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Black Magic

1949, Movie, NR, 105 mins

Black Magic: Review

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Based on the adventures of a real villain and ne'er-do-well of the 18th century, Cagliostro, profiled as Joseph Balsamo by Alexandre Dumas, this somber film offers Welles at his most extravagant. As a youth Cagliostro watches his parents executed for witchcraft and vows vengeance on the world. As a boy he knows he is gifted with hypnotic powers but does not know how to use them. Then, as a grown man (now played by Welles) he meets Antoine Mesmer (Goldner), who is largely credited with the development of hypnotism in the healing of the mentally ill. Goldner teaches Welles his art and then Welles is off to make his name, curing supposedly incurable people, persuading one and all, including King Louis of France and Marie Antoinette, to do his bidding, until he controls the destiny of Europe. Put on trial for stealing some of the crown jewels, Welles easily convinces the judges otherwise as he practices mass hypnosis, but he is undone at the last moment when Goldner appears and hypnotizes him, compelling him to admit his crime in court, which brings instant condemnation. Welles manages to break the spell, making a dash for freedom, with the king's captain (Latimore) after him. The two duel on a high rooftop and Welles is rapiered, tumbling off the roof into the crowd below, an end identical to his demise in THE STRANGER. Producer Small and director Ratoff were obviously in awe of Welles and allowed him a free reign. The result is this oppressive overacting. Welles hits the viewer with everything, including a very heavy kitchen sink, and his supporting players infectiously duplicate the overbearing style. Apparently Welles was attempting to duplicate the exaggerated thesping of the period in which he was playing, a technique that makes the film unbelievable. The film is also edited in such a jerky fashion that it loses its already thin cohesion. Ratoff's direction is clumsy and Sawtell's score is overbearing. Cameramen Arata and Brizzi lens this one with imitation CITIZEN KANE lighting, but the mood is all black. At one point, Welles intones: "Remember, I can afflict as well as heal," and in this film it's the viewer who is afflicted. leave a comment
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