The Magus

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mark h I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. I love the book in all its editions and Fowles' other works, but had only recently been able to access this movie. I was prepared for the worst and it is flawed - perhaps due to very closely following the book and trying to cram everything in from what is a big book into a movie format of 2 hours. The ending particularly seems to be a "time's up" type of call. Still, fascinating to see the book in cinematic form and also as an example of the 1960s shot in the 1960s. It pays to have read the book as otherwise the movie would be quiet confusing I think. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review dave s Based on the remarkable novel, The Magus may be the worst movie adaptation ever. Filled with incredibly annoying cryptic dialogue where virtually every character speaks in frustrating riddles, it's unbelievable that John Fowles, the author of the novel, came up with this screenplay. The actions of the characters are never motivated by any type of normal human behavior. While the intent of the film is presumably to be thought-provoking and entertaining, it is more likely to create anger than anything else. It seems odd to describe a film as aggravating, but this is quite possibly the most aggravating film ever made. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is worth seeing as an artifact of its time, but not on its own merits as a film. Michael Caine is too old for the role of Nicholas Urfe, and he gives a flat and disengaged performance. Anthony Quinn fares better as the mysterious Conchis. The novel is 600+ pages of intrigue and philosophy, and it's not going to translate to the screen without heavy editing. Unfortunately the screenplay chops up the plot to the point of incoherence. Some changes (like Australian Allison becoming French Anne) seem pointless. The best thing you can say for the direction is that the location is very pretty. The plot twists that are gasp-worthy in the novel are unfortunately baffling to unintentionally funny in the movie. I would love to see a modern remake of the Magus in the hands of David Fincher, or perhaps David Lynch. The Magus deserves better treatment than this film. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is pretty interesting and mysterious until you get to the horrible ending. I liked Caine in the movie, but that's about it. This movie is so-so. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Yes, Woody Allen famously stated if he had his life to do over again the only thing he would change is to not see this film. An understandable quip, but don't be entirely put off by it. It IS a quite poor adaptation of an amazing, mysterious and voluminous novel (which I could not put down once started). However, its uniqueness makes for difficult cinema, even with author Fowles crafting the screenplay. Michael Caine is the pawn; a teacher who runs away from Britain and his romantic commitment there (Karina) to take on a boarding school position in Greece (shot in Majorca locations). Quinn's the chessmaster, puppeteer, mystic/magician, who weaves Caine up into a set of logical impossibilities surrounding the presence of temptress Candice Bergen. Including the impossibility that Caine can see her standing at the foot of a cliff ... and atop it ... at the very same time. Every step Caine takes toward the solution ends up two steps further away - but ever closer to the center of the black widow's web within which Bergen awaits. Soon enough, both Caine and the viewer teeter on schizophrenic paranoia. Karina's as captivating as she was in "Pierrot le Fou" three years earlier, when she was still Godard's lover. RECOMMENDATION: Worth a viewing - for only for inquiring minds that never intend to take on the reading. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Woody Allen has called this the worst movie he's ever seen...while certainly not the worst i'VE ever seen, having read the book, and liked that a lot, and seeing the movie to remind me of aspects of the book, this has some incredibly flat performances. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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