White Star by Jim Critchlow
Posted: Jul 29th, '08, 11:31
White Star by Jim Critchlow
The Effect
The performer is seated at a table opposite two volunteers. The performer places a small article in front of each person, such as an old coin and an old fountain pen (these are to act as ‘markers').
The performer now takes out from his wallet a small packet of old photographs which he quickly thumbs through. The packet is squared and turning to the first volunteer, the performer says that he is going to show him/her the photographs one at a time and if they feel somehow drawn to some, they should tell him and they will be placed in front of them and their 'marker'.
The performer shows the photographs, one by one to the volunteers, who either decides to take one and place it on the pile forming in front of them or reject it. The rejected photographs forming a discard pile in the centre of the table.
When all the photographs have been chosen to be kept or rejected, the performer brings attention to the discard pile. Thumbing through the photographs the performer starts talking about specific photos (the person's name etc) stressing how absolutely any of the photos could have been retained by the volunteers.
The performer explains that what they have both just done was part of an experiment. He also explains that he has found that the best results only occur when nothing is explained beforehand and that the results are always different (quite true to a point).
The performer then states that the old coin was taken from one of the bodies found in the wreckage of the Titanic and the fountain pen was used by a clerk to write out the list of all the survivors. The person with the coin is asked to turn their photographs over and in doing so they see each photograph has printed on its back, the name of the person, a few details about them and that they DIED! The spectator holding the fountain pen turns their photographs over and sees the similar details but all their photographs have SURVIVED printed on them! The discarded pile is turned over and shown that there is a complete mix, in no sequence of both the DIED and SURVIVED photographs!
If you only want to perform one effect in an evening, this is it. If you want to finish an evening on a high note, this is it.
Cost
£29.99 from Merchant of Magic
http://www.magicshop.co.uk/p2944/White_ ... _info.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)
1 or 2 depending on your abilities, and method used
Review
White Star interested me for some time, I use Paul Harris' Deep Astonishment II on a regular basis, and get good reactions from it, so I fancied another trick where the audience's reaction is made on an emotional level, and is strong as a result. One for cold dark evenings, dinner parties with friends, or close-up shows. With White Star, I wasn't disappointed. Firstly, the trick's description isn't misleading, but given the description, I assumed that you would receive a coin and a pen, you don't, you have to source your own. This isn't made explicitly clear, but I gathered it was the case after reading the thread in the reviews wanted section.
Sourcing coins on eBay is easy, and fairly cheap, but you have to be careful with what you order. I don't know anything about old coins, so I ordered a three pence (thrupence) coin, only to find that it was the size of a new 5p, and about half as thick. If you're ordering a coin, an old Florin, Crown or Half Crown, or old English Penny would be your best bet size wise.
While you're sourcing coins or props as your markers (which is good fun in itself), you will also need to do a little research on the Titanic, and work out how you're going to introduce the photos, and what you're going to say. I think the best presentation is to keep the Titanic bit until after the cards have been put into their respective piles by the spectators, so I build up with events that happened during the first few months of 1912, and so on, only revealing the name of the White Star ocean liner once the photos have been put in their piles.
What I'm trying to get at here is that this is an effect that should be treated with respect, researched, markers bought, and time spent crafting a story. It's a bit of a labour of love, and because the story is so fascinating, you won't mind a bit of it. On it's most basic level, you could perform this a few minutes after opening the package, but to do so would be a great injustice. You really need to be able to craft a story, set the scene, and put a lot of effort into the presentation, but the result is worthwhile.
The instructions are very clear, and several different methods are provided, along with different methods using cards instead of the photographs, which fans of card magic will appriciate. Also, once you know the secret, there is nothing stopping you from making up your own topical version of this, whether it be for corporate clients using photos of their staff, or celeb couples or whatever. I could also see it being useful for someone giving a lecture on the dangers of drug use, knife crime or whatever for teachers, or even biblical pictures for gospel magicians. Once you know the secret, it's very adaptable, and you can quite easily make your own cards up.
The cards you receive are very nicely made, they would have been even better if they were aged, but as they are, they are high quality laminates (like good quality business cards rather than the 'plastic wallet' types you get at work). Again, you'll have to source your own markers, and time should be spent doing so, and attention should be made to the dates etc.
The method is simple, the cards are ungimmicked, all you need to concentrate on here really is your presentation. The cards can be quickly reset, or instantly, depending on your ending. It's also worthwhile learning a bit about the Titanic, so that you can answer any questions afterwards. Dom has set up a forum at Merchant of Magic for owners of the trick, there's not a great deal on there at the moment, but some useful bits and bobs, and worth a visit. The bonus handlings in the instructions are all useful, and card magicians will especially like the extra card material, although for the main effect, Jim goes to great pains to insist that you are handling photographs, not a packet of cards.
The Claims
- No Sleight of Hand Required! - true
- The cards are completely ungimmicked, and fully examinable! - true, but obviously, given the presentation, you don't want to hand them out before hand.
- Instantly resets to perform again! - true, also, several different methods are given, so you could perform it again if you wish, using a different method (but not recommended)
- The cards REALLY are completely mixed up and shuffled by the spectators. The performer does not change the order of the cards AT ALL once the spectator has mixed them, or after the spectators have chosen the cards they want to keep! - this is one method given, but not the standard, straight forward one shown above.
- No switched or swapped cards or packets. The spectators decide if they want to keep the cards or discard them and that's FINAL. The performer does not need to do any sneaky switches or adjustments to the cards the spectators have chosen! - true, everything is fair and above board.
Overall
9/10. Loses a mark only because the markers are not included, and the photos are not aged. This is good, powerful stuff, you won't be performing this instantly, and you'll want to wait for the right atmosphere. It's a little expensive just for a one-off performance for friends, but if you're going to use it professionally, it'll pay for itself in no time. Either way, it's worth the money. You're paying for a set of quality props, a very simple method that you can apply to many other similar things if you wish, and one very powerful effect.