Review of The Magic Christian (1969) by James G — 16 Aug 2007

Something of a forgotten minor gem, The Magic Christian is an age of Aquarius satire based on the presumption that people will do everything for money, and that everyone can be bought for a price, a hypothesis millionairre Peter Sellers and street urchin Ringo Starr exploit in a series of situationist pranks which escalate in scale and ambition.

John Cleese and Graham Chapman's fingers are all over the script, which prefigures gags and themes they'd explore in their TV series the following year. Ringo Starr is a comedy natural, Sellers gives one of his more measured performances of this time, and there is a wealth of cameos from British comic actors (often in situations you're unlikely to see them in elsewhere - Hattie Jacques eulogising about being molested by a perverted dentist.

.. "He put a raw egg in my throat!" - and famous film stars and one Roman Polanski, here memorably serenaded by Yul Brynner in full drag. That should tell you if it's your thing or not - and remember, "Silent scream, tiny mouth".