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Black Magic (1949) More at IMDbPro »


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Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   189 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for Black Magic on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
19 August 1949 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The biggest picture in ten years! The greatest cavalcade of intrigue, spectacle, adventure and excitement you'll ever see on the screen
Plot:
Hypnotist uses his powers for revenge against King Louis XV's court. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Under-rated gem! more (11 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Orson Welles ... Joseph Balsamo aka Count Cagliostro
Nancy Guild ... Marie Antoinette / Lorenza
Akim Tamiroff ... Gitano
Frank Latimore ... Gilbert de Rezel
Valentina Cortese ... Zoraida
Margot Grahame ... Mme. du Barry
Stephen Bekassy ... Viscount de Montagne
Berry Kroeger ... Alexandre Dumas, Sr.
Gregory Gaye ... Chambord / Monk (as Gregory Gay)
Raymond Burr ... Alexandre Dumas, Jr.
Charles Goldner ... Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer
Lee Kresel ... King Louis XVI / Innkeeper
Robert Atkins ... King Louis XV
Nicholas Bruce ... De Remy
Franco Corsaro ... Chico
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Cagliostro (Italy)
Gli spadaccini della serenissima (Italy) (alternative title)
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Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #13230) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Italian censorship visa # 5644 dated 20 April 1949. more
Goofs:
Continuity: Early in the film the guards whip Joseph, they then attempt to burn his eyes out. The iron is heated by a character out of uniform who passes it to a soldier. We see the scene from the back and the soldier moves the iron towards the child's eyes, a cut to the front has the non uniformed character moving the iron towards the child's eyes, a cut back shows the iron back in the hands of the uniformed soldier. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in D.O.A. (1950) more

FAQ

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
Under-rated gem!, 28 March 2004
Author: thrillerclub from San Francisco

Orson Welles is mesmerizing and perfectly suited to the role of

Count Cagliostro. He has waited silently for over 20 years secretly

planning revenge on the ruling class he holds responsible for the

drunken public execution of his Mother he witnessed as a boy.

Is Cagliostro an ambitious Gypsy charlatan or a demonic master

of the black arts? There are several entertaining scenes where

Cagliostro gains the upper hand over odds stacked against him

such as the "choking rope" switcheroo in the jail, and the "your

legs are like wax" turnabout. Yet similarly to SVENGALI (John

Barrymore) he will not be able to exert this will power forever over

everyone. Welles seems to be thoroughly enjoying himself throughout. in

BLACK MAGIC has threads in common with "The Prisoner in the

Mirror" Boris Karloff presents THRILLER teleplay, an updating of

the magician known as Cagliostro. The real mystery is why such an enjoyable movie was dismissed

as something of little importance. It's my favorite off-beat Welles

film. Welles co-directed, though was uncredited.

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