DECEPTIVE PRACTICE: THE MYSTERIES AND MENTORS OF RICKY JAY (2012)
Magicians can perform all sorts of tricks with cards and sleight-of-hand techniques. Then there are the street magicians, David Blaine being the most remarkable I've seen. But then there is someone like Ricky Jay who can bring two single dollars together and create a two-dollar bill! He can also manipulate cards in such a way that a club can become a spade or a heart or whatever just by simply turning the card over in one single swoop.
"Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay" takes a close, finite look at Ricky Jay's sleight-of-hand and his favorite magicians who have informed his amazing abilities, although his own early life remains a bit of a mystery. He was Ricky Potash from Brooklyn, NY and was something of an amateur magician at age 7 under the tutelage of his grandfather, Max Katz (also an amateur). When his grandfather passed, Ricky abandoned the family (who did not think much of his passion) and went on to dazzle the world with his own brand of magic. It led to appearances on the Dinah Shore Show, books, movies roles such as "House of Games" and "Boogie Nights," and a spectacular one-man show called "Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants" (directed by David Mamet) where he astonished the crowd with his card manipulations. The film also provides amazing footage of Ricky Jay's mentors and influences including magicians such as Dai Vernon, Slydini, Cardini (a monocle-wearing magician who coughed up a deck of cards repetitiously), Charlie Miller and Al Flosso (hilarious clip from "The Ed Sullivan Show" features Flosso releasing coins from Ed's nose).
A lot of "Deceptive Practice" is indelibly fascinating and riveting to the core - you literally get an insider's view on insights into magic without the reveal of how the tricks are performed. Watching Ricky Jay shuffling his cards is an absorbing experience, especially when he lays out four aces with ease. Hearing from a British journalist on Ricky's ability to conjure a block of ice at a restaurant table is awe-inspiring - how does someone just conjure a block of ice? Watching Ricky, from age 7 to more recently, perform his acts invite incredulity - just watch how he crumbles a piece of paper to form a...oh, check it out for yourself. "Deceptive Practice" amazes and astonishes us, providing just enough insight into the world of magic to make you wonder "How is he doing this?" His family background and the insights into the man himself are closed-off to us (perhaps his intention) but his sleight-of-hand and his knowledge of foremost magicians of the past is tantalizing enough for ten documentaries. You can see why this man would probably not be allowed in any casino.
