Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012)

Ricky Jay is a world-renowned magician, author, historian and actor (often a mischievous presence in the films of David Mamet and Paul Thomas Anderson) -- and a performer who regularly ... See full summary »

Director:

Molly Bernstein

Stars:

Ricky Jay, Winston Simone, Dick Cavett

Cast

Credited cast:
Ricky Jay	...	Self
Winston Simone	...	Self - Ricky Jay's Manager
Dick Cavett	...	Self - Narrator (voice)
David Mamet	...	Self - Writer & Director
Persi Diaconis	...	Self - Professor of Statistics and Mathematics, Stanford University
Michael Weber	...	Self - Ricky Jay's Partner
Fred Neumann	...	Self - Deputy Sheriff, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office
Suzie Mackenzie	...	Self - Journalist, The Guardian
Chrisann Verges	...	Self - Ricky Jay's Wife
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roy Benson	...	Self - Magician (archive footage)
Francis Carlyle	...	Self - Magician (voice) (archive footage)
Hugh Fitzgerald	...	Hugh Fitzgerald
Al Flosso	...	Self - Magician (archive footage)
Al Hirschfeld	...	Self - Artist (archive footage)
Steve Martin	...	Self - Comedian (archive footage)

Storyline

Ricky Jay is a world-renowned magician, author, historian and actor (often a mischievous presence in the films of David Mamet and Paul Thomas Anderson) -- and a performer who regularly provokes astonishment from even the most jaded audiences. Deceptive Practice traces Jay's achievements and influences, from his apprenticeship at age 4 with his grandfather, to such now-forgotten legends as Al Flosso, Slydini, Cardini and his primary mentors, Dai Vernon and Charlie Miller. Featuring rare footage from his 1970s TV appearances (doing 3-card Monte with Steve Martin on The Dinah Shore Show) and told in Jay's inimitable voice, this is a remarkable journey inside the secretive world of magic and the small circle of eccentrics who are its perpetual devotees.

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Plot Keywords:

stage magician | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Quotes

Ricky Jay: Practice, to me, was never anything but pleasure. It's what I like doing. If I'm frazzled, the nicest thing to calm me down... is probably to put a deck of cards in my hand... and let me sit down for a few hours.

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Soundtracks

Learned Pigs
Performed by The David Grisman Quintet (as David Grisman Quintet)
Written by David Grisman
Published by Dawg Music, BMI
Usage Courtesy of Acoustic Disc

User Reviews

Misses the mark

I can see the director's problem here. Ricky Jay doesn't have much to say about his family, left home young, got a job bar tending which led to magic act bookings. Please exit at the rear of the theater. Not much to work with there so we get into the figures he grew up with. When he was young he hung out with his grandfather Max Katz (insert biography here, show vaudeville photos.) He introduced Ricky to Cardini (insert biography here, show vaudeville photos.) Then he hung out with these other two sleight of hand greats (insert biography...you get the idea.) I guess in the end we learn that Ricky Jay has an interesting talent but an entirely uninteresting life. The coverage of the other magicians is so overpowering that this can hardly be called a Ricky Jay biography. This may have played better if it were about all of these past talents with Ricky Jay as the host, rather than pretending he were the center of the film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,802, 21 April 2013

Gross USA:

$152,791

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$152,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kino Lorber

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color