Orson Welles stars in this 1949 gothic drama, based on the novel Joseph Balsamo by Alexander Dumas, as an 18th-century hypnotist and charlatan who takes his talents as a magician and mesmerist into French high society. He calls himself Count Cagliostro but in reality, he's an orphan left to die by a brutal aristocrat and adopted by a traveling gypsy clan, where he develops into a carnival showman and learns the art of mesmerism.
Armed with hypnotic powers and helped by his Gypsy partners (Akim Tamiroff and Valentina Cortese), he takes his act out of the villages and into the European capitals to fleece the rich and powerful, and finally masterminds a charade involving a Marie Antoinette lookalike (Nancy Guild) and the throne of France. This occurs all while plotting vengeance against the aristocrat who murdered his parents in front of his eyes.
It's produced and directed by Gregory Ratoff and shot on location in Italy, which gave him access to magnificent views, historical sites, palazzos, and lavish costumes and props—lending Black Magic an impressive scope on a relatively low budget. Welles all but hijacked the film from Ratoff once he arrived in Italy, shaping his scenes with a theatrical flourish and stylistic flair.
Welles' simmering obsession makes him riveting throughout and it's hard not to root for his scheme when his target is the corrupt aristocracy of France in a world on the verge of revolution. Cagliostro is another of the ambitious men corrupted by power that Welles so loved to explore, a man whose ambition turns into megalomania.
The finished film is an odd hybrid of the swashbuckler that Ratoff intended and the dynamic commentary on power, politics, and showmanship that Welles envisioned. The shadowy style and sensibility are as much Welles as Ratoff, who had the final say on the shape of Black Magic in his editing. Welles remembered the film to Peter Bogdanovich as "a riotous experience, the funniest, most amusing time I've ever had in the movies." And if it falls short of the brilliance of Welles' best work, it is terribly entertaining, a lively costume adventure with stabs of social commentary and Wellesian imagery.
ClassicFlix remasters Black Magic for DVD and its Blu-ray debut. While not a full-scale restoration, it is beautifully mastered from excellent source materials and by far the best home video release to date. No supplements beyond a trailer gallery. Recommended for classic film collections and as a unique addition to Orson Welles film programming.
You can read more about this Orson Welles' masterpiece and purchase a Blu-ray or DVD copy at the Classic Flix Website here https://www.classicflix.com/products/copy-of-black-magic or from your favorite home video distributor.
Visit Classic Flix on YouTube to watch trailers and scenes from other exciting classic films and TV restorations.
Black Magic makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of a wonderful new HD restoration... Truly, Black Magic may not have looked this good when prints were first struck in 1949." - Heath Holland, Cereal at Midnight
Black Magic makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to ClassicFlix with a 1080p master from a restoration that is quite wonderful." - Dillon Gonzales, Geek Vibes Nation
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