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A Magical Vision: The World of Eugene Burger Review
One hour, one DVD, $20 bucks and a whole lot of magic beard. Is it gem or is it rubble? Stay tuned to find out.
Effect/Method
In this review, effect and method are irrelevant. This is a documentary of sorts. I'm a big fan of documentaries, particularly those of the magic variety. I get that not everyone digs the documentary scene, and normally, I'd say, "if you don't like documentaries then don't buy this." However, I'm making an exception. Here's why:
Eugene Burger, Max Maven, Jeff McBride, Lawrence Hass, Ph.D., and others ask questions . . . important questions . . . questions that we as mystery performers should be asking ourselves. You may not always agree with the questions or the answers - I didn't - but you'll be compelled to admit that it's important to think a bit deeper about your magic than simply the technique.
There were moments, statements, questions and answers that moved me. When you have the opportunity to learn from such a source of wisdom as this, it borders on foolishness not to take advantage of it.
Ad Copy Integrity
The ad copy is brief and doesn't say much. So there's really nothing to judge when it comes to how "legit" it is. It simply tells us that Eugene and friends are spotlighted and discuss various deep questions and meanings about magic. Yep. That's what you get.
Product Quality
The video is well produced for the most part. It's easy to navigate, etc. It's well lit, well mic'd and so forth. No complaints here.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I really liked this video. In fact, I watched it twice. However, it didn't feel completely complete. The impression I got from the ad copy and the back of the DVD was that these subjects would be covered in much greater depth. I don't feel that the ad copy was dishonest, but I felt that something was missing on the documentary. I felt I could have easily watched it for another hour. It ended at about an hour. Although there were plenty of points to ponder and thoughts to tantalize and tease, it just didn't feel complete. Frankly, I can't quite put my finger on it.
However, it wasn't incomplete enough for me to not recommend it. Maybe that was the point . . . leave it "hanging" a little bit to allow you to come to some conclusions of your own, and that I did. It was very thought provoking. I've always been a fan of Eugene Burger's way of thinking about magic, and it has very much inspired my work. Yet I quickly discovered that there was so much more to the magic beard's sage wisdom than I thought. This DVD opened me up to even more passion and desire to find the meaning in magic, meaning that points beyond The Pass or the Zarrow Shuffle . . . meaning that matters, and 20 bucks is such a small price to pay for even a brick or two on that path.
Final Verdict:
4 Stars with a Stone Status of Gem.