by seige » Sep 26th, '03, 17:01
Green Magic - by Lennart Green
Volumes 1-3, Video (PAL) - Approximately £75 from selected retailers
Description
Lennart Green is uniquely the most amiable and accomplished card magician of modern times. This is a three volume video series which gives us not only an insight into the awesome skills and incredible deft he's developed - but also a very unique and fun teaching series for those of us who want to venture a 'little further'.
Volume One
The FISM Act - See that act that won Lennart the world championship!
Volume Two
The Poker Deal - Lennart deals five different killer hands from a shuffled deck!
The Temple of Shiva - A magical, mystical routine painted with a story of the future.
Deceptive Perception - No matter which card the spectator selects, it is always the odd card!
The One-Two Separation - From an audience-shuffled deck, Lennart magically separates the cards from red and black!
The Angle Riffle Shuffle - One of the most deceptive false-shuffles ever created.
Volume Three
Fractal Harmony - A masterpiece of card magic using a backdrop of mathematical fractals.
2nd Birthday Gift - After magically producing a full bottle of whisky, a chosen card is removed from inside!
Review
Some time ago, I read an article in a magic publication about a Swedish magician called Lennart Green. Mixed into the article were words like 'unique', 'amazing', 'incredible', 'best', 'most skilled'... and not a single negative to be found.
Now, this interested me a lot. In particular, a description of something called 'The Laser Deal' - whereby the man had allegedly taken a REGULAR deck of cards and deals them one by one into the beam of a 'laser'. The point that the cards struck the table, they would disappear - apparently consumed by the laser.
This was pure sleight of hand - no gimmicks, no gaffs. The same article also stated that the same guy had been disqualified by the judges at a world magic championship on the grounds that 'there's no way he was using a regular deck'.
Well, he was. And he went on to win the world championship.
And when you see these videos, you'll understand why. 100% compulsive viewing - jaw-dropping, like almost watching magic for the very first time. I really did start to feel the hairs on my neck stand up as I watched in awe the aforementioned 'Laser Deal'. Truly amazing. Truly spectacular.
The first volume deals with the FISM championship itself, which is performed by Lennart at a rather dapper green table with a rather shocked audience. Teachings and insights follow - but rather disappointingly, no insight on Lennart's little baby 'The Snap Deal' (the move used in the Laser Deal'). The Snap Deal Booklet has since been released - but like these videos, strictly not for the faint-hearted.
Volume two is a lot more intimate. The routines are longer, and Lennart shares his insights into the moves he's honed to create the effects themselves. It's like watching poetry... and unlike some magic teachings - you'll be in tears when it finishes - you just want MORE!
Volume three is more of the same - but boy oh boy is this a biggie.
What you'll end up with is a set of usable routines that you can incorporate into your repertoire - or there's even enough here to base a whole performance around. You'll also learn some excellent utility moves along the way (lateral palm variations, card shooting, subtleties, surprise...) it's all there when you're ready.
Lennart's sense of humour is brilliant. His grasp of the English language is adequate, and there's a comedic ring to the way he pronounces certain words. His handling of the cards is flawless. Until you see the explanations, you be blown away. Even after the explanations, you'll still be scratching your head.
Bear in mind that this is all done with REGULAR CARDS. No gaff decks, no marked cards, nothing of the sort. It's incredible, but you must believe me that if you're a dedicated cardician - you'll be able to learn the stuff quite easily.
Overall
Although I would say that these videos are intended for VERY seasoned magicians, the actual sheer entertainment value of the alone makes them worth the money. I re-visit them often, and every time I watch, I become both more fascinated and more enlightened.
Nobody could ever become this fluent - it's a gift. I've tried and tried to master the laser deal to no avail - but I'll never give up.
I have to give this a mighty 10 out of 10 in ALL departments. Highly recommended.