The DVDs are still turning up. This one appeared while we're tidying the house for Christmas (along with another that duplicates a couple of tapes I've already blogged).
I first thought I wouldn't blog this one, as it's a little bit of a cheat. It's a DVD Rip of a commercial tape that I was lent by a work colleague, so it's morally slightly dodgy. Plus, the contents are a lot more spoilery than just 'what happened in this TV show'.
It's The Devil's Picturebook. An instructional video featuring Derren Brown wherein he presents a number of card magic illusions, and explains in detail how they are done. It's aimed at the magic community, and does expect some knowledge of general magic principles, but it's fascinating to see how his routines are all very carefully thought out, with a combination of the moves required mixed with creating moments of misdirection to hide some of the sleights.
He's 'interviewed' by Peter Clifford, also a magician, although mostly he's there so that Derren has someone to whom he can demonstrate his techniques.
The illusions presented here start with "3-Card Routine" in which three people each pick a card, and Derren variously reveals the cards, makes them disappear, and finds them again in various places (including in his shoe).
"Card Under Box" is a much shorter routine in which a chosen card keeps being disappeared and found under a card box.
"Oil and Water" is Derren's version of a classic magic routine where alternating red and black cards are magically divided into groups of the same colour.
"Zamiel's Rose" is a short card reveal that ends with some rose petals.
"Smoke" involves a cigarette.
"Out of this World" is another well-known routine involving dividing the cards into two packs of the same colour.
"Doublethink" is a double card prediction.
"Extreme Mental Effort" is an illusion that uses some of Derren's 'mind-reading' which looks amazingly difficult, but turns out to have the simplest technique of any of the tricks shown here.
"Invisible Deal" is a trick where the subject has to pick a card, but they're only using an imaginary deck of cards.
"Invisible Deal Force" is a similar trick, but this one sees Derren forcing a particular card without using cards.
"Mental Force" is a trick that Derren used at the start of one of his TV episodes, where he influences the subject to pick the 3 of diamonds.
After the end of the show itself, there's a rather silly sequence in which Derren does an impression of Guy Hollingworth, another card magician. I'm sure it's done with love.
After this recording, the tape ends and rewinds, so we actually get a bit of actual TV, which is the main reason I felt I had to include this disc. Although what we have is a few programmes from the Learning Zone, so it's tricky to find the exact date. But I think I've managed.
There's a lot of a documentary about curare - Return of the Flying Death.
There's a short programme - What can Medics Learn from Crocodiles?
Another short programme in which Mike Bullivant off of Rough Science takes a look at herbal medicines.
Then the recording finally stops during The Challenge - To Build the Largest Water Garden in Europe.
BBC Genome: BBC Two England - 10th October 2003 - 00:30
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