The world's richest man and his adopted hobo son set out to test the limits of human vanity and greed through a series of "money games".The world's richest man and his adopted hobo son set out to test the limits of human vanity and greed through a series of "money games".The world's richest man and his adopted hobo son set out to test the limits of human vanity and greed through a series of "money games".
- Captain Reginald K. Klaus
- (as Wilfrid Hyde White)
Featured reviews
The idea is that Sellers has to have someone not just to leave his money to, but someone to impart his accumulated wisdom of the years which is boiled up into one single thought; that EVERYBODY has his price.
The rest of the film is a Monty Pythonesque group of skits in which Sellers tries to prove just that to Starr. They range from Laurence Harvey doing a striptease while doing Hamlet's soliloquy to a beat cop eating a parking ticket for 500 pounds. The title The Magic Christian refers to a Titanic like cruise ship that only caters to the upper crust. Sellers and Starr integrate that ship's maiden voyage in a most interesting fashion.
That the film is like Monty Python is no accident with Graham Chapman and John Cleese doing the writing. Ringo's former Beatle companero, Paul McCartney wrote The Magic Christian theme, Come and Get It which sums up the philosophy of the film.
After almost 40 years, The Magic Christian is acidly funny, but a still unsettling.
The film is a tale of how people can be bought with some interesting performances and perhaps something of a experimental film in many ways.
Ringo is his typical self and Peter Sellers pretty much steals the screen most of the time drawing us into his performance.
The film was based on the original novel by Terry Southern and I just about remember the film coming out back then with Ringo chatting about the public thinking he was 'a mop-top' which struck me as funny back then.
Much location filming for this movie which also included Chobham Common amongst other locations.
This is now on Blu-Ray and is a superb scan from a good 35mm film print and worth having a look at just to see the host of great old star names.
The film is simply a series of vigniettes centering around Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers), and his adopted son, Youngman (Ringo Starr), who goes about "making things hot for people," by using his vast wealth to perpetrate elaborate practical jokes largely aimed at seeing how many of their principles people will give up for money.
The movie is very silly, fragmented, and horribly dated. > Now that you have heard the case against, I have to say that this is one of my favorite movies of all time. The movie destroys or humiliates all social icons, from the police, to "the old school," to the snobbish upper class, to the art world. Its great to see, and once you make up your mind that the movie is just a series of sketches, its funny, and immensely satisfying, albeit somewhat vicious.
Look for cameos by Yul Brynner (in drag), Spike Milligan (Sellers' partner in "The Goon Show"), John Lennon and Yoko Ono, among many others.
Other notes: The novel, "The Magic Christian" was banned for a time, because it was viewed as obscene. Peter Sellers loved this book, and after he read it, he sent copies of it to all of his friends. It might say something about his tragic and depressed personality, that he found this book, with its many vicious stabs against society, so appealing.
buckbucknumber1
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter watching rushes from the first day of filming, Peter Sellers leapt to his feet and said "Thank God we caught it in time!" He felt his performance was so bad that the movie should be cancelled. He was eventually persuaded to continue.
- GoofsWhen the flock of birds flies into the air at the grouse shoot, the hand of the person releasing them is visible at the bottom of the screen.
- Quotes
Youngman Grand, Esq.: Dad, do you think words corrupt?
Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE: I don't know, let's try. Agnes?
Dame Agnes Grand: [looks up from the television] Yes?
Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE: Nipple.
Dame Agnes Grand: Shh!
[turns back to the television]
Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE: [watches her a moment] Well, there's no immediate physical change.
- Alternate versionsAlso released in shortened (75 min. and 88 min.) versions.
- ConnectionsFeatured in One Pair of Eyes: Marty Feldman: No, But Seriously... (1969)
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $689,100
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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