Hello everyone!
We’ve come to the 24th and last installment of the Magic Advent Calendar – sniff, sniff 🙁 …BUT I left the best (?) and certainly most personal item for the last day, and here it is:
In 2004 director Matteo Bellinelli from the Swiss-Italian TV TSI approached me for a documentary on me and my magic. I managed to include information that would educate the public about magic, its history, science, psychology, and also some of my talented colleagues. I’m happy to say that this is not just an ego-tripping showcase, a danger every “documentary” runs, but an informative and entertaining look at the art and science of magic.
You’ll get a glimpse of me at my home, as well as on tour in Paris, Milano, Saragossa, and of course my home town Basel, where I perform and meet magic friends. We visit the Playing Card Museum in Issy les Moulineaux, George Proust’s Musée de la Curiosité in the Marais, arguably Paris’s most charming quarter, a magic convention in Spain, see Juan Tamariz, Vanni Bossi, Manolo Tena, Bebel, Yves Carbonnier and other remarkable magicians perform and give original insights into magic, plus lots more.
I think that this documentary, whose original title is Il giardino dei giochi segreti (“garden of secret games”) was inspired by an old Italian manuscript on magic, gives a truly inspiring view of the world of conjuring. This is the version subtitled in English and called The Secret World of Magic, which never aired, as far as I know. The original Italian version was broadcasted in 2004 on various channels in Switzerland and Italy. The first airing was on a Sunday evening 8 pm, prime time, on TSI1 (Televisione Svizzera Italiana).
To watch CLICK HERE.
Happy Holidays, and very best wishes for 2021!
PS: I’ve given you 24 gifts in the past 3 plus weeks, and I hope you have enjoyed them. If you would like to make me a gift, well, then promise me to study and perform magic with dignity. And if you insist to make me a more tangible gift, do not send wine, liquor or boxes of cigars, as this is detrimental to my health (come to think of it: why not :-), well, then I have an idea for you: I have gathered all 24 installments of the Magic Advent Calendar in one PDF/e-book, which is available on my webshop for € 24 (24 days = € 24, what else?), but you can have it for € 12 until December 31, 2020. So, to make each other a gift: CLICK HERE.
That was utterly charming ! I attended one of your lectures in Liège (Luttich) which you presented in French. Having listened to many of your DVD’s in English, it now was a delight to hear you speaking that lovely Italian. I adored Juan Tamariz’ idea about the child in every adult and that it is the magician’s task to break through the adult armour and let the inner child re-emerge. It seems that you are -just like me- an ice bear! Pacing the room prior to mounting on stage. I also need a lot of winding down after a show myself. Lastly, it was a pleasure to see your skilled wife at work with the illustrations.
Thank you, dear Roberto, for these advent gifts.
It made these grim times a lot more entertaining.
All the best for you and your family.
Erik (Rik) Arfeuille