Interesting to take a look back at this. Maybe it was the Saturday Night Movie (late-night or otherwise) that I'd seen this flick. No idea who the hell Anthony Hopkins or Ann-Margret were at the time. I just remember a pretty freaky flick about a ventriloquist. Seeing it again now, well, it's aged a bit. Certain psychological "phenomenon" have become a bit more explored since this incarnation, so it leaves the viewer having a good leg-up on what's coming next. Or do you?
An amateur magician, not quite the showman he wants to be, is devastated when his mentor finally comes to pass. Instilled with the final wisdom of knowing he's got tremendous talent, Corky ends up eventually being discovered as not only a good magician but a great performer. Trouble is, how well-known does he want to be?
This is a drama/horror picture, I guess, if you choose to categorize it. An alright turn by the relatively fresh Hopkins doing what he does best, fucking with not only your mind but his own as well. Still comes off as a pretty average thriller, fairly telegraphed. Good performances by all the majors make it at least a worthwhile revisiting, with solid direction by Attenborough. Makes it kind of hard to throw out some drunkenly-logicked cracks, apparently I need to pick up some Tequila.
