The Magician and the Cinema

by Erik Barnouw

Describes how nineteenth-century magicians used magic lanterns to produce optical illusions, and assesses the magician's influence on the development of modern special effects

Genres: Film

128 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 1981

Reviews

[Steve Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less comprehensive but better organized that "Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century" which I also recently read on the same basic topic.

& an interesting topic it is. I've now counted at least a couple dozen individuals who had some involvement with both stage magic and early cinema.