The Magic Christian *** (1969, Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Isabel Jeans) – Classic Movie Review 9552

Director Joseph McGrath’s eccentric 1969 satirical comedy The Magic Christian stars Peter Sellers as a millionaire called Sir Guy Grand and Ringo Starr as the homeless boy Youngman, the son he adopts to be his heir, testing the price people set upon being rich or powerful.

The Magic Christian is uneven, but there are funny sequences and amusing guest roles for the likes of Richard Attenborough as Oxford coach, Yul Brynner (in drag as lady singer/ transvestite cabaret singer), Christopher Lee (as ship’s vampire/ Dracula), Laurence Harvey (as Hamlet) and a host of British comedy stalwarts, such as Spike Milligan as Traffic Warden 27, Graham Chapman as Oxford crew, John Cleese as director in Sotheby’s, Clive Dunn as sommelier, Fred Emney as Fitzgibbon, David Lodge as ship’s guide, John Le Mesurier as Sir John, and Graham Stark as waiter.

Raquel Welch appears as Slave Driver, aka Priestess of the Whip, one of the few women in this very male environment, along with Hattie Jacques as Ginger Horton, Isabel Jeans, who appears in her final film (her first was in 1917) as Dame Agnes Grand and Caroline Blakiston as the Hon Esther Grand.

It runs 94 minutes and the cut version runs as 88 minutes.

The screenplay is by Terry Southern and Joseph McGrath, based on the novel by Terry Southern, with additional material by Peter Sellers, Graham Chapman and John Cleese.

It is hard to be happy about Leonard Frey playing Laurence Faggot and it is surprising to find Roman Polanski playing Solitary Drinker.

‘Come and Get It’ is written by Paul McCartney and recorded by Badfinger.

The Magic Christian features Peter Sellers, Ringo Starr, Richard Attenborough, Laurence Harvey, Christopher Lee, Spike Milligan, Yul Brynner, Roman Polanski, Raquel Welch, Wilfrid Hyde White, Fred Emney, John le Mesurier, Dennis Price, Patrick Cargill, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Isabel Jeans, David Lodge, Jeremy Lloyd, Clive Dunn, Patrick Holt, Hattie Jacques, Graham Stark, Leon Thau, Frank Thornton, Edward Underdown, Ferdy Mayne, Michael Aspel, Leonard Frey, Victor Maddern, Terence Alexander and Caroline Blakiston.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9552

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