Once upon a time, in a small village nestled deep within a mystical forest, there lived a young girl named Lily. She was known for her kind heart and adventurous spirit. However, her life changed forever when she stumbled upon an ancient artifact known as the Magic Gourd. Legend had it that the Magic Gourd possessed the power to grant any wish. Lily, intrigued by the stories she had heard, decided to embark on a quest to find this mystical object. Armed with nothing but determination and a deep-rooted belief in magic, she set off into the unknown.
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Colourful images of carnival or the Nevada desert meet the ethnographic trail of Dynamo as he enters the real world of the people and reflects on what he sees. My legs had to be somewhere, but upside down one loses sense of direction, and I didn t do what I was supposed to do, so I in the rehearsal, I went head down, almost hit my head, she explained.
Armed with nothing but determination and a deep-rooted belief in magic, she set off into the unknown. Days turned into weeks as Lily traveled through treacherous terrains and encountered various mystical creatures. She never wavered in her purpose, even as doubt crept into her mind.
THE DOCUMENTARY OF MAGIC: DYNAMO MAGICIAN IMPOSSIBLE by Helen Wood
Having spent such a long time working in various ways on ‘television for women’, I realised lately that there are actually relatively few programmes watched together in my heterosexual, two-toddler household. Quality dramas that require investment tend to stack up on the Sky+ recorder and I might watch half of them alone. Outside of some motorsport and Masterchef, we haven’t watched a lot of television together since the sad passing of ER. That was until a friend pointed us to Dynamo: Magician Impossible on Watch. I can’t say I was convinced when I first heard about it, I have no interest in magic or magic tricks and I actively dislike some of the usual fare of male magicians, especially those that think they can read your mind. But I want to suggest that there is something compelling about Dynamo for the way in which it presents the personalities of Dynamo/ Steven Frayne through its documentary style that means that there is something in it for both of us.
Watch is one of a portfolio of channels which form UKTV, owned 50% by BBC Worldwide, and launched as a general entertainment channel supported by programming from the BBC archive. It has now become UKTV’s flagship channel. The first of two series of Dynamo was launched on watch in 2011, and the third is currently being filmed. It became the Channel’s most watched programme with 1.7 million viewers and was nominated for the 2012 National Television Awards for best entertainment programme. The programme was felt to be a ‘word of mouth’ success and Dynamo now has something like 1.5 million twitter followers and a fan following of ‘Dynamites’.
Steven Frayne AKA Dynamo is a street magician and according to the Watch website, in the first series: ‘the 28-year-old travels the globe as the unassuming anti-hero who just happens to astound everyone he meets, whether international footballer, Hollywood actor or passer-by on the street.’ The opening credits are dark and mysterious – shot like a US crime drama following a hooded figure as he walks down the urban street, establishing Dynamo’s air of mystique.
Fig 1: Dynamo and Hood
His tricks range from epic grand stunts like the newsworthy walking across the Thames, making himself disappear and walking down the side of buildings, to card tricks in the street, linking together polo mints, or putting someone’s ring inside a bottle. The range of magic is really impressive (no rabbits out of hats of course) which is most often performed out on the street to ‘ordinary’ passers-by as well as celebrities. As viewers we are convinced by the reactions of the people when they are left astounded and bewildered as we watch them react, sometimes in slow motion. There is no real ‘ta dah’ where Dynamo takes in the adulation, he simply and coolly walks away. The magic is clever and entertaining and despite the celebrities and the scale of the magic tricks, the whole series taken together is really rather earnest.
What is most interesting to me is not so much the magic, although I am often amazed, but the way the tricks are embedded into a documentary format with some undertones of a social message. The success of the programme is partly related to how well Dynamo’s back-story works for ‘first-person’ documentary. He opens by saying, ‘let me take you on a journey into my world’ and we experience the magic alongside a relatively slow-reveal of his private life. The media reports around him focus upon his working-class background and a narrative of social mobility. He is the son of a single mum, an 8 stone weakling who learnt magic from his grandfather in order to stop bullies putting him in a wheelie bin on a council estate in Bradford. Newspaper headlines run like this, ‘Wimp who walks on water: bullied at school for being puny he’s the council house boy who’s become our most mesmerising magician’. His personal story is carefully woven around the magic, even his Crohn’s disease and x-rays make an appearance. One episode where he mixes with the stars is intercut with images of him driving home following signposts to Bradford. Rather than ending the show with a trick, or a stunned face, it rather simply closes with him getting out of the car at a block of flats on a council estate, pressing the buzzer, and asking for his nan. The dramatic and the extraordinary are exaggerated by the realism of the ordinary and very unassuming Steven Frayne. We have the mysterious celebrity magician hero Dynamo and the working class anti-hero Steven. So used are we to media personae that it doesn’t really jar, rather it’s the key to its success.
Frayne’s career took off as a magician to the stars and so he refers to popstars like ‘Jay Z’ and Damon Albarn as old friends. He never appears star-struck: he performs the same kind of trickery over celebrities as he does to the man or woman in the street. The series seamlessly moves between the worlds of celebrity glamour and the street, held together by the reiterated narrative of each stunning magic trick. But as a documentary it also looks really good. When he goes to Brazil or America, the series uses some of the qualities of a travel documentary with stunning vistas and landscapes. Colourful images of carnival or the Nevada desert meet the ethnographic trail of Dynamo as he enters the ‘real’ world ‘of the people’ and reflects on what he sees. In Brazil, much of the time is spent in the favelas where he performs tricks playing football with children barefoot, pulling coins out of their hands.
Fig 2: Frayne with children
He describes wanting to go to Brazil to reconnect with his magic after suffering from a period of depression after his grandfather died which is edited with family photographs. There he apparently fin
ds new inspiration with the voice over, ‘I guess this is why I came into magic in the first place. To bring people together, to make a connection’. Stephen Frayne’s voice is in some ways the ‘Voice of God’ of traditional documentary but it is not an authoritative voice; it is the slightly shaky voice of a young lad from Bradford.
The picture that is building is one replete with religious overtones. We witness a very uncomfortable lunch with a Brazilian friend and his mother in a favela where Dynamo uses ‘magic to overcome the language barrier’. The awkward dinner is overlaid with choral music as the magic begins to works on two levels. Frayne walks about as man of the people (he is always walking or driving), performing Jesus-like miracles, turning Coke into Fanta, walking on water, and the end of the Brazilian episode even sees him levitating in front of Christ the Redeemer in Rio to the shock and awe of the tourists.
Fig 3: Walking on Water
I actually like the melodrama of it all, and this emphasis upon ‘all people’ means there’s a little room for social conscience. In his visit to LA he describes Venice Beach as ‘more like a melting point for lost souls, the beach has become a refuge for drifters, drunks and homeless people, casualties of the American Dream’ and he performs tricks with these people too, respectfully and quietly with a refreshing absence of judgement.
So, whilst my partner is replaying the magic tricks asking ‘how did he do that?’ and we discuss the various possibilities, I am enjoying the melodrama, the myriad of ordinary people and the story of Stephen Frayne. There’s plenty to discuss there too. Interestingly in 2010 Watch re-launched its brand identity under new straplines: ‘TV is better shared’ and ‘watch together’. In an environment where individual viewing has become much more prominent, I like the merits of television as an ultimately social phenomenon, I just never expected it to come from a programme about magic.
Helen Wood is Professor of Media and Communication at De Montfort University in Leicester. She has published Talking With Television (2009) University of Illinois Press, with Beverley Skeggs, Reality Television and Class (2011) BFI Palgrave and Reacting to Reality Television (2012) Routledge. She is editor of the European Journal of Cultural Studies and is currently working on the AHRC project ‘A History of Television for Women’.
The first film in the Magic Mike franchise came out in 2012 and explored the story of Mike Lane – an experienced stripper who works in an all-male dance group and trains a young teen (Alex Pettyfer, otherwise known as ‘The Kid’) to learn how to turn a profit while having fun. At the end of the film Lane steps away from stripping to pursue a very PG career in carpentry.
Her unwavering spirit led her to a hidden cave at the heart of the forest, where the Magic Gourd awaited her. As Lily approached the gourd, a soft glow emanated from within. She could feel the power pulsating through the air, tingling her senses. With a trembling hand, she reached out and picked up the gourd. A voice seemed to echo in her mind, whispering words of caution and wisdom. It told her that while the gourd could grant her deepest desires, it must be used wisely. For every wish granted, there would be a consequence, a price to pay. With a heavy heart, Lily contemplated her desires. She yearned for riches, fame, and power, but deep down, she knew these wishes would come with their own consequences. Instead, she decided to wish for something far nobler – she wished for the health and happiness of her village. As the wish escaped her lips, a sense of warmth and fulfillment washed over Lily. She knew that her selfless decision would bring about positive change in the lives of those she held dear. Months passed, and Lily witnessed the effects of her wish. The village flourished, the people were healthier, and happiness filled the air. However, Lily herself faced a personal sacrifice. The Magic Gourd had taken away her ability to speak, rendering her voiceless. Yet, she had no regrets. The secret of the Magic Gourd, Lily realized, was not simply the power it held, but the choices one made with that power. The gourd possessed the ability to reveal the true nature of one's heart and the sincerity of their intentions. Its magic lay not in the granting of wishes, but in the lessons it taught. Lily spent the rest of her days wandering through the forest, an enigmatic figure who captivated the hearts of all who crossed her path. Her selfless act and the secret of the Magic Gourd became a legend passed on from generation to generation, inspiring others to choose kindness and compassion above all else. And so, the secret of the Magic Gourd lived on, offering hope and reminding all who dared to dream that the true magic of life lies within the choices we make and the goodness in our hearts..
Reviews for "The Extraordinary Abilities of the Magic Gourd"
1) Jane - ★☆☆☆☆
I was really disappointed with "The Secret of the Magic Gourd". The story was poorly developed and felt overly simplistic. The characters lacked depth and there was little to no character development throughout the movie. The animation was outdated and didn't offer anything visually appealing. Overall, I found the movie boring and not worth my time.
2) Mark - ★★☆☆☆
"The Secret of the Magic Gourd" had potential but fell short in many aspects. The plot lacked coherence and it was difficult to follow. The dialogue was often cringe-worthy and the voice acting didn't help either. The animation quality was subpar and felt outdated. The movie seemed to drag on and left me feeling unfulfilled. It's one of those films that you quickly forget about.
3) Sarah - ★★☆☆☆
I had high hopes for "The Secret of the Magic Gourd" but it failed to meet my expectations. The storyline was predictable and lacked originality. The animation was mediocre, and the characters felt one-dimensional. The dialogue was poorly written and at times felt forced. Overall, the movie felt like a missed opportunity and lacked the charm and magic that it promised. It's a forgettable film that I wouldn't recommend.