The Magic Christian

Overview

An all-star British cast competes for attention in this tale of a wealthy eccentric (Peter Sellers) who proves to his newly adopted son (Ringo Starr) that people will sink to anything when money is involved. What follows is a series of hilarious episodes wherein John Cleese, John Lennon, Richard Attenborough, Raquel Welch, Yul Brynner, Roman Polanski and others make cameo appearances. The film also includes music by those Beatles prot?g?s, Badfinger.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/28/2013
UPC:	0887090066501
Original Release:	1969
Rating:	PG
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	15,845

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter Sellers	Sir Guy Grand
Ringo Starr	Youngman Grand
Raquel Welch	Priestess of the Whip
Laurence Harvey	Hamlet
Isabel Jeans	Agnes
Caroline Blakiston	Esther
Wilfrid Hyde-White	Ship's Captain
Terence Alexander	Mad Major,Mad Major
Peter Bayliss	Pompous Toff
Joan Benham	Socialite in Sotheby's
Patrick Cargill	Auctioneer
Graham Chapman	Oxford Stroke
John Cleese	Director in Sotheby's
Clive Dunn	Sommelier
Freddie Earlle	Sol
Fred Emney	Fitzgibbon
Kenneth Fortescue	Irate Snob in Sotheby's
Patrick Holt	Duke in Sotheby's
David Hutcheson	Lord Barry
Hattie Jacques	Ginger Horton
John Le Mesurier	Sir John
Jeremy Lloyd	Lord Hampton
David Lodge	Ship's Guide
Ferdy Mayne	Edouard,Edouard
Guy Middleton	Duke of Mantisbriar
Peter Myers	Lord Kilgallon
Dennis Price	Winthrop
Robert Raglan	Maltravers
Graham Stark	Waiter
Leon Thau	Engine Room Toff
Frank Thornton	Police Inspector
Edward Underdown	Prince Henry
Michael Trubshawe	Sir Lionel
Michael Aspel	TV Commentator
Michael Barrat	TV Commentator
Harry Carpenter	TV Commentator
W. Barrington Dalby	TV Commentator
John Snagge	TV Commentator
Alan Whicker	TV Commentator
Richard Attenborough	Oxford Coach
Leonard Frey	Ship's Psychiatrist
Christopher Lee	Dracula
Spike Milligan	Traffic Warden
Roman Polanski	Man Watching Cabaret
Tom Boyle	My Man Jeff
Victor Maddern	Hot Dog Vendor
Yul Brynner	Lady Singer
Caroline Brakiston	Hon. Esther Grand
John Lennon	Himself (Getting on Boat)
Sean Barry-Weske	John Lennon lookalike
Kimberly Chung	Yoko Ono lookalike
Peter Graves	Actor
Ken Thorne	Composer
Paul McCartney	Composer

Technical Credits

Joseph McGrath

Terry Southern

Peter Sellers

Graham Chapman

John Cleese

Joseph McGrath	Director,Screenwriter
Denis O'Dell	Producer
Anthony B. Unger	Executive Producer,Producer
Wally Veevers	Special Effects
Henry T. Weinstein	Executive Producer,Producer
Terry Southern	Screenwriter
Peter Sellers	Screenwriter
Graham Chapman	Screenwriter
John Cleese	Screenwriter
Brian Holland	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

A cult film and very much a product of its time, The Magic Christian is an oddity indeed. Those who "get it" relish every moment, taking special pleasure in the cynical world-view promoted herein and enjoying the sight of dozens of drab-suited British businessmen throwing themselves into a vat of blood and excrement in order to retrieve the money that is floating in the swill. They appreciate the oddball logic, the at times free-form feel of the proceedings, and bizarre sights, such as Laurence Harvey stripping while spouting Shakespeare or Raquel Welch wielding a whip. Others may miss the appeal of all this, or may find that it doesn't make up for the heavy-handed and overly obvious manner in which all this is presented; indeed, it's hard to argue with those who feel that Magic Christian makes its point within the first few minutes and simply keeps reiterating it without ever expanding or building upon it. Both camps, however, will likely agree that Peter Sellers helps to keep things lively and certainly knows just how to approach material of this sort, and that Ringo Starr is agreeably (and appropriately) vacuous. In 1969, Magic Christian certainly scored points for its irreverence, but most modern audiences will probably find it more valuable as a curiosity than as a movie.