September 9, 2024
FILM: LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
DIRECTED BY: JON ORNOY
STARRING: SHAWN FARQUHAR, ALEXANDRA DUVIVIER, JUAN TAMARIZ
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When I was kid there were always decks of cards in our house. My family loved to play Michigan Rummy on holidays and my parents would hang out with their friends and play other card games. At one point, I received a deck of magic cards as a gift which became a brief obsession. I then moved onto other interests and now can’t remember the last time I played any card games. I mention all of this because these experiences don’t compare to those of Shawn Farquhar a pretty big deal (get it?) card magician from Canada. The new documentary, Lost in the Shuffle, follows him as he embarks on a journey to explore a mystery concerning the design of the cards and to meet up with other magician friends around the world.
After many years working as a magician, Farquhar began to examine the cards more closely. He discusses how the top cards (King, Queen, Jack) may in fact be based on real people. Specifically, he believes the cards provide clues as to the death of French King Charles VIII, several hundred years ago. Writer/director Jon Ornoy takes us in several directions with this premise. To get there, he provides clips from Farquhar’s early career doing magic on television, winning awards, and eventually opening his own magic theater. This helps us to get to know who Farquhar is as he begins his trip to Belgium, France, England, the U.S. and Spain. There, we meet other magicians who share some of the “plots” of their various magic card games. While some of the “tricks” are interesting to see, especially those of a visually impaired magician, they are a bit long and tend to veer the film’s focus away from its central conceit. When Farquhar does bring up his murder theory, most are shocked and seem to have never considered the various clues within a deck of cards that might hint to its validity. Most of the mystery stems from two key cards: the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades. Ornoy includes some imaginative animation to help viewers visualize more closely the details on the cards and how the mystery might have played out.
There are other interesting sequences in the film including some tracking of the history of playing cards which can be traced back to China in the 1200s. I also enjoyed seeing the printing presses that have created the standard decks of cards that have been around for the past two hundred years or so. It was also great to see some brief scenes from early cinema director George Melies’ “trick” films with cards. (These are definitely worth seeking out.)
Missing from the design detail discussions though are why four suits were created, why there are clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds and why the ace and joker are included in a deck. If one of the main purposes here was to provide us with a strong understanding of card decks, such details could have been addressed. The film meanders between stories of the possible theory behind the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades, interviews with magicians, extensive magic tricks, and a little bit of history. Any one of these sequences could have made their own respective documentaries. So, the film feels a bit patched together and the primary focus is on Farquhar as he explores all of this. There is though, a satisfying final scene in which the magician pulls a lot of these details together. Still, I wanted more from each exploration.
It should be noted that this isn’t a film which attempts to explain how card tricks work. I don’t know that anyone is necessarily calling for such a film but maybe one explanation might help those of us that get easily confused by the “plots” of these tricks. But then, maybe that’s the point. These are experts who have spent their lives devoted to the magic of cards. Perhaps that’s all we should see. For most of us they’re magical mysteries just like the story of the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades.
Lost in the Shuffle will be available on VOD beginning September 10th.
FILM: LOST IN THE SHUFFLE
DIRECTED BY: JON ORNOY
STARRING: SHAWN FARQUHAR, ALEXANDRA DUVIVIER, JUAN TAMARIZ
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
When I was kid there were always decks of cards in our house. My family loved to play Michigan Rummy on holidays and my parents would hang out with their friends and play other card games. At one point, I received a deck of magic cards as a gift which became a brief obsession. I then moved onto other interests and now can’t remember the last time I played any card games. I mention all of this because these experiences don’t compare to those of Shawn Farquhar a pretty big deal (get it?) card magician from Canada. The new documentary, Lost in the Shuffle, follows him as he embarks on a journey to explore a mystery concerning the design of the cards and to meet up with other magician friends around the world.
After many years working as a magician, Farquhar began to examine the cards more closely. He discusses how the top cards (King, Queen, Jack) may in fact be based on real people. Specifically, he believes the cards provide clues as to the death of French King Charles VIII, several hundred years ago. Writer/director Jon Ornoy takes us in several directions with this premise. To get there, he provides clips from Farquhar’s early career doing magic on television, winning awards, and eventually opening his own magic theater. This helps us to get to know who Farquhar is as he begins his trip to Belgium, France, England, the U.S. and Spain. There, we meet other magicians who share some of the “plots” of their various magic card games. While some of the “tricks” are interesting to see, especially those of a visually impaired magician, they are a bit long and tend to veer the film’s focus away from its central conceit. When Farquhar does bring up his murder theory, most are shocked and seem to have never considered the various clues within a deck of cards that might hint to its validity. Most of the mystery stems from two key cards: the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades. Ornoy includes some imaginative animation to help viewers visualize more closely the details on the cards and how the mystery might have played out.
There are other interesting sequences in the film including some tracking of the history of playing cards which can be traced back to China in the 1200s. I also enjoyed seeing the printing presses that have created the standard decks of cards that have been around for the past two hundred years or so. It was also great to see some brief scenes from early cinema director George Melies’ “trick” films with cards. (These are definitely worth seeking out.)
Missing from the design detail discussions though are why four suits were created, why there are clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds and why the ace and joker are included in a deck. If one of the main purposes here was to provide us with a strong understanding of card decks, such details could have been addressed. The film meanders between stories of the possible theory behind the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades, interviews with magicians, extensive magic tricks, and a little bit of history. Any one of these sequences could have made their own respective documentaries. So, the film feels a bit patched together and the primary focus is on Farquhar as he explores all of this. There is though, a satisfying final scene in which the magician pulls a lot of these details together. Still, I wanted more from each exploration.
It should be noted that this isn’t a film which attempts to explain how card tricks work. I don’t know that anyone is necessarily calling for such a film but maybe one explanation might help those of us that get easily confused by the “plots” of these tricks. But then, maybe that’s the point. These are experts who have spent their lives devoted to the magic of cards. Perhaps that’s all we should see. For most of us they’re magical mysteries just like the story of the King of Hearts and the Queen of Spades.
Lost in the Shuffle will be available on VOD beginning September 10th.