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The Magic Christian (1969)
Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1969
Running Times: 88 mins 75 mins
95 mins
Format: Technicolor 35mm
Ratio:
Sound:
CREDITS
PRODUCTION
Production Company: Commonwealth United Entertainment presents a Grand
Film
Executive Producers: Henry T. Weinstein, Anthony B. Unger
Producer: Denis O'Dell
Production Manager: Victor Peck
SCRIPT
Script: Terry Southern, Joseph McGrath
Additional Material: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Peter Sellers
Novel: Terry Southern
DIRECTION
Director: Joseph McGrath
Assistant Director: Roger Simons
PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Camera Operator: Peter Macdonald
EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Kevin Connor
MUSIC
Music: Ken Thorne
Songs: Paul McCartney (Come And Get It); Tom and Peter (Carry On Tomorrow);
Tom, Pete and Mike (Rock of all Ages); John Keene (Something in the
Air); Noel Coward (Mad About the Boy)
Songs Performed By: Badfinger (Come and Get It; Carry On Tomorrow;
Rock of all Ages); Thunderclap Newman (Something in the Air)
Songs Produced By: Peter Townshend (Something in the Air)
SOUND
Sound Mixer: Peter Sutton
Dubbing Mixer: Gerry Humphreys
Sound Editor: Brian Holland
MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Harry Frampton
Hair: Joyce James
Costume Designer: Vangie Harrison
VISUAL EFFECTS
Visual Special Effects: Wally Veevers
DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Assheton Gorton
Art Director: George Djurkovic
Set Dresser: Peta Button
Property Master: Alfred Pegley
MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Maggie Unsworth
Choreographer: Lionel Blair
LOCATIONS
Locations: London, England, UK; Middlesex, England, UK
Location Manager: David Griffith
CASTING
Casting Director: John Merrick
CAST
Peter Sellers (Sir Guy Grand KG, KC, CBE)
Ringo Starr (Youngman Grand ESQ.)
Isabel Jeans (Dame Agnes Grand)
Caroline Blakiston (Hon. Esther Grand)
Wilfrid Hyde-White (Captain Reginald K. Klaus)
Richard Attenborough
(Oxford Coach)
Leonard Frey (Laurence Faggot)
Laurence Harvey (Hamlet)
Christopher Lee
(ship's vampire)
Spike Milligan (traffic warden 27)
Roman Polanski (solitary drinker)
Raquel Welch (Priestess of the Whip)
Tom Boyle (My Man Jeff)
Victor Maddern (hot dog vendor)
Terence Alexander (mad Major)
Peter Bayliss (pompous toff)
Joan Benham (socialite in Sotheby's)
Patrick Cargill (auctioneer at Sotheby's)
John Cleese (Mr Dougdale)
Clive Dunn (Sommelier)
Fred Emney (Fitzgibbon)
Kenneth Fortescue (snob in Sotheby's)
Patrick Holt (Duke in Sotheby's)
David Hutcheson (Lord Barry)
Hattie Jacques (Ginger Horton)
Jeremy Lloyd (Lord Hampton)
David Lodge (ship's guide)
Ferdy Mayne (Edouard of Chez Edouard restaurant)
Dennis Price (Winthrop)
Robert Raglan (Maltravers)
Graham Stark (waiter at Chez Edouard restaurant)
Michael Aspel, Michael Barratt, Harry Carpenter, W. Barrington Dalby,
John Snagge, Alan Whicker (TV commentators)
Roland Culver (Sir Herbert)
Freddie Earlle (Sol)
Peter Graves (Lord at ship's bar)
John Le Mesurier (Sir John)
Peter Myers (Lord Kilgallon)
Leon Thau (Engine Room Toff)
Frank Thornton (Police Inspector)
Michael Trubshawe (Sir Lionel)
Edward Underdown (Prince Henry)
Sean Barry-Weske (John Lennon lookalike (uncredited))
Yul Brynner (transvestite cabaret singer (uncredited))
Graham Chapman (Oxford crew (uncredited))
Kimberley Chung (Yoko Ono lookalike (uncredited))
Guy Middleton (Duke of Mantisbriar (uncredited))
Roman Polanski
(solitary drinker (uncredited))
PLOT SUMMARY
Homeless layabout Youngman is adopted by the immensely wealthy Sir
Guy Grand who plans to make him heir to his vast fortune. Together,
they expand Grand's already impressive business empire and prepare for
the social event of the season, the maiden voyage of the cruise ship
The Magic Christian, which comes complete with its own vampire...
CAPSULE REVIEW
One of the long run of box office flops Sellers had in the late sixties,
this now stands up really well. With Monty Python yet
to happen, John Cleese appears in one of segments. Perhaps the public
weren't ready for dark, surreal comedy on human greed and selfishness.
Beatle Ringo's character didn't appear in the original novel. Lee
guests briefly in his Dracula cape attacking a victim.
AVAILABILITY
USA
Theatrical Distributor: Commonwealth United Entertaiment
Video Distributor: Republic Pictures Corporation
Laserdisc Distributor: Republic Pictures Corporation
CENSORSHIP HISTORY
USA
Rating: PG
TIMELINE
1969
December
12: UK - theatrical release
1970
September
4: West Germany - theatrical release
1979
September
30: UK - television broadcast (on BBC)
2005
August
29: UK - television broadcast (on BBC2 as part of the Paul Merton's
Perfect Night In themed night)
LINKS
SEE ALSO
Ben-Hur (1959)
Dracula (1958)
REFERENCES
MAGAZINES
The Dark Side no.73 (June/July 1998)
p.25 (UK)
review
Films and Filming vol.16 no.4 (January
1970) p.43 (UK)
review
Films in Review vol.40 no.8/9 (August
/ September 1989) pp.405-413 (USA)
article
Hollywood Reporter vol.205 no.10 (14
March 1969) p.12 (USA)
credits
Kine Weekly no.3203 (1 March 1969) p.16
(UK)
article
Kine Weekly no.3244 (13 December 1969)
p.8 (UK)
review
Monthly Film Bulletin vol.37 no.433 (February
1970) pp.27-28 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review
Studies in Popular Culture vol.15 no.1
(1992) (USA)
article (The Southern Journey: Candy and The Magic Christian as Cinematic
Picaresques by Robert Dassanowsky)
Today's Cinema no.9643 (3 March 1969)
p.8 (UK)
credits
Today's Cinema no.9761 (12 December 1969)
p.4 (UK)
review
Variety 17 December 1969 pp.24, 26 (USA)
credits, review
BOOKS
The Illustrated Vampire Guide p.53
credits, review
Monty Python Encyclopedia pp.105-107
credits, synopsis, review (by Robert Ross)
OTHER SOURCES
screen
credits
KEYWORDS
book into film, businessmen, cruise ships, satire, vampires
Last Updated:
15 October, 2008
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