Friday, July 11, 2008

Magic Documentaries

In the last year, a few documentary films have been released that examine the magic world. One is about the brotherhood of magicians, the other, about the sisterhood.

Women in Boxes, a film produced by Dante Larsen, a part of the legendary Larsen family (Magic Castle patrons will recognize the name), is the first to examine magic's better half. Aside from having a truly all-star cast including Gay Blackstone, Nani Darnell, and Luna Shimada (to name a few!), the film takes us into the world of the boxjumper - where getting sawed in half is a routine day at the office.

If you've seen this one, let us know how it is, and let me know where I can see it! View the trailer here.

The other film I wanted to mention here is Street of Cards, a documentary film about the Abbott's Magic Get-Together held each August in sleepy Colon, Michigan. This film takes us in depth behind what brings an eclectic group of people from all over the world to a town with no hotels, is difficult to get to, and has horse buggies roaming the streets.

AJ Olson, who produced the film, has set up a very nice website that includes a SOC-TV channel, where he broadcasts via the Internet from magic clubs in his native Las Vegas, and will be broadcasting interactively from both this year's Get-Together as well as the IBM-SAM combined convention.

Plus, the film has a brief scene of yours truly busking with Cups and Balls on a Colon sidewalk. It's worth watching just for that, right?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"women in boxes" mainly interviewed box jumpers from LA
and Vegas with the exception of
Moi Yo.

'horse buggies< roaming the streets.'

Teh Amish people and their vandalia onions.

I miss teh Amish peoples roaming the streets with their buggies.

1979 (i believe) 60 mins (CBS) did a feature about Abbott's. I am trying to obtain a copy for my
collection.

John Sturk said...

From my InBox:

"Though Dante participated in the film by virtue of his existence, the actual blood sweat and tears were accrued by co-dreictors, Harry Pallenberg, Phil Noyes and myself, Blaire Baron Larsen. I love Dante - he is my husband - but I don't want to incur the wrath of the two directors by not mentioning this fact.

As for your poster, YES it was filmed mostly in L.A. and Vegas because that is where the most legendary figures in magic live.
Kind regards,
Blaire Baron Larsen
WIB LLC"