Magic *** (1978, Anthony Hopkins, Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ed Lauter) – Classic Movie Review 5759

Producer-director Richard Attenborough’s 1978 fantasy horror thriller revamps the old chestnut story about the dummy murderously taking over the ventriloquist, an idea already definitively handled previously in Dead of Night (1945).

Even with a screenplay by the great writing magician William Goldman, adapting his own novel, and with conscientious work by Attenborough and his team, it still ends up as a daft potboiler.

However, on its side there is an extremely creepy, stylish performance from Anthony Hopkins, and director Attenborough effectively whips up an eerie atmosphere of evil and keeps the movie on track.

It is likeable enough but there is not much magic, though. Although Goldman adapts his own novel, it is not his finest hour – and not Attenborough’s either. There is not really enough plot to fill the 107 minutes, but what there is has magician’s assistant Corky Withers (Hopkins) given a ventriloquist dummy called Fats, a vicious little thing who helps him to improve his act as a ventriloquist and make him famous, but develops a mind of his own to control his master.

Burgess Meredith plays Corky’s agent Ben Greene, who discovers his client’s psychosis. Ann-Margret plays Corky’s old flame, his high school sweetheart Peggy Ann Snow, now married to Duke (Ed Lauter). Corky seeks to rekindle his flame with Peggy Ann.

Also in the cast are E J André, David Ogden Stiers, Lillian Randolph and Jerry Houser.

It is Hopkins’s third consecutive film with Attenborough after Young Winston (1972) and A Bridge Too Far (1977).

RIP Richard Attenborough (1923–2014).

RIP Burgess Meredith (1907–1997).

RIP Ed Lauter (1938–2013).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5759

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