestite. Paul McCartney wrote the film's theme song 'Come And Get It' performed by Badfinger. I have to admit, this movie makes me laugh. It's a great vehicle for Peter Sellers as the not-so-business-like Guy Grande, and Ringo as his newly adopted adult son. In the story, multi-millionaire Grande has determined that one can use money to teach lessons about the ugliness of greed, elitism, snobbiness, and authority. It is typical of british comedies of the late sixties inasmuch as it climaxes with a scene of things dissolving into general chaos. On the other hand, the humor itself seems very untypical and funny. Some people may not "get" this movie... probably the same people that don't find Monty Python funny. Generally, if you enjoy irreverant, quirky humor, you'll find The Magic Christian entertaining.
DVD Review: Yul Brynner in drag!!!!
Summary: 3 Stars
Normally, this type of comedy is not my thing, but I saw the clip online of Yul Brynner in "The Magic Christian" and feel that this vignette alone would be worth ANY price! (Can't imagine the masculine Yul as a woman? HAH He is excellent!!!)DVD Review: Magic Christian? - Absolutely!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was one of my all time favorite movies - I remember seeing it at the theater! I love Peter Sellers and he is in rare form in this flick. And Ringo Starr hold his own.
Good music, good acting, good all around.
DVD Review: Post-psychedelic, anti-establishment, Sellers/Starr rough gem
Summary: 3 Stars
I saw this film once before, and thought it was in Black & White. It was filmed, for fans of the two stars, on the tail end of Sellers' swinging 60s films like "The Party" & "The Bobo", and in between Ringo's work on The Beatles' landmark "White Album" and the film/album/lawsuit "Let It Be". Essentially, Sellers and adopted sidekick Starr go about usurping stiff British affluence by using their unequalled wealth to be rude and piss people off, stating that "some people will do ANYTHING for money". A haphazard script and direction notwithstanding, this is an interesting art/statement film. Noteworthy are separate scenes featuring John Cleese and Graham Chapman (of Monty Python fame) is excellent bits about mangling a Rembrandt at Sotheby's and bribing the Oxford Crew team to crash into and fight with the Cambridge Crew team -- during their race.
I give it a 3 because the DVD offers no subtitles or alternate languages; a commentary from Ringo, Cleese, or even the director might've been nice as well. It's really a no-frills package of a rare film. But it's worth a price of less than $12.00, I'd say.
DVD Review: No, no....I only want the nose.
Summary: 5 Stars
McGrath's film adaptation differs considerably Southern's novel. Relocated to London in the 1960s, it introduces an orphan whom Sir Guy Grand picks up in a park and on a whim, decides to adopt. The role was written with Ringo Starr (who plays it) in mind.
The Magic Christian is an unrelenting and often heavy-handed satire on capitalism, greed, racism and other human vanities. Notable are the appearances of (pre-Monty Python) John Cleese and Graham Chapman (uncredited), who had written an earlier version of the film script, of which only the scenes in which they appear survived.
This movie is great fun, I only wish there had been some remastering on the CD, rather than just a core dump to different media. But that quibble aside, it's still one of my very favorite movies.
Description of The Magic Christian
This 1969 British comedy looks today like a bridge between then-contemporaneous but overlapping styles of comedy, from Terry Southern satire to Goon Show silliness to Monty Python surrealism. Peter Sellers stars as the world's wealthiest man, who sets out with a young ally (Ringo Starr) to demonstrate that people, most especially rich people, will do anything for money. The film is more a series of sketches than an actual story, and some of those get pretty nasty, particularly when a bunch of aristrocrats start feeding from a vat of blood and manure. But in general this is a pretty funny film, and it's great to see a lot of famous and soon-to-be-famous faces on the same screen. Written by Southern, Joseph McGrath (who also directed), Sellers, and Python's John Cleese and Graham Chapman. --Tom KeoghComedy DVDs
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