Review: Close Up Magic #3 (World's Greatest Magic)

L&L's "World's Greatest Magic" DVDs compile routines from the instructional videos of famous magicians and each title follows a theme. As the name implies, this DVD features close-up, non-playing card routines taught by well known performers. This is the third in a set of three excellent titles.

Bowling

John Mendoza teaches an excellent Benson-style "Bowl Routine" that employs a brass bowl and sponge balls. Here, balls mysteriously vanish and reappear under an inverted bowl that's sitting on the table. Some of the fun elements include the use of a bagless purse frame with accompanying productions. For this one, you'll need to be seated at a table.

The great Tommy Wonder offers an offbeat "Through the Eye of the Needle." In this strange but baffling routine, you bring out a needle and a length of thread. In the blink of an eye, the thread is threaded multiple times through the eye of the needle.

The thread is strung through so many times, spectators can barely budge the thread when they pull on it. At the end, the needle is given away as a souvenir.

Al Schneider offers a great money printing effect with his "Himber Wallet Routine." (Gee, I wonder what the secret can be...) You take a series of blank papers and place them into a wallet where they turn into, or "print" into real twenty dollar bills.

In Henry Evan’s "3D Photograph," you display a picture in your wallet that shows you holding a silk handkerchief. You then produce a silk from the wallet and show that in the picture, you're no longer holding the silk.

A fantastic bit of coin magic that requires some parts that may be difficult to find and purchase, in David Roth's "The Planet," you cause American coins to turn into foreign coins one by one. One coin is signed by a spectator. At the end, the coins vanish and are found inside of a tiny globe that's been sitting on the table.

Sweet Assembly

Johnny Thompson teaches Malini's "Chinese Assembly," which uses sugar cubes. Here, four sugar cubes are laid down on the table and they mysteriously gather together under your hands. The DVD ends with a powerful cup and ball routine by none other than Larry Jennings.

Unlike the other World's Greatest Magic DVDs that tend to focus on an area of magic, this close-up collection features a wide variety of effects. I like the mix and you can learn an entire close-up routine on this DVD.

MSRP: (US) $19.95

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