"The Classics" DVD by George McBride
Suggested Retail USD$35.00
Available from your favorite dealer
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

"The Classics", the latest DVD by George McBride, is a collection of some of the best routines and sleights you'll find, even if they are things you may never do. In short, it's a must-have just to see McBride in action.

"The Classics" is a selection of the legendary George McBride's favorite routines, done as only McBride can do them. Covering cards and coins and the classic plots around them, this DVD is packed with excellent magic and powerful sleights, all beautifully taught.

The routines will most likely be quite familiar to you, from "Slow Motion Aces" to "Coins Across" to "Spellbound". There are nine effects in all (plus McBride teaches his favorite false cut) and they are all wonderful pieces made into mind-blowing magic with McBride's special touch. For once, the dealer ad gives you enough info about all the effects so I won't waste your time by going into any amount of detail about each of them; just know that they are are exquisite and elegant and worth learning.

And there's the rub.

McBride's work is anything but simple. We're not talking Elmsley Counts and classic palms and the odd false shuffle or two; with McBride, we're talking multiple-card palming, dealing doubles, dealing seconds, and copping... and that's just his take on "Slo-Motion Aces". If McBride goes that deep, that heavy, with an assembly, do you even want to know what he uses to accomplish his riff on "2-Card Transpo" or "Coins to Glass"?

I can warn you off of this one pretty quickly: if you're after instant gratification, if you want to pop in a disc, watch a method and be ready to go, all the while thinking that a double-lift is about as much sleight work as you want to deal with, then run away from this one. If you take the plunge with "The Classics", you'll be disappointed and frustrated.

However, if you want to see a skilled technician at his best, if you don't mind spending the time learning some sleights you'd probably otherwise never take in, if it doesn't bother you in the least that the biggest value here is learning how a master manipulator goes about the business of creating magic, then you have to buy "The Classics".

It's pretty much that cut-and-dried.

Now, the good news here is that McBride wants you to learn his material. He wants you to invest the time. You can tell. The man all but drips with motivation on this disc, a motivation to make sure to uncover every last detail he can think of. He covers every base you can think of and some you won't. The result? Not only will you learn the ins-and-outs of all the routines but you'll also learn all the sleights that make them work so well. This is a huge thing, to have the sleights taught as well as the routines themselves, because in the end what you've learned is an veritable arsenal of raw methods, ready for you to whip out in your own creations.

I can't stress that enough. Sleights with names that are usually quite scary -- "second deal", "gambler's cop", "top-card cover pass", "double deal", and the list goes on -- are beautifully taught here. While the beginner would be lost to a world of frustration, I think, the more advanced will appreciate these more difficult sleights and the thoroughness McBride brings to teaching them. The simple fact is that McBride makes these frightening things a lot less so. He makes them not only doable (with the necessary work, of course) but also things that can be done with confidence. Considering some of the sleights here, that alone is about as magical as you can get.

I made the comment that this disc is a must-have just to see McBride in action. My prediction is that in time we in magic will look at the performances of McBride as we do other sleight-of-hand masters, looking for every trick, every utterance, from the guy as we sit in awe of his ability. With McBride, now's the time. This disc, probably any disc of his, is going to be one of those things that constantly gets talked about and gets mentioned by those that have seen them.

Save yourself the future aggravation. If you're into coin or card magic -- really good coin and card magic -- then you simply have to check out "The Classics". Even if the just learning the difficulty of the routines make your fingers ache, the beauty of the routines will make your eyes pop.

And who knows? It just may make you pick up a deck and learn that "Twist Shift" after all.

"The Classics" DVD by George McBride
In a Blink: 10 Out of 10

Material: 10
It's classic coin and card routines given a strong boost of steroids by McBride. The effects are as gorgeous as they are knuckle-breaking but fear not: McBride spends a great deal of time on the sleights you'll need to master to pull off these masterpieces. Be prepared to put in a lot of time and elbow grease, but for your trouble you'll have deadly material under your belt (and a lot of great sleights to use in other effects as well).

Practicality: 10
While some of the effects have angle issues or require some table space, on the whole the material is really as practical as it gets: coins, cards, you, and somebody to watch slack-jawed as you go.

Quality of Production: 10
Big Blind Media... Need I say more? Everything is well-shot, the sound is great, the navigation simple... Shoot, even the music sounds good.

Quality of Instruction: 10
McBride is an excellent teacher. You'll learn everything quickly (even if you won't be performing things right away) thanks to a great attention to detail. You'll have no problems here.

Presentation: 10
McBride's magic is all about being clean and open... I thought. In this latest volume of work, the visuals are sometimes so striking they'll take your breath away. But regardless of the core, McBride's work defines the term "commercial".


Shane

Available direct from your favorite dealer. Dealers, please contact Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc. toll-free at 1-800-853-7403 or visit Murphy's Magic Supplies website.