Magic Christian (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Magic Christian |
| Original title | The Magic Christian |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1969 |
| length | 92-95 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 nf |
| Rod | |
| Director | Joseph McGrath |
| script |
Terry Southern Joseph McGrath Peter Sellers Graham Chapman John Cleese |
| production | Denis O'Dell |
| music | Ken Thorne |
| camera | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| cut | Kevin Connor |
| occupation | |
| |
Magic Christian (Original title: The Magic Christian ) is a British comedy film from 1969 directed by Joseph McGrath . The main roles are cast by Peter Sellers , who also wrote the script, and Ringo Starr .
The film is based on Terry Southern's novel The Magic Christian , published in New York in 1960.
action
Sir Guy Grand, an eccentric par excellence, takes the homeless young man into his home and makes him the heir of his outrageously huge fortune through adoption. He enjoys introducing the young man to the intricacies of his family business and showing him how greed changes people and how much the view of someone changes when they are believed to be rich. Sir Guy leaves nothing out, for example he goes hunting grouse with a machine gun, a tank and a flamethrower. During a visit to the theater, the audience is shocked when the actor in Hamlet, who was bought by Sir Guy with money, performs a striptease. At an exclusive diner in a club, Sir Guy disgusts money by stuffing it in his mouth like food and smearing it on his face. The eccentric captivates two heavyweight boxers in a world championship match that they kiss instead of boxing. Next, Sir Guy bids on a scrap painting during an auction at Sotheby's, animating an American couple who believes it is worth to outbid him.
As the high point of the season, Sir Guy is planning a cruise on the luxury liner “The Magic Christian”. This trip becomes more than chaotic, however, as men like Dracula , King Kong and similar figures appear on deck and frighten the passengers. The billionaire does not miss out on a simulated ship disaster. Convinced that the ship is going to sink, the passengers storm upstairs and find that it has not cast off at all. And Sir Guy Youngman wants to provide one final proof of his theory of man for sale. Urine, feces and blood are mixed in a huge tub and he empties a suitcase full of money into this feces - and people actually begin to dive into this disgusting mixture afterwards. Sir Guy and Youngman turn away in horror and leave the park, where they first met.
Production notes and background
Many of the recordings were made in central London and on the outskirts. It was also filmed around the Westminster School . It is a Grand Films production. In addition to Ken Thorne, Paul McCartney , John Keene and Noël Coward also composed music for the film. McCartney also wrote and produced the theme song Come and Get It for the Badfinger group . John Cleese and Graham Chapman, who were involved in the script, were or are members of the British comedian group Monty Python . Another sketch the duo wrote for the film was turned down by Peter Sellers. Assheton Gorton designed the film structures.
In the United Kingdom the film was released on December 12, 1969, in the United States it was shown on February 11, 1970 in New York. It was first seen in the Federal Republic of Germany on September 4, 1970.
- DVD
The film was released on DVD by Universal Pictures on May 22, 2006.
criticism
The lexicon of international film was of the opinion that this was a film about "the power of money and the unconsciousness with which it is taken and spent". “Criticism, slapstick and humor” would make this “bizarre pop fairy tale quite entertaining”.
Roger Greenspun of the New York Times said the film was funny, uncomfortable, and lacking a trace of benevolence, and that the individual episodes varied greatly in terms of quality.
The Protestant film observer drew the following conclusion: “Only in individual scenes was a successful satire on the power of money and British idiosyncrasies. All in all too confused and partly contestable due to the main figure and her motives. "
Web links
- Magic Christian in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Magic Christian at rottentomatoes.com
Individual evidence
- ^ The Magic Christian DVD
- ^ Magic Christian. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ^ Roger Greenspun: The Magic Christian In: The New York Times, February 12, 1970 (English). Retrieved August 21, 2015.
- ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 379/1970
