The Magic Christian
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Joseph Mcgrath
Peter Sellers
Ringo Starr
Richard Attenborough
Leonard Frey
Laurence Harvey
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Sir Guy Grand, a wealthy eccentric who is disillusioned with mankind, adopts a young tramp, renames him Youngman Grand, and sets out to demonstrate to Youngman that people are easily influenced by money and will do anything to get it. First he makes a travesty of sportsmanship when he goes on a grouse hunt with a machine gun, a tank, and a flame thrower. During an evening at the theater the audience is scandalized when the actor playing Hamlet is bribed to perform a striptease. At an exclusive dinner club, Sir Guy hands out money as he repulsively stuffs food into his mouth and smears it on his face. Later, he fixes a heavyweight championship bout so that the boxers kiss each other instead of fighting. Then he bids outrageously on a piece of junk at a Sotheby's auction, causing an American couple to believe in the worth of the item and outbid him. Sir Guy plans the social event of the season, a cruise on the ocean liner The Magic Christian . The cruise becomes chaotic when men dressed as Dracula, King Kong, and a host of other offensive characters frighten the passengers. Believing the ship to be sinking, the passengers rush to the deck and discover that the boat never left the dock. Finally, Sir Guy prepares a vat of urine, manure, and blood for his last demonstration to Youngman. He empties a suitcase full of money into the vat; as the crowd begin diving into the foul mixture, Sir Guy and Youngman leave for the peaceful park where they first met.
Director
Joseph Mcgrath
Cast
Peter Sellers
Ringo Starr
Richard Attenborough
Leonard Frey
Laurence Harvey
Christopher Lee
Spike Milligan
Yul Brynner
Roman Polanski
Raquel Welch
Isabel Jeans
Caroline Blakiston
Wilfrid Hyde-white
Tom Boyle
Terence Alexander
Peter Bayliss
Joan Benham
Patrick Cargill
Graham Chapman
John Cleese
Clive Dunn
Freddie Earlle
Fred Emney
Kenneth Fortescue
Peter Graves
Patrick Holt
David Hutcheson
Hattie Jacques
John Le Mesurier
Jeremy Lloyd
David Lodge
Victor Maddern
Ferdy Mayne
Guy Middleton
Peter Myers
Dennis Price
Robert Raglan
Graham Stark
Leon Thau
Frank Thornton
Michael Trubshawe
Edward Underdown
Michael Aspel
Michael Barratt
Harry Carpenter
W. Barrington Dalby
John Snagge
Alan Whicker
Crew
Lionel Blair
Peta Button
Graham Chapman
John Cleese
Kevin Connor
Noël Coward
George Djurkovic
Harry Frampton
Assheton Gorton
David Griffith
Vangie Harrison
Brian Holland
Gerry Humphreys
Joyce James
John Keene
Peter Macdonald
Paul Mccartney
Joseph Mcgrath
John Merrick
Denis O'dell
Victor Peck
Alfred Pegley
Peter Sellers
Roger Simons
Terry Southern
Peter Sutton
Ken Thorne
Anthony B. Unger
Geoffrey Unsworth
Margaret Unsworth
Wally Veevers
Henry T. Weinstein
Richard Williams Studio
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Many of the Central London exterior and building shots were filmed in and around Westminster School, London.
Two of the writers were John Cleese and Graham Chapman of Python fame. the Python sketch "the mouse problem" was written for this movie, but was rejected by Peter Sellers.
The movie's theme song "Come And Get It" was written and produced by Paul McCartney.
During the filming of scenes with the topless "slave" girls rowing the ship, the actors kept deliberately flubbing their lines just so they could watch the girls.
Notes
Opened in London in December 1969.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1970
Released in United States 1970
