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The Effect

These are the sleeve notes from the packaging:

Slydini’s students pay tribute to the man, the mentor, and the magic. They recall some of their most cherished moments with the master and perform their favourite effects, keeping his legacy alive.

A note from the producers “we would like to boast that to our knowledge and at the time of this DVD set’s release, we have collected the most footage of Slydini to be released anywhere in one production for your viewing pleasure. We hope that you enjoy learning from THE MASTER!

Content

Disc One (running time 1 hour 45 minutes)
Slydini Performs:
• "Coins Through the Table"
• "Cigarette Miracle"
• "Two Cigarettes From One"
Cellini Performs & Explains:
• "The Slydini Movement"
• "Coins Through the Table "
• "Cigarette Miracle" "
• "Two Cigarettes From One" "
• "Impossible Dream"
Other effects performed by Slydini students:
Bill Brunelle Slydini's:
• "Interlude With a Paper Napkin"
• Slydini's Sponge Ball Routine
• Charlie Cambra "The Illusive Four"
• Bob Yorburg "Slydini's Linking Pins"

Disc Two (running time 2 hours)
Slydini Performs:
• "Paper Balls Over the Head"
• "Production of Silks"
• "Knotted Silks"
• "Paper Balls to the Hat (Box)"
Cellini Performs & Explains:
• "Production of Silks" "
• "Knotted Silks"
• "Paper Balls to the Hat (Box)"

Cost

£46.99 from here:

http://www.magicshop.co.uk/recall-tony- ... -1466.html

Difficulty
(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)

Various and not really of much relevance with this review.

Review


So who exactly was Slydini? After all, I would suspect that many of the members on this forum would perhaps not have even heard of his name let alone know anything about Slydini and his magic. If you’re in this category and you’re still reading then well done and keep reading – it will be worth the effort! If you’re a real magician or magical enthusiast then you will know the name and the magic.

This DVD set is a Magicman production and the quality of the packaging, DVD printing and pressing is good quality indeed. I always think that this is an area where many of the producers of magic DVD’s skimp a little to drive down the cost but to me, that little extra quality adds to the whole experience and puts you in a more positive frame of mind for what you are about to view.

You need to remember and appreciate that some of the content of these discs comes direct from the archives of magic so holds a special historical value. The footage that was shot especially for this DVD, featuring a number of his well known students who are well know and respected in their own right, is shot in marvellous quality which is not far off HD quality. The narration through the DVD is spoken with a great deal of warmth and affection by those who knew Slydini and because of this it will hold your interest and attention.

I’ve watched many magic DVD’s that teach tricks, sleights and a whole host of other detail but this is the first that has gone into the fascinating detail of how to stand, where to stand, how to sit for lapping etc. and how to do this with grace in order to enhance the performance in terms of ease for the magician. It all makes perfect sense when you listen and I have no doubt that many who watch will make adjustments to their own performances for the better. I’ve always had an interest in body language and this title delves into the psychology of body language that is directly related to performing magic. You then watch clips of Slydini’s performance and see it all in action.

The teachings are extremely well filmed and are explained in good detail. The routines are all classics and should be part of every magician’s study. If you look at the coins through table routine as an example, the basics of this routine are still being churned out today (often without appropriate credits) by the likes of Ellusionist in some of their promoted routines and you will get a fraction of the value from their products that you will get from this. No gimmicks, no gaffed coins - just marvellous sleight of hand which is ALL taught.

As you watch and work your way through this DVD you can’t help to begin to appreciate the strength that these routine have on both lay people and magicians alike. On the one hand they look impossible to an audience and just what magic should look like. To the magician, the mechanics are not that difficult with a skill level of between 2 and 3 but the genius is in the psychology that goes into ‘selling’ the illusion to the audience and there’s no doubt that Slydini excelled at this.

There’s stuff here, such as the cigarette routines that you can perform with no set up. The Interlude with a paper napkin is a genius yet simple piece of magic in my opinion and I’ll use this time and time again but you have to remember that this DVD is not just about the routines.

Moving onto disk 2, the viewing content is just pure magic as you watch performances from both Slydini and Cellini and listen to some wonderful stories from a few who knew Slydini.

The magic is simple yet sophisticated and the various performances such as paper balls over head is a fantastic demonstration of just how magic at close quarter should be.

Overall

Let’s cut to the chase! There is something on this DVD for everyone whether you are a Slydini fan, a historian or you are looking for a foundation course in the principles of magic. Perhaps you’re all three at the start but if not, you will be by the time that you’ve viewed these discs.

The routines that are taught on these discs have stood the test of time and are the foundations of many of the routines released today. They are extremely visual and are a table performers dream (coins, cigarettes, napkins etc.). You get a lot for your money and if you pitch the DVD title against the offerings from Ellusionist, then the cost of the Slydini DVD is roughly the same as two and a half single trick DVD’s from ‘E’ that will in fact teach you just a fraction of what you get here.

The only disappointment for me was that some of the routines only include the performance and not the explanation. I’d have loved to have seen the explanation for the sponge ball and the illusive four (coin matrix) routines. However, you can no doubt get hold of printed material that will explain these. I might therefore appear to be a little mean in rating this DVD because of this.

Rating: 9.5 from 10

This is a marvellous DVD that you just cannot help get engrossed within when you view it. It will sit in your magic collection as something that is perhaps a little different than the norm because of the historical value. There’s a reference to Slydini on disk 2 where he’s referred to as the ‘Father of Magic’ and I can’t help but agree.

Highly recommended!

What a great review, i can tell that this is the sort of dvd that inspires as much as it informs. I have been meaning to study the work of some of the old masters for some time now, and this sounds like the perfect place to start. Thanks for letting us know about this, it is officially on my list of things to buy.

Is there a Dai Vernon dvd which you could reccomend as well?

thanks Atomo

I haven't a Vernon DVD as yet but I'm looking.

I've a few more DVD's to review over the next few weeks (about 8 titles) but this certainly is one that inspires. I find that these days I end up focusing more on how a trick is performed by the magician (body language, misdirection, subtleties etc) rather than the actual trick itself