The Magic Christian

Synopsis: Sir Guy Grand adopts homeless bum Youngman to be heir to his obscene wealth, and immediately begins bringing him into the intricacies of the family business, which is to prey upon people's greed by use of the vast holdings of the Grand empire. They leave no stone unturned as sporting events, restaurants, art galleries, and traditional pheasant hunts turn into lurid displays of bad manners and profiteering. Things climax at the social event of the season, the inaugural voyage of the new pleasure cruiser The Magic Christian.
Genre: Comedy
Director(s): Joseph McGrath
Production: Commonwealth United Entertaime
 
IMDB:
6.1
Rotten Tomatoes:
56%
M
Year:
1969
92 min
517 Views


[choir singing]

Ladies and gentlemen, this is

what is commonly known as "money."

It comes in all sizes, colors

and denominations, like people.

We'll be using quite a bit

of it in the next two hours.

Luckily, I have enough

for all of us.

[man singing]

- [yelps]

- [fades]

[bell tolling]

[big ben chiming ten times]

Here, here. Here, here.

No sleepin' on the grass.

No sleepin' on the grass is

allowed in the park. All right.

Get out of here. Get out of here.

Get off!

in younger days

I told myself

my life would be my own

and I'd leave the place

where sunshine never shone

for my life's too short

for waiting

when I see the rising sun

[indistinct chatter]

then I know again

that I must carry on

carry on till tomorrow

What you wearin' them

glasses for?

Oh, the light.

It hurts my eyes.

You a bloody celebrity?

[cackling]

carry on

carry on

[shouting indistinctly]

beyond the shadows

of the clouds

and onward to the sky

carry on

till I find

the rainbow's end

for my life's

too short for waiting

when I see the rising sun

then I know again

that I must carry on

carry on

till tomorrow

there's no reason

to look back

carry on

carry on

carry on

drifting on the wings

of freedom

leave this stormy day

and we'll ride

to tomorrow's

golden fields

for my life's

too short for waiting

when I see the rising sun

then I know again

that I must carry on

carry on

carry on

carry on

Good morning.

You feeding the ducks?

Yes, I feed them every morning.

You mind if I join you?

No, no.

I come here every morning.

and when the heavy

journey's done

[indistinct chatter]

I'll rest my weary head

for the world

and its colors

will be mine

for my life's too short

for waiting

when I see the setting sun

then I know again

that I must carry on

carry on till tomorrow

there's no reason

to look back

carry on

carry on

carry on

Look, please.

Don't go.

Listen, please.

I say, don't go.

[chatter continues

indistinctly]

carry on

carry on

carry on

carry on

carry on

Well, then, Youngman Grand.

Father.

[church bells tolling]

Good-bye.

Thank you, Pontius.

Thanks for the new suit.

It's very nice.

My pleasure, Youngman.

My pleasure.

One has to be smart when observing

the effects of money on the arts...

And mr. And mrs. First-Nighter.

Good gentlemen, give

him a further edge.

And drive his purpose

on to these delights.

We shall, my lord.

Sweet gertrude,

leave us too.

For we have closely sent

for hamlet hither,

That he, as t'were

by accident,

May here affront ophelia.

Her father and myself,

lawful espials,

Will so bestow ourselves,

that, seeing, unseen--

[whispers] Hello. Hello, sir.

The third act's

just started.

Rosencrantz and guildenstern

just went off somewhere.

Hello.

Guy, you are rather late.

The third act's begun. You barely

nearly missed the nicest part.

The chopper was delayed. Anyway,

this is the bit I'm really keen on.

And as you say,

it is the nicest part.

[orchestra]

[ends]

to be...

I've seen it.

Or not to be?

Shakespeare, right?

Right and double right.

Whether 'tis nobler

in the mind...

To suffer the slings

and arrows of...

Outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms...

Against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing...

[rim shot]

End them?

[cowbell clunks]

- [burlesque]

- to die,

To sleep.

-No more. -Agnes, Esther, I would

like you to meet my newly-adopted son,

Youngman.

Youngman, these are my old dear sis-

ters, Agnes and Esther-- your aunts.

How do you do?

Hello, auntie. Hello.

[continues]

to die,

To sleep.

To sleep.

Perchance to dream.

Ay, there's the rub.

For in that sleep of death...

What dreams may come.

When we have shuffled off...

This mortal coil--

Must give us pause--

I'm making too much noise.

On with the show.

For who could bear

the whips...

Tsk, tsk.

And scorns of time?

The oppressor's wrong,

The proud man's contumely--

That fellow is taking license

in my view.

...Of the unworthy takes...

When he himself might

his quietus make...

With his fair,

Bare...

Bodkin?

- [ends]

- [gasps]

[women singing

operatically]

You've gotta hand it to that Laurence

Harvey. He really knows his job.

The most essential and

fundamental principle of our work...

Is the absolute authenticity...

Of any of its employees'

qualifications and credentials.

Each must be tops in

his field. Otherwise--

- Well, otherwise it's mere quackery.

- Just what is our work, dad?

It's not so easy to define

as one might think, lad.

Not so easy.

Regard the city.

[Youngman] It's just

like where I was born.

Exactly and 9/10ths of the

people on this planet.

And you know, Youngman, some of

those people will tell you...

That in these cities are shops--

Curious sort of food shops that

spring up from time to time...

With signs reading,

"new owner, new policy,

Big get acquainted sale."

And offering goods at ridiculously

low giveaway prices.

- What about ciggies?

- Cigarettes were not sold,

As they've been linked rather

closely with cancer of the lung.

The word quickly gets around...

And the lucky few

manage to load up,

and take away as much as

they can humanly carry.

Usually much more than they can

ever use or keep, you understand.

The shop is quickly gutted--

Clean as your proverbial bone.

And latecomers are met by

closed doors, shuttered windows...

And a different sign,

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Terry Southern

Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to Beat writers in Greenwich Village, Southern was also at the center of Swinging London in the 1960s and helped to change the style and substance of American films in the 1970s. He briefly wrote for Saturday Night Live in the 1980s. Southern's dark and often absurdist style of satire helped to define the sensibilities of several generations of writers, readers, directors and film goers. He is credited by journalist Tom Wolfe as having invented New Journalism with the publication of "Twirling at Ole Miss" in Esquire in February 1963. Southern's reputation was established with the publication of his comic novels Candy and The Magic Christian and through his gift for writing memorable film dialogue as evident in Dr. Strangelove, The Loved One, The Cincinnati Kid, and The Magic Christian. His work on Easy Rider helped create the independent film movement of the 1970s. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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