A biographical film about cinematic illusionist Georges Méliès featuring Méliès’s widow, Jeanne d’Alcy, as herself, and their son André as his own father.
In this awards-winning documentary, that aired nationwide on PBS stations in the United States, 71-year-old caregiver Marge fights for the relationship of her life, seeking to sustain her physically declining husband Walter with energy, hope, and love. (The web-exclusive series Caring for Walter is a re-edited version of this documentary and includes bonus interviews on the challenges of family caregiving.)
Illusionist Derren Brown reinvents the concept of "faith healing" through a series of stunts that debunk the confines of fear, pain and disbelief.
An Honest Liar tells the incredible story of the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru names Carlos.
This behind the scenes documentary showcases a Singapore-based collective who practice the art of card flourishing. To date, Virtuoso (a.k.a. The Virts) have managed to gather an international following of more than 37,000 people. But how far can a Singapore Brand go in an international scene that is dominated by big personalities like David Blaine? This film examines how these innovative performer entrepreneurs are managing to harness the possibilities of the Internet to extend their reach beyond the shores of Singapore, and develop new business models to share their passion for their craft. Other aspects explored includes the science behind the art of cardistry as well as the cultural associations attached to cards in Asia.
A feature length documentary which invites the viewer to rediscover an enchanted cosmos in the modern world by awakening to the divine within. The film examines the re-emergence of archaic techniques of ecstasy in the modern world by weaving a synthesis of ecological and evolutionary awareness,electronic dance culture, and the current pharmacological re-evaluation of entheogenic compounds.
Why is it that societies need magicians to lie to them? It's a question magician and philosopher Eugene Burger addresses as the world-renowned 'Guru of Magic.' In 'A Magical Vision,' Eugene and a circle of other thoughtful magicians reveal why, from past to present, mystery is essential.
Out of the spiritual chaos of the 1960s, more strange cults and unorthodox messiahs have emerged than ever. Charles Manson is seen as the annoying result of libertarianism of the 1960s - the Cain who murdered the Abel from The Love Generation. Or in the words of one commentator; "the Elvis of alienation."
In this brand new episode, master illusionist and showman Derren Brown plans to pull off the perfect crime. He’s bet renowned art collector Ivan Massow that he can steal a painting from right under his nose. In true Derren style, he will tell Ivan exactly which painting he plans to target – a work by Turner-nominated British brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman no less – as well as what time the theft will happen. He’ll even give him a photograph of the person that’s going to take it.
An extraordinary look at the life of Uri Geller, the man famous for bending spoons and reading minds, told through exclusive interviews with the man himself.
International Magic Presents: The Derren Brown Lecture is an 80-minute lecture DVD of close-up mentalism and subsequent discussion of various aspects of Brown's performance. Again, this product is not intended for general consumption but is directed at magicians and mentalists only.
Martin Hart has been working with David Berglas since 2015 on bringing his scrapbooks to life. The idea is to share these incredible adventures with the world, each one a fascinating event packed with magic, inspiration and synchronicity.
Some magic effects are so mysterious, they've confounded illusionists for hundreds of years. How can a mechanical man defeat a world chess champion? How can a live bullet be stopped in mid-air? Magic has an ancient history, and one master magician, Steve Cohen, is on a quest to uncover the secrets behind these legendary feats and more.
Larry Wessel invites you to explore the phantasmagorical worlds created by a variety of artists, writers, photographers, musicians and collectors.
In his most revealing performance yet, the one-hour special features an exploration into Blaine’s trademark style of street magic as he once again stuns his audience.
Sleight of hand magician Ricky Jay blends light comedy and close-up magic to entertain a live audience. He discusses everything from the birth of the classic cup and balls trick to 14th century poetry.
Things are busy at the Paris hospital where young psychiatrist Jamal and his colleagues work. The place is run down, the staff are exhausted, budgets are constantly being slashed. You know the story, but you’ve rarely seen it conveyed as engagingly as in ‘On the Edge’, which employs a handheld camera and meaningful, artistic interventions to observe the daily routine at the psychiatric ward. The deeply sympathetic Jamal is an everyday hero with an exemplary, humanistic disposition, for whom the most important prerequisites for mental health – and for a healthy society in general – are good relationships with other people. He puts his philosophy into practice by listening patiently, giving good advice and organising theatre exercises based on Molière. Realism and idealism, however, are in balance for the young doctor, at least as long as the institutional framework holds up.
In addition to the insight provided by performers who knew Vernon, including Max Maven, Herb Zarrow, John Carney, Jackie Flosso, Ricky Jay, Steve Freeman and Persi Diaconis, it was an important opportunity for Vernon's children, Edward and Derek Verner, to share their own thoughts and feelings about their father, the magician. It also featured black-and-white silent footage of a younger Vernon demonstrating sleight-of-hand which we had converted and professionally retouched for the film. While the film was very well received, it was only available briefly for purchase as a VHS cassette, which was subsequently pirated. The film pops up regularly online, always low-quality copies of copies shared without any credit to those who made the project possible.
Long Tack Sam was an internationally renowned Chinese acrobat and magician. He overcame isolation, poverty, cultural and linguistic barriers, extreme racism and world wars to become one of the most successful vaudeville acts of his time. His showmanship was unrivalled, yet he refused to appear in movies because of the way Chinese were portrayed at the time. A celebration of the spirit of Long Tack Sam's magic and art, this richly textured first person road movie is an exhilarating testament to his legacy and a prismatic tour through the 20th Century. It all begins in a small village in China... https://www.nfb.ca/film/the_magical_life_of_long_tack_sam/
Jeff McBride is a magician, a master of the arts of deception, and a follower of a spiritual path based on a form of magic. As a teenager, he was already appearing on national TV and has since become world renowned among lovers of magic and illusion. He is equally adept at gracing a stage in Las Vegas or Paris, performing a card trick under your nose, and teaching a master class to already accomplished conjurers. He says that real magic is a path to sacred reality.