The Magic Christian

The best in humor medicine! I fell in love with Ringo Star in this movie - he is so cute! (personality wise). Peter Sellers is great! I crack up just thinking about some of his dead-pan looks at critical moments in their practical jokes. I wish enough people would buy it so that they would remaster it into HD quality; but it's still too hilirious to not watch over and over, like a long music video.

While not a great or even a good movie within itself, "Magic Christian" is a great late sixties period piece that stretches the dark humor of the excesses of greed. The somewhat Monty Python-like humor makes the movie lightly entertaining at times. The cameo appearances give the film greater interest and a sense of history, although twisted to say the least. The soundtrack is probably the most intriguing part of "Magic Christian" with input from Paul McCartney through the band Badfinger and a nice contribution from Thunderclap Newman.

i just had 2 see the movie. i love the rock band, "BADFINGER". I also have the soundtrack 2 the movie that band did, a long, with beatles. Of couse, RINGO, with Peter Sellers, just great. John Cleese,(art/direc), FUNNY! I enjoyed the movie, glad part of my dvd collection. Thanxz. recommend:)

The Magic Christian is an inspired, wacky sixties film, based on the brilliant novel by Terry Southern. Appearing with Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr in the film are Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman, Goon Show alumnus Spike Milligan, Christopher Lee, Racquel Welch, Roman Polanski, and Yul Brenner as a lounge-singing transvestite. Paul McCartney wrote the film's theme song 'Come And Get It' performed by Badfinger. I have to admit, this movie makes me laugh. It's a great vehicle for Peter Sellers as the not-so-business-like Guy Grande, and Ringo as his newly adopted adult son. In the story, multi-millionaire Grande has determined that one can use money to teach lessons about the ugliness of greed, elitism, snobbiness, and authority. It is typical of british comedies of the late sixties inasmuch as it climaxes with a scene of things dissolving into general chaos. On the other hand, the humor itself seems very untypical and funny. Some people may not "get" this movie... probably the same people that don't find Monty Python funny. Generally, if you enjoy irreverant, quirky humor, you'll find The Magic Christian entertaining.

Normally, this type of comedy is not my thing, but I saw the clip online of Yul Brynner in "The Magic Christian" and feel that this vignette alone would be worth ANY price! (Can't imagine the masculine Yul as a woman? HAH He is excellent!!!)

This was one of my all time favorite movies - I remember seeing it at the theater! I love Peter Sellers and he is in rare form in this flick. And Ringo Starr hold his own.
Good music, good acting, good all around.

I saw this film once before, and thought it was in Black & White. It was filmed, for fans of the two stars, on the tail end of Sellers' swinging 60s films like "The Party" & "The Bobo", and in between Ringo's work on The Beatles' landmark "White Album" and the film/album/lawsuit "Let It Be". Essentially, Sellers and adopted sidekick Starr go about usurping stiff British affluence by using their unequalled wealth to be rude and piss people off, stating that "some people will do ANYTHING for money". A haphazard script and direction notwithstanding, this is an interesting art/statement film. Noteworthy are separate scenes featuring John Cleese and Graham Chapman (of Monty Python fame) is excellent bits about mangling a Rembrandt at Sotheby's and bribing the Oxford Crew team to crash into and fight with the Cambridge Crew team -- during their race.
I give it a 3 because the DVD offers no subtitles or alternate languages; a commentary from Ringo, Cleese, or even the director might've been nice as well. It's really a no-frills package of a rare film. But it's worth a price of less than $12.00, I'd say.

McGrath's film adaptation differs considerably Southern's novel. Relocated to London in the 1960s, it introduces an orphan whom Sir Guy Grand picks up in a park and on a whim, decides to adopt. The role was written with Ringo Starr (who plays it) in mind.

The Magic Christian is an unrelenting and often heavy-handed satire on capitalism, greed, racism and other human vanities. Notable are the appearances of (pre-Monty Python) John Cleese and Graham Chapman (uncredited), who had written an earlier version of the film script, of which only the scenes in which they appear survived.

This movie is great fun, I only wish there had been some remastering on the CD, rather than just a core dump to different media. But that quibble aside, it's still one of my very favorite movies.

strange movie, very dated.
it was better when i was 13. (in the 70's).

This is dark comedy with surprisingly famous actors making cameos thruout the movie. It should be by todays standards listed as 'R' rated for BN/AC/AL but very brief. The overall story line is slow but almost believable. It reflects the 60's with it's theme & music. It was a almost a Beatles style cult film. Everytime I hear "If you want it here it is, come and get it" I think of this film when I saw it in the theatre in 1970. It was fun to go back! Carl age 52

I don't put much significance on the social commentary of movies, but I enjoy this picture's insulting of human greed and pride. And, it is hilarious while doing it. It doesn't even take itself seriously. I think it is very funny while targeting some of Humanity's worst characteristics.

I saw this movie in the late '60's when it was made. I liked it then. I had not seen it since, but have been contemplating attitudes toward money lately and remembered the movie. It is interesting how 36 years (or so) can change one's perspective. Although the movie did not change (obviously), my attitude toward money has changed. I still have a certain amount of disrespect for money and for selling the days of my life for money. I still believe that people are much more greedy than they need to be. All of these things stayed the same, both in the movie (of course) and in my mind. I now have enough money to meet my basic needs and even a few "wants" that are not needs. When I first saw the movie, I was on the outside, not always knowing if I would have enough to secure basic needs. Either way, this movie is a biting satire and can allow one to step far enough from the current attitudes toward money that one might have and start to explore them from a different perspective.

Even if the viewer does not want to have that deep of an experience while watching a movie, it is interesting to see how many well known people, both living and (now) dead are in one movie; sometimes just walking through in the background, sometimes with important parts.

This movie is part of the culture and should not be missed.

This is an old favorite of my husband's, so we knew what we were getting into- it was wonderful to find this on DVD (for a very long time, it was VHS only). A fun look into the past!

Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr are brilliant in this series of lurid and comic episodes that are woven together by this simple premise: people will do anything for money - just name their price! Loaded with cameos, spotting all the personalities that contributed to this comic gem is half the fun. Anyone who enjoys late 60's/early 70's counterculture comedy should own this movie.

I had looked forward to seeing this movie for quite a while, being a big Sellers fan and a Ringo/Beatles fan - as well had heard through the grapevine that this was supposed to be a fun and interesting movie. It is neither. Perhaps you could rate it a curiosity - if you happened to be a fan such as myself. The idea of the film would seem to offer great opportunities for both Sellers and Starr to shine, but the script and story (what there was of it) fails to deliver on the promises it alludes to. One strange setting after another ends anti-climatically, which in turn quickly leads to a sense of frustration at a great missed opportunity. It really does seem that they "wrote" it as they went along, if there was anything written at all. And one tired anti-establishmment cliche after another gives good example why professionals instead of hippies should run with the good ideas in order to see them well executed.

So what's wrong with this movie? Why are all of these people on Amazon say it's "boring" or only worth seeing as a historical relic? Perhaps they are just feeling a bit left out.
These people will immediately recognize that this humor is not to their taste. But you should take a look for yourself. You may find that all of the "flaws" that others see are actually effective elements here.
Exposition has been paired down to the minimum. Do you really want all of that exposition in your screwball comedy? I'd rather skip ahead to the larfs.
There are a lot of laughs. Everyone who likes this movie picks a different favorite moment.
I enjoy the absurdist tone of the scenes. The intimidating social order is shown to be made up of individuals who don't so much support that order, but just follow it. Our protagonist is just trying to help them to let it all hang out.
So there's my stuffy analysis, but do you want to see it? No? What if I told you it had:
Psychedelic train freak out
Raquel Welch surrounded by topless women
proof that all Asian people don't look the same to old white people
the most obnoxious car ever imagined(40 years before its time)
how to talk your way out of a parking ticket
how to cultivate an appreciation for the fine arts

Is this movie perfect? Far from it, but this is part of its charm. None of the reviews I have read thus far have included the priceless, utterly hillarious scene enacted by the superb Sir Laurence Harvey performing the "To be, or not to be" soliloquy from Hamlet in front of a stodgy uppercrust theater audience while performing a STRIPTEASE! The final shot of his codpiece being tossed out into the audience is worth the price of the movie alone.

Few films come along that I watch and say "Yeah, that's exactly right. That's exactly how I feel." The Magic Christian is one of them. Its a perfect satire of our culture and perfectly relevant today as it was then. Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr are well-suited to each other in this off-kilter satire of a billionaire looking for everyone's "price". Why? To prove a point. To punish as well as teach.

Some may disagree with me, but I think the movie outdoes the book by some miles. (...) In fact, we have TV shows dedicated to just this fact. Don't people eat bugs on Fear Factor or Survivor? Do horrendously awful things for that all-mighty dollar? Yes.

Sir Guy Grand, a grand guy (Sellers), and his adopted son Youngman Grand (Starr) commit the ultimate heresy by faking a gigantic luxury liner for the cream of society only to mess with their heads with gorillas, Christopher Lee in full Dracula gear, and Yul Brenner in drag singing "Mad about the Boy" to Roman Polanski. In short, this film is dangerous and brilliant.

(PS to the reviewer who mentions the Beatles. John isn't in it, its a double ... and Paul isn't singing, he just wrote the song for Badfinger.)

Unfortunately, I can't give it a five for two reasons. 1. Much of the dialogue is ADR'd and Sellers can't give quite the subtle performance he might have done ala Strangelove (another Southern writing project.) 2. The DVD is pretty much a slap-dash full screen copy of the crappy version that was out on VHS for years. I hope one day they put out a good version.

What a Film! Very busy and very "out there" ! It certainly can't be accused of being dull. I especially liked the "worker's revolt" on board the ship towards the end, and then they realise that they haven't even left port yet. But for most of the movie you find yourself just sitting there going..WHAAT?. Very silly and completley unbeleivable, but if your expecting realism then you wouldn't be interested in this movie anyway. You either get this movie or you don't, most of the satire is current to when it was made so you will miss a lot of the jokes. But it's still worth seeing in my opinion. So see it !!!!!

Totally fab. American writer Terry Southern takes potshots at the English class system, with the odd bit from Pythons Cleese and Chapman and a hip ensemble cast. (Any movie that gets Raquel Welch undressed while Yul Brynner croons "Mad About the Boy" in full drag to Roman Polanski has an inexplicable kind of anarchy. And then there's Ringo's acting). There's not any real plot other than that of "a fool and his money" variety, but the music's great period pieces -- Badfinger's "Come and Get It," and Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air" -- keep popping up to remind you this is swinging London. As social satire the movie is pretty scattered, but as a textbook for future set designers ("Austin Powers," I'm looking in your direction) this is the genuine article.

As many times as I've seen this film - and it's more than I can recall - I've never grown tired of it. Without a doubt, I'd rank this right up there with "Blazing Saddles," "Little Big Man" and "Dr. Strangelove" as a contender for funniest movie of the last forty or fifty years. And like those its social comment is still relevant. The hunting scene is akin to the charge of the scarecrow in "Singing Detective" - unexpected, over the top and outrageously funny. The scenes with Yule Brenner and the two body-builder dancers outdo any smack at homophobia I've seen since and are worth the price of this movie alone. Raquel Welch's bit part is priceless. The only thing keeping me from giving this more than a four-star rating is its lack of any extras, but then who needs 'em? Do yourself a favor and see "The Magic Christian."