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The Magician
The Magician
Directed by	Edwin S. Porter
Produced by	Edison Manufacturing Company
Distributed by	Edison Manufacturing Company
Release date	28 February 1900;
Running time	1 minute
Country	United States
Language	silent

The Magician is a 1900 American silent trick film produced by Thomas A. Edison's Edison Manufacturing Company.^[1] According to the Edison film catalog, the film originally was sold to theaters for $9.00.^[2] This film exemplifies the strong links between early film and magic; the 1900 Edison film catalog alone contained several trick films, including Ching Ling Foo Outdone, The Clown and the Alchemist, Congress of Nations and Hooligan Assists the Magician.

Plot

The film takes place in an interior space, possibly a parlor. The magician enters from screen right, walks to the center of the frame and bows. He takes off his glove and throws it into the air (where it disappears), and does the same trick with his hat and coat. He pulls out a white handkerchief and holds it in front of his legs. When he removes the handkerchief, his pants have changed to knickers. In his final trick, the magician gestures and a table piled with streamers appears. The magician picks up the pile, shakes it, and three geese fly out toward the camera.

References

^ "The Magician Silent Film (1900)". Internet Archive. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
^ "The Magician". Library of Congress American Memory Collection. Retrieved 29 April 2011.