Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay

Late in filmmakers Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein's documentary profile, magician-cardsharp/actor/author Ricky Jay is described as an intensely private fellow with some shady associations and strict boundaries about his personal life (especially concerning his deliberate estrangement from his New Jersey family when he was still underaged). So, his opening up here is something of a revelation (assuming one can trust what one hears and sees), although at least half of this film is devoted to the great magicians and legerdemain masters of yesteryear, very few of whom rose to household-name status outside of the subculture of illusionists. Appearing in wonderful archival footage or from Jay's personal reminiscences (he has been a magician since a child) are the Magic Castle clubhouse in Hollywood, and vaudeville legends such as Cardini ("probably the greatest act I ever saw in my life"), Slydini, the tragic Francis Carlyle, the sphinx-like Charlie Miller, the comical Al Flosso, the dapper Canadian Dai Vernon, and other sleight-of-hand artists who are likely unfamiliar to casual viewers (more recognizable, in repeat TV appearances with Jay, is a young Steve Martin). Also interviewed is playwright-filmmaker David Mamet, who teamed up with Jay for cinematic and stage projects that mated drama with deception. Jay himself is shown here performing at the Old Vic in London, although no tricks are explained (that would be a "desecration," explains Mamet). An absorbing and entertaining look at Jay and other great magicians, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)