The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian's movie poster
Directed by	Joseph McGrath
Produced by	Denis O'Dell
Written by	Terry Southern Joseph McGrath Graham Chapman John Cleese Peter Sellers
Starring	Peter Sellers Ringo Starr
Music by	Ken Thorne Paul McCartney Noel Coward
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth
Editing by	Kevin Connor
Distributed by	Commonwealth United
Release date(s)	1969 February 12, 1970
Running time	film 92 min. Joseph McGrath can refer to Joseph McGrath (politician (1887-1966 Irish politician Joseph McGrath (film director (born 1930 Scottish Terry Southern ( May 1, 1924 &ndash October 29, 1995) was a highly influential American short story writer novelist essayist screenwriter Joseph McGrath can refer to Joseph McGrath (politician (1887-1966 Irish politician Joseph McGrath (film director (born 1930 Scottish Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, commonly known as Peter Sellers ( 8 September 1925 &ndash 24 July 1980) was a British Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, commonly known as Peter Sellers ( 8 September 1925 &ndash 24 July 1980) was a British Ringo Starr, MBE (born Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940 is an English Musician, Singer, Songwriter and Actor Kenneth Thorne (born January 26, 1924) is an Academy Award -winning British-American television and Film score Composer. Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright Geoffrey Unsworth OBE, BSC (1914 Leigh Greater Manchester - October 28 1978, Britanny) was a British Cinematographer Kevin Connor may refer to Kevin Connor (director (born 1937 film and TV director Kevin Connor (artist (born 1932 Australian The year 1969 in film involved some significant events Events Cannes Film Festival opens but closes in support Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the The year 1970 in film involved some significant events Events February 11 - The film The Magic Christian video & DVD 101 min.
Country	U.K.
Language	English
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IMDb profile

The Magic Christian is a 1969 film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr. Joseph 'Apocalypse' McGrath (born 1930 Glasgow) sometimes referred to as "'Apocalypse'" Joe McGrath or Croisette Meubles, is a Scottish Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, commonly known as Peter Sellers ( 8 September 1925 &ndash 24 July 1980) was a British Ringo Starr, MBE (born Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940 is an English Musician, Singer, Songwriter and Actor It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel by U.S. author Terry Southern. A comic novel is a work of fiction in which the writer seeks to amuse the reader sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative sometimes above all other The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Terry Southern ( May 1, 1924 &ndash October 29, 1995) was a highly influential American short story writer novelist essayist screenwriter

Overview

McGrath's film adaptation differs considerably in content from Southern's novel. Relocated to London in the 1960s, it introduces an orphan whom Sir Guy Grand picks up in a park and on a whim decides to adopt. An orphan (from the Greek ὀρφανός) is a child whose natural parents are absent or dead and who are not there to bring him up The role was written with Ringo Starr (who plays it) in mind. Ringo Starr, MBE (born Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940 is an English Musician, Singer, Songwriter and Actor The movie is often remembered for its song "Come And Get It" written and produced by Paul McCartney and performed by Badfinger, a British rock band promoted by Apple Records. " Come And Get It " was the name of a song composed by Paul McCartney for the film The Magic Christian, and made popular by the group Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Badfinger was a Rock band formed in Swansea Wales in the early 1960s and was one of the earliest representatives of the Power pop genre A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. The lyrics refer to Grand's schemes of bribing people to act according to his whims ('If you want it, here it is, come and get it'). Thunderclap Newman’s Something in the Air is also dominant in the film's soundtrack. Thunderclap Newman was a late 1960s One-hit wonder band from the UK. British actor and dancer Lionel Blair was responsible for the film's choreography. Lionel Blair (born Henry Lionel Blair Ogus on 12 December, 1931 in Montreal, Canada) is a British Actor, A host of British and American actors (see cast) have brief roles in the movie, many playing against type. Episodic in character, The Magic Christian is an unrelenting and often heavy-handed satire on capitalism, greed, and human vanities. Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Greed is the Selfish desire for or pursuit of Money, Wealth, power, Food, or other Possessions, especially when this denies Notable are the appearances of (pre-Monty Python) John Cleese and Graham Chapman (uncredited), who had written an earlier version of the film script, of which only the scenes they appear in survived. Monty Python (sometimes known as The Pythons) is the collective name of the six creators of Monty Python's Flying Circus, a British Television John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the

Plot

Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers) an eccentric billionaire, together with his newly adopted heir (formerly a homeless derelict), Youngman Grand (Ringo Starr), start playing elaborate practical jokes on people. Richard Henry Sellers, CBE, commonly known as Peter Sellers ( 8 September 1925 &ndash 24 July 1980) was a British Ringo Starr, MBE (born Richard Starkey on 7 July 1940 is an English Musician, Singer, Songwriter and Actor A practical joke or prank is a stunt or trick to purposely make someone feel foolish or victimized usually for humor A big spender, Grand doesn't mind handing out large sums of money to various people, bribing them to fulfill his whims, or shocking them by bringing down what they hold dear. Their misadventures are designed as a display of father Grand to his adoptive charge that "everyone has their price" - it just depends on the amount one is prepared to pay. They start from rather minor spoofs, like bribing a traffic warden (Spike Milligan) to take back a parking ticket and eat it (who delighted from the large bribe, eats its plastic cover too) and proceed with increasingly elaborate stunts involving higher social strata and wider audiences. Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE ( 16 April, 1918 &ndash 27 February 2002) known as Spike Milligan, was an Anglo As a father-son conversation reveals, Grand sees his plots as "educational" ("Well, you know, Youngman, sometimes it's not enough merely to teach. One has to punish as well. ").

At Sotheby's art auction house, it is proudly claimed that an original Rembrandt portrait might fetch £10,000, yet to director Mr. Dougdale's (John Cleese) astonishment, Grand makes a final offer of £30,000 for it ('Thirty - thousand - pounds? Shit! I beg your pardon, I do beg your pardon!') and having bought it, proceeds, in front of a deeply shocked Dougdale, to cut with his scissors the portrait's nose from the canvas. John Marwood Cleese (ˈkliːz born 27 October, 1939) is a British Actor, Comedian, Writer, Film producer In a classy restaurant he makes a loud show of wild gluttony, Grand being the restaurant's most prominent customer. In the annual Boat Race sports event, he bribes the Oxford team (where Graham Chapman plays a member of the rowing team) and makes them ram purposely the Cambridge boat, to win a screamingly unjust victory. Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the In a traditional pheasant hunt he uses an anti-aircraft gun to down the bird.

Grand and Youngman eventually buy tickets for the luxury liner S. S. Magic Christian, along with the richest strata of society. In the beginning everything appears normal and the ship apparently sets off. Yet soon, things start going wrong. A solitary drinker at the bar (Roman Polanski) is approached by a transvestite cabaret singer (Yul Brynner), Dracula (Christopher Lee) poses as a waiter, a cinema show turns out to feature the unfortunately unsuccessful transplant of an African-American's head onto a white body. Yul Brynner (July 11 1920 – October 10 1985 was a Russian born Actor of stage and film, perhaps best known for his portrayal of the Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE, CStJ (born 27 May 1922 is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Saturn Award-winning English Actor Eventually passengers start noticing through the ship's CCTV that their Captain (Wilfrid Hyde-White) is in a drunken stupor and finally gets carted off by a gorilla. Closed-circuit television ( CCTV) is the use of Video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place limited set of monitors Wilfrid Hyde-White ( 12 May, 1903 – 6 May, 1991) was an English Character actor. In a crescendo of panic the guests try to find their way to abandon ship. A group of them, led by the Grands, reach instead the machine-room, which turns out to be powered by hordes of topless rowing slaves, under the Priestess of the Whip's (Raquel Welch) command. Raquel Welch (born September 5 1940 is a Golden Globe -winning American actor who achieved fame as a Hollywood sex symbol during the 1960s As passengers finally find an exit and lords and ladies stumble out in the daylight, we discover that the supposed ship was, in fact, a structure built inside a warehouse, and the passengers had never left London. During the whole misadventure, father and son Grand look perfectly composed and cool.

Towards the end of the film, Guy Grand fills up a huge vat with urine, blood and animal excrement and adds to it thousands of bank notes. Attracting a crowd of onlookers by announcing "Free money!", Grand successfully entices the city workers to recover the cash. The sequence concludes with many members of the crowd submerging themselves, in order to retrieve money that had sunk beneath the surface.

The film ends with Grand and Youngman, having returned to the park where the film opened, bribing the park warden to allow them to sleep there, stating that this was a more direct method of achieving their (mostly unstated) ends.

Reception

Most mainstream critics have been quite negative on the film, especially for its extensive use of black humour. Darrel Baxton, in his review for Splitting Image, refers to the film as of "the school of savage sub-Bunuelian satire"[1]. Christopher Null in filmcritic. com states that "it's way too over-the-top to make any profound statement"[2]. In his groundbreaking study of the treatment of homosexuality in films The Celluloid Closet, author Vito Russo notes (on page 184) that "Yul Brynner in drag sings Noel Coward's 'Mad About the Boy' while the 'fag' jokes fly in a viciously homophobic film". The Celluloid Closet ( 1995) is a Documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Vito Russo (b 1946 New York City - 7 November, 1990, New York City was an American Gay activist, Film historian Sir Noël Peirce Coward ( 16 December 1899 26 March 1973) was an English Actor, Playwright " Mad About the Boy " is a Popular song with words and music by Noël Coward.

Cast

Trivia

• In with the style of the movie - and only shown by a close reading of the credits - is the casting of a lookalike pair to John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Christopher Frank Carandini Lee CBE, CStJ (born 27 May 1922 is a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Saturn Award-winning English Actor Raquel Welch (born September 5 1940 is a Golden Globe -winning American actor who achieved fame as a Hollywood sex symbol during the 1960s Victor Jack Maddern ( 16 March 1928 &mdash 22 June 1993 Hackney, Greater London) was an English actor Terence J Alexander (born 11 March 1923) is an English film and television Actor. Clive Robert Dunn OBE (born 9 Fred Emney ( February 12, 1900 - December 25, 1980) was an English character Actor and Comedian. Josephine Edwina Jaques ( 7 February 1922 &ndash 6 October 1980) was a well-known English Comedy actress Edward Underdown ( 3 December 1908 &ndash 15 December 1989) was an English actor Jeremy Lloyd (born Danbury Essex, England, 31 July 1932) is an English Actor and Scriptwriter, best known California's 15th congressional district covers part of Santa Clara County. Roland Culver OBE ( August 31 1900, Highgate, London, England &ndash March 1 1984 Henley-on-Thames David Lodge is the name of David Lodge (actor (1921–2003 a British character actor David Lodge (voice actor Peter Graves (born March 18 1926)is an American film and television Actor. Frank Thornton (born Frank Thornton Ball on 15 January 1921) is an English Actor who is best known for playing Captain Peacock Michael Terence Aspel OBE (born 12 January 1933) is an English Journalist and Television presenter. Michael Barratt (born January 3, 1928 in Leeds, Yorkshire) is an English television presenter and announcer Harry Carpenter (b 17 October, 1925 in London) was a BBC sports Commentator from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994 John Derrick Mordaunt Snagge OBE ( 8 May[[ 904]] &ndash 25 March[[ 996]] was a long-time British newsreader and Commentator Alan Donald Whicker CBE (born 2 August 1921 or 1925 Cairo, Egypt) is a British Journalist and broadcaster. Kenneth Connor, MBE ( 6 June, 1916 &ndash 28 November, 1993) was an English comedy stage radio film and TV actor best Graham Arthur Chapman (8 January 1941 &ndash 4 October 1989 was an English Comedian, Actor, Writer, Physician and one of the Yul Brynner (July 11 1920 – October 10 1985 was a Russian born Actor of stage and film, perhaps best known for his portrayal of the George Cooper may refer to George Cooper (cricket umpire (1907&ndash1980 Australian cricket Test match umpire George Cooper (Tortallan character John Le Mesurier (born John Charles Elton Le Mesurier De Somerys Halliley; 5 April 1912 &ndash 15 November 1983 was a BAFTA Award-winning English actor Guy Middleton Powell 14 December 1907 &ndash 30 July 1973) was an English film character actor. Edward Sinclair (1914– 29 August 1977) was an English actor most famous for his role as the Verger Maurice Yeatman in John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born born in Tokyo on February 18 1933 is a Japanese Artist and Musician. The "Lennon", with long hair, beard and specs, then serves to distract the viewer's attention from Lennon himself, in short wig, false nose and no specs, playing a member of a hunting party. Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade.

• In the posters for Chevy Chase's 1985 movie Fletch, Chase's character shows a fake ID of himself as an afro-wearing basketball player, named "Magic Christian". Cornelius Crane “Chevy” Chase (born October 8 1943 is an American Emmy Award-winning Comedian, Writer, and television and film Fletch is a 1985 Comedy film about a wisecracking investigative newspaper reporter Irwin M Identity document forgery is the process by which Identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m

• The scene towards the end of the film, involving the vat containing urine and excrement, was filmed on London's South Bank on a stretch of wasteground on which The National Theatre was later built. The South Bank is the area in London on the southern bank of the River Thames near Waterloo station that houses a number of important The Royal National Theatre, located on the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, England.

• The episode of The Simpsons entitled "Homer vs. Dignity" follows the movie's plot line to a point. " Homer vs Dignity " is the fifth episode of the twelfth season of The Simpsons.

External links

• The Magic Christian at the Internet Movie Database
• The Magic Christian at Allmovie
• The Magic Christian in RottenTomatoes.com (Synopsis & Notes)
• Film review in TheSpinningImage.co.uk