Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $2.65 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Magic (1978)

Anthony Hopkins , Ann-Margret , Richard Attenborough  |  R |  DVD
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)

List Price: $19.98
Price: $14.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $4.99 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 10 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Tuesday, May 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Watch Instantly with Rent Buy
Magic   -- $9.99

Other Formats & Versions

Amazon Price New from Used from
Blu-ray 1-Disc Version $17.93  
DVD 1-Disc Version $14.99  

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Amazon Originals Now Playing, For Free: Watch hilarious comedies and lovable children's pilots from top creators, featuring stars you love, only at Amazon Instant Video. See all the shows and let us know what you think.



Frequently Bought Together

Magic + Trilogy of Terror (Special Edition) + The Entity
Price for all three: $35.10

Buy the selected items together

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product Details

  • Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter, E.J. André
  • Directors: Richard Attenborough
  • Writers: William Goldman
  • Producers: C.O. Erickson, Joseph E. Levine, Richard P. Levine
  • Format: Subtitled, NTSC
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Dark Sky Films
  • DVD Release Date: April 25, 2006
  • Run Time: 107 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000CR76U8
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,297 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "Magic" on IMDb

Special Features

  • "Fats and Friends" featurette
  • Interview with Anthony Hopkins
  • Interview with cinematographer Victor J. Kemper, A.S.C.
  • Archival Anthony Hopkins radio interview
  • Ann-Margret make-up test
  • Still gallery
  • Theatrical trailers
  • TV spots
  • Radio spots

Editorial Reviews

Academy Award®-winner Anthony Hopkins (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS) 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. In Corky, she sees the chance for a loving relationship and accepts an offer to run away with him. After they make love, 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 best–selling novel by William Goldman and directed by Sir Richard Attenborough (A BRIDGE TOO FAR, GANDHI), MAGIC’s stellar performances and shocking conclusion make for gripping suspense from beginning to end.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars MAGIC Is Fun...! May 1, 2006
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Richard Attenborough's 1978 opus MAGIC is a minor masterpiece of cinematic horror that, while oft overlooked, arguably helped pave the way to the slasher craze of late '70s and early '80s (it was released within a mere month of John Carpenter's now better known HALLOWEEN). Though Attenborough and scripter William Goldman--who adapted from his own identically titled bestseller--play down the grislier slasher aspects of the novel, they do generate genuine psychological terror with the help of an outstanding performance from actor Anthony Hopkins (yes, THAT Anthony Hopkins, who would later leave a bigger mark on horror cinema portraying another fictional loon, the infamous Hannibal Lecter). Excellent supporting performances from Ann-Margaret, as Hopkins' love interest, and Burgess Meredeth add to the believability and, in turn, the scare factor of this delightful genre gem.

Hopkins portrays Corky Withers, a painfully shy but talented magician who overcomes his stage fright and ignites a meteoric rise to fame when he takes on a sidekick--an extroverted and bawdy ventriloquist's dummy he names Fats. As Corky's act becomes more and more popular and draws the attention of big-time agents and Hollywood brass, introverted and insecure Corky allows the artificial Fats personality to take control. And Fats will do anything--ANYTHING!--to help Corky keep his split personality a secret.

True, the plot of MAGIC is not totally original. Not only had a few cinema offerings already told the same basic story--1929's THE GREAT GABBO and a segment of the 1945 British anthology DEAD OF NIGHT, to name a few--but TV's ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (in an episode entitled "The Glass Eye") and THE TWILIGHT ZONE (in a segment called "The Dummy") also featured startlingly similar subject matter. Still, MAGIC has two things going for it that make it rise way above the miasmic story line--the superb dramatic (and, surprisingly, ventriloquistic) talents of Anthony Hopkins, and a scene featuring the eye-poppingly gorgeous bare [...] of the beautiful and talented Ann-Margaret. Seriously, though, the performances in MAGIC, especially that from Hopkins, make the worn plot seem compelling and fresh--not that Ann-Margaret's naked [...]don't add a certain allure--and fans of the horror and thriller genres who haven't seen the film already should definitely seek it out.

Fortunately, the new DVD release of MAGIC from Dark Sky Films makes it easier than ever for genre fans to see this cinematic jewel. Not only does the disc offer a pristine widescreen digital transfer made from original 35mm negatives, it also offers some pretty cool bonus material. Included are a featurette in which ventriloquist Dennis Alwood, who was a consultant on the film, discusses the challenges in creating the Fats dummy and in tutoring Anthony Hopkins in the art of ventriloquism; interviews with Mr. Hopkins; TV and radio spots in both English and Spanish; and much more.

In short, 1978's MAGIC is a great horror flick that, unfortunately, has been eclipsed by other more sensationalized genre films from the same era. But thanks to the folks at Dark Sky Films, horror fans can now see a near-perfect copy of this wonderful film, and serious genre fans will definitely want to add the DVD to their collections.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
41 of 44 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Anthony Hopkins' Early Triumph August 30, 2003
Format:VHS Tape
Anthony Hopkins stars as Corky Withers, a ventriloquist/magician with a pathological fear of failure. When his life starts to become surreal, he looks up the girl he secretly loved in high school, Peggy Ann Snow (Ann-Margret), and, with the help of his wiseguy dummy, Fats, sparks fly between them. But Corky's agent (Burgess Merideth) worries that Corky thinks Fats is real, thus setting off a deadly chain of events.

Anthony Hopkins is utterly convincing as the fearful and hallucinating ventriloquist. His manic performance is dynamite; he will break your heart and send chills up your spine. Ann-Margret is good as the cheerleader turned haus frau, but doesn't look dowdy enough. Ed Lauter gives an excellent performance as her brutish husband. Burgess Meredith plays the sophisticated and worldly agent with regal aplomb and almost steals the show.

William Goldman's script is thrilling without resorting to gore, and the soundtrack, which is often simply a discordant harmonica solo, adds to the spookiness. I thoroughly recommend "Magic" to fans of Anthony Hopkins and psychological thrillers; you will not be disappointed.
Was this review helpful to you?
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars I still wear the scars from this one! July 9, 2006
Format:DVD
I've never been so bone-chillingly afraid of ANYTHING in my life. When I was six, the TV spots, known to me & my sisters as "The Dummy Commercial" aired during our nighttime television viewing time. The first exposure left me petrified. Each succesive airing made me run as far from the TV as possible. In recent years I collected the nerve to rent the film on VHS, hoping for some kind of reckoning with 'Fats'... but the mood of the film was bland compared to my intensely frightened memories. Now, at last, the film with all the press material, including that startling TV spot is available on DVD. My heart thumped in my chest as I brought home this DVD and explained to my roommates the significance of what they would soon watch with me. I made them leave the room as I cued up the spot, turned off the lights and asked them to be seated. I started the commercial and watched both of my 30+ roommates freeze. I confronted that harshly lit face and did not look away. I studied every detail. As a 33 year old man, I'm still afraid of the 'Dummy Commerical'.
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars This dummy is murder.
Magic (1978). Rated "R". DVD Running Time: One hour, 46 mins.
This Movie Is Not For Children. ADULTS ONLY!
Corky (Anthony Hopkins) visits an older man, Merlin (E.J. Read more
Published 6 days ago by James McDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars Precisely as I remember
Movie was great back then but its dated now. Perhaps a remake will be on the horizon soon for this thriller.
Published 25 days ago by Brett S. Childers
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best horror films made. Proves you don't have to have blood...
Great phychological horror flick. So much scarier than any of the new horror movies being made today! Proves you don't have to have blood and guts flying eveywhere to be scary. Read more
Published 1 month ago by William R. Lane
5.0 out of 5 stars Works great!
DVD works great! Exactly as pictured. The movie itself is great too. Hopkins really shines in this film! Thank you!
Published 2 months ago by Laura
4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Movie
I can't really be critical about this movie because I like it. I was about 8 when it came out, so I didn't see it then, but its commercial certainly left an impression... Read more
Published 2 months ago by meistermojo
4.0 out of 5 stars classic
i got this for my dad. it is super creepy and worth a watch, but don't watch it in the dark.
Published 3 months ago by Harmony Lenz
5.0 out of 5 stars Anthony Hopkins, The Puppet (not the Puppeteer)
For the people that like horror movies, this movie has to be in their collection. We are talking of nail-biting suspense. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Rafael Torres
5.0 out of 5 stars haniball in school !
hopkins is an awesome actor! this is an early and very creepy portrayal. if you want to have nightmares !!!
Published 4 months ago by derek corson
3.0 out of 5 stars OK
it was an ok movie, nothing i want to watch again tho, i don't think it will ever be a classic
Published 5 months ago by James Richard Davis
4.0 out of 5 stars Psychological thriller!
This movie really scared me when it came out in theaters years ago. It is still pretty exciting and leaves you wondering if the guy is really crazy or his dummy is alive!
Published 5 months ago by Lynda S. Worthington
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Forums

Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions

Topic From this Discussion
Ending of Magic
Ann Margret was just imitating Fats as she walks toward the cabin. Her decision to leave with Corky has been made, and she is just feeling happy and playful, not knowing Corky's ultimate fate.
Dec 10, 2009 by Emiliano Feliberti |  See all 3 posts
This Was A Big Movie For Me
i think so too. bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! william goldman is so brilliant a writer. no one breaks the heart quite as deftly.
barry
Jan 7, 2011 by Joel, Holden |  See all 2 posts
Magic anthony hopkins Be the first to reply
This DVD is the real thing, NOT the edited version Be the first to reply
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 




Look for Similar Items by Category