THE BLURB:
More than twenty years ago I had the chance to be at the
Magic Circle and watched Brian Barnes performing Al Koran's
Miracle Blindfold Card Act. I had not a clue as to what
methods were being used and there was not a doubt that Brian
Barnes was completely blindfolded and genuinely could not
see. The evening at the Magic Circle was a special one and
was for The Close Up Magician of the Year. Brian Barnes
wanted to join the Magic Circle so they allowed him to
perform this act for his examination. His performance was so
immaculate that he was granted his membership of the Magic
Circle and what he didn't realise was that he also won the
Close Up Award as well.
How often do we see some magic and remember it for nearly a
quarter of a century. Not often for sure but this
performance stuck in my mind and is still there. Immaculate,
well timed and a work of art in reality.
I persuaded Brian to allow me to film him for what is about
to become a series of DVDs on the Magic of Al Koran and I
got in a small audience of neighbours and we filmed away. I
am really very proud of the DVD which has been beautifully
filmed by magician Alex Whitwell who also happens to be a
lecturer in video-making and film studies. He and another
editor put in the finishing touches and I am just awaiting
approval from Brian Barnes for the DVD wrapper design and we
will start to release the DVD once that has been received.
The explanation for the performance and method is in my
recent release Al Koran's Legacy but as Brian Barnes has
been performing this act for around 50 years he has taken
bits of the routine out and has added some of his own subtle
touches.
If I ever decided to be a full time magical entertainer this
is the act that I would want to feature. It just requires
the minimum of props including a blindfold, cards and a
table. It can be worked absolutely surrounded and for
audiences of virtually any size.
Brian Barnes not only performs the act in front of an
audience of twelve but then explains how to perform it in
detail. At times Brian was advised by David Berglas and
those little extra touches from David Berglas can be seen.
The blindfold is genuine and the magician can not see. No
sleight of hand is required at all. The act culminates in
the performer telling one assistant exactly how many cards
she cut off from the deck and on turning to the other
assistant who has taken a small quantity of cards from the
deck he is able to call out the names of each card she
holds. This is preceded by the two assistants taking a card
each and then mixing the cards yet each time the performer
finds the chosen card and you must remember he can not see
the cards at all.
If you are seeking magical perfection then all I can say
that this is it. This isn't a hot dvd from some unknown
youngster with a load of high end sound effects and an
effect that doesn't even deserve to be in a magazine as so
many new magical DVDs seem to be but is a solid
demonstration of one of the finest acts you could ever learn
and perform.
Running Time: Approximately 57min
MY COMMENTS:
This is an incredible blindfold act created by the legendary
Al Koran and updated by Brian Barnes. The major drawback to
this routine is that it is done with playing cards
exclusively and, of course, this is really a drawback for
those who'd prefer not to use playing cards. The big
advantage is that the performer really is blindfolded and
really can't see, which is unlike other blindfold routines.
The method lies completely in the handling of the cards
themselves.
This DVD contains a performance video of Brian Barnes
perforrming the routine, which he has been performing for
more than two decades. Martin Breese joins him afterward
for a discussion of the entire routine. It should be noted
that Al Koran's routine was published in AL KORAN'S LEGACY,
and this version has some differences and handling changes.
Whether or not they are improvements is something that I'll
leave to the individual.
Besides the blindfold and paraphernalia (coins, pads, etc.),
the only other necessity is a coat. This can be done
sitting or standing. It could also conceivably be done
completely surrounded. There is some setup and easy-to-do
preparation of the cards (in other words, this is not
necessarily impromptu if you don't have the materials
ready).
This is a classic routine by a legendary master with some
very practical touches by Brian Barnes. Unless you have a
complete aversion to cards (or blindfold routines or Al
Koran), this a DVD that's well worth having in your library.
