The Magic Man
2011 · 10m · USA
Directed by D.C. Kasundra
Genres: drama, fantasy, silent
Tones: dark, mythic, theatrical
Harry Herrmann, son of a renowned illusionist, gambles on black magic by conjuring a ballerina from an oil painting — but when she traps him inside her world, he must escape before the wicked creature ensnares his beloved Daphne.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
A 1920s silent shot in 3D stereo is either the most pretentious thing I've seen in years or a genuine middle finger to the way we watch movies now—and honestly, I can't tell which, which means it probably worked.
Kasundra situates this squarely in the lineage of German Expressionist trick films and Cocteau's painted-world fables, but the Castro Theater organ and the stereoscopic depth create a formal conversation between silent cinema's grammar and contemporary optical language that feels earned rather than nostalgic.
That moment when the ballerina's hand emerges from the canvas into 3D space—the choice to use an actual organ recording rather than synthesized score—creates a sensory dislocation that does the heavy metaphysical lifting on a micro-budget; it's the decision that lets you believe the whole haunted premise.
Festivals
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2011
- Raindance Film Festival 2011
- Arizona Underground Film Festival 2011
- Atlanta Underground Film Festival 2011
- Atlantic Film Festival 2011
- Hardacre Film Festival 2011
- Independent's Film Festival 2011
- Ojai Film Festival 2011
- Slamdance Film Festival 2012
- 1 Reel Film Festival 2012
- Boston International Film Festival 2012
- Chicon 2012
- Hill Country Film Festival 2012
- Stuttgart Film Festival 2012