Random I-Tunes Song of The Moment: Take It All By Adele

I've given pretty decent ratings to other volumes of this set. However, this set wasn't as impressive to me. Unfortunately after some of my comments I'll likely be hung (on an invisible sky hook) as a heretic.

Also, I have a question . . . Why does Harbottle always start each effect with four coins spread in his right hand followed by his left hand touching his chin followed by 'Hmm . . . Four Coins . . . What to do with them?'

I really liked Rubinstein in Volume 8, but I didn't care for his work in this one. In just about every routine on this DVD, the handling of the coins in the performance was overly complicated and confusing. For example, in the various Hanging Coins routine the handling was so muddled that it didn't look very magical at all. It felt more like a puzzle. A routine like that should be very slow, clean and deliberate. You're taking a coin from your hand and hanging it invisibly on a sky hook. There should not be any muddy confusing handling of the coins, yet there was, even in Roth's hands. In fact, his was the most confusing.

Harbottle's variation was a little better, and his Pendulum Hanging Coins was ok, but it felt more like he was performing the effect for himself to prove to himself how clever he was.

Gallo's stuff was even kind of weak. His international penetration started of decent, but then just went downhill after the first two transpos. The final was very weak and awkward.

His two coins through cups routines were weak and his timing was horribly wrong. The method is pretty decent, and if you practiced it to get the correct timing then it has potential to be a good effect.

I had to suffer through yet another version of Ramsay's Cylinder and Coins with very little changes. However there is a move that Bertini uses that is worth learning for other effects. However (again), this is actually taught on volume #6 in great detail, so I'd go with that volume if you're interested in one of the few highlights of this DVD.

The bonus section on this DVD is even pretty weak. However there is a decent section with Roth's workshop on the Classic Palm.

All in all it's hard for me to recommend this one, especially considering that some of the others in this set are much better.

Final Verdict
2.5 Stars with a Stone Status of Grubble (little bit of gem and whole lot of rubble).

1 Comment

  • Respect The Magic says:

    This whole series is a collection of hits and misses. I have the entire set and there are some true masterpieces to be found here, but there are more so-so tricks than there are masterpieces. There are some great techniques to be discovered, and nice sleights that can be incorporated into other routines, but they are often buried within weak tricks. So if you like mining for gold this series is for you. For me, I think they are worth owning. Some of the effects shown prove what I have said for over 4 decades, not all magic is good magic. Some effects are simple tricks, little more than puzzles. BUT there are a few effects that look and feel like real magic. In most cases it is the presentation ability of the performer that determines if a trick is just a trick or a miracle.

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