Watch Magic is a 1978 psychological horror film directed by Richard Attenborough. The main idea behind the film is the power of illusion and how it can manipulate and control the human mind. The film stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as Corky Withers, a struggling magician who finds fame and success when he incorporates ventriloquism into his act. Corky becomes obsessed with his dummy, named Fats, and starts to lose his grip on reality. Fats begins to take on a life of his own, leading to a series of haunting and disturbing events. The main theme of the film is the thin line between illusion and reality.
Who finally ended the salem witch trials
Salem Witch Trials in History and Literature
An Undergraduate Course, University of Virginia
Spring Semester 2001
William Phips was born on February 2, 1651 in the then remote trading village of Woolwich, Maine. Though most historical accounts, including Cotton Mather's biography, traditionally viewed Phips' upbringing as socially disadvantaged, there is now evidence that his family was moderately prosperous. Phips' father co-owned and operated a trading post plantation involved in the trade of fur and weapons between local Wabanaki Indians and English settlers. Phips was one of the youngest of fourteen children born to two different fathers. Formal education was rare in rural Maine, and Phips was illiterate until he began to study in Boston.
In young adulthood, William Phips moved to Boston as a ships carpenter after a four-year apprenticeship near his home. He then married Mary Spencer Hull in 1673, the widow of the prosperous Boston merchant, John Hull. It is probable that William and Mary knew each other as children since both their fathers interacted through business in the same region of Maine. With significantly more social status in Boston, Phips became a sea captain. Knowing that it would take a long time to gain capital as a simple ship captain, he needed to broaden his trading territory. In Daniel Defoe's 1697 Essay upon Projects, DeFoe describes Phips as a "projector," one who "sought wealth and advancement through money-making schemes financed by others." Phips traveled to London in 1683 to seek patronage and funding for treasure hunting among sunken Spanish ships in the Caribbean, and he acquired the financial backing that he needed. With his crew and ship, Phips sailed to the Caribbean, finding substantial treasure in the sea in 1687 when he and his ship, the James and Mary, came across the wreck of the Spanish ship, Concepcion. The crew took between 205,000 to 210,000 English pounds of treasure, an incredible amount of money for the day. One tenth was given to the royal crown and Phips profited by 11,000 pounds, and thus gained a good amount of fortune and fame in London.
In recognition to his loyalty to the Crown for returning to England with his booty, Phips was called to Windsor Castle and was knighted by King James II on June 28, 1687 at the age of 36. This was truly a remarkable achievement for a young man of no nobility, born in the backwoods of New England. Phips returned to Boston as New England's new provost marshal general, a legal position for which he had no experience. He did not remain in Boston long and returned to London giving up his post. Before this trip, he befriended the President of Harvard College, Rev. Increase Mather, and his son the Rev. Cotton Mather, a relationship that would prove to be politically helpful.
In 1689, he made a profession of faith at Cotton Mather's Church and was baptized. While Phips may have found a new sense of spirituality, it is possible that this religious conversion was a means to bring himself closer to the two influential Mathers. The Mathers ensured that Phips was chosen to command military expeditions against the French colonies of Acadia and Canada. These expeditions, especially in Canada were disastrous. For the next two years, Phips resided in London, petitioning for the Massachusetts Charter along with Increase Mather. When the new charter was granted in 1691, Mather used his influence to nominate Phips to be the first Royal Governor of the Colony under the new charter.
When Phips and Mather returned to Massachusetts on May 14, they arrived over two months after the witchcraft accusations began in Salem Village. Already, magistrates were clamoring for the trial of the accused, many of which were already in prison. Phips ordered that "Irons should be put upon those in prison" and subsequently created the Court of Oyer and Terminer, to "hear and determine" the large backlog of cases. Phips placed prominent and experienced men of Boston and Salem on the new court, under the new lieutenant-governor, William Stoughton whom he placed in charge. This would be a decision that would scar Phip's character in history, as Stoughton was an unrelenting zealot, who looked to find guilt by means of spectral evidence, in nearly every one accused of witchcraft. The court's aggressive use of spectral evidence and the seeking of confessions, backed up by naming new suspects, led to the unrelenting spread of witchcraft accusations across the eastern Colony and brought discredit upon the trials.
Years later, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts determined the Court of Oyer and Terminer to be illegal in order to avoid lawsuits, but the court was indeed a legal entity in 1692, created by the legitimate royal governor. Phips remained in Boston throughout the summer until mid-August when departing for Pemaquid in Maine to fortify defenses. Before leaving, he granted a reprieve to Rebecca Nurse, one of the condemned, but this was subsequently withdrawn. Whether Stoughton, or perhaps the Mathers, had some influence on this decision is unknown. Nevertheless, Phips failed to recognize from the beginning the problems associated with the trials, most notably that innocent people were being convicted and executed on the basis of spectral evidence.
Upon returning to the colony, Phips "found many persons in a strange ferment of dissatisfaction . . . [and] found that the Devill had taken upon him the name and shape of several persons who were doubtless innocent." Phips had been known to play with astrology, and was a believer in the existence of witchcraft. Nevertheless, he knew the court was making grave mistakes, no doubt coming to this conclusion after speaking with Increase Mather who "unequivocally condemned spectral evidence" in Cases of Conscience.
Phips took a stronger role against his lieutenant governor, pardoning eight people whom Stoughton condemned to die, months after the executions had stopped. Phips chastised Stoughton for his ruthless abandonment of order in a letter to the King on February 21, 1693. Though Phips used this letter to defend himself, the fact remains that Phips created the Court due to the insistence of the clerical and political authorities in Boston, for what he thought was a legitimate legal need. Though Phips did eventually put an end to the Court, his failure to control the court's aggressive actions during the summer allowed the persecutions to continue. If Phips is to be judged innocent by history, it is only due to ignorance about the misuse of spectral evidence and his trust in the judgment of his clerical friends, Increase and Cotton Mather, and his lieutenant governor William Stoughton.
Sir William gained enemies over the next couple years by his failure to gain English control over French and Native American forces in New England and Canada. The King recalled him to England where he died of fever on February 13, 1693.
Baker, Emerson W. and John G. Reid. The New England Knight, Sir William Phips 1651-1695,1998.
Miller, Perry. "The Judgment of the Witches," in The New England Mind: From Colony to Province, 1953.
Phips, Governor, Sir William. Letters of Governor Phips to the Home Government, 1692-1693, 1693. In George L. Burr, Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648 - 1706, 1914.
The last Salem witch has been exonerated, thanks to an eighth-grade teacher and her students
(CNN) — It’s never too late to right a historical wrong — even if that restoration of justice comes nearly 330 years later.
Elizabeth Johnson Jr., a woman convicted of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials in the 1690s, was finally exonerated last week after years of petitioning by Massachusetts teacher Carrie LaPierre and her eighth-grade civics students. Justice came in the form of a brief addition to the 2023 state budget.
Johnson was accused of witchcraft in 1692 along with more than 200 other women and men in Salem. Of those convicted, 19 were hanged and four others died in prison — Johnson was set to be executed, too, but was later spared.
And yet, during Johnson’s lifetime and over the centuries that followed, her name was never actually cleared. It wasn’t until Carrie LaPierre, an eighth-grade civics teacher at North Andover Middle School, came across her story and involved her students in her case that Massachusetts legislators took notice.
The main theme of the film is the thin line between illusion and reality. Corky's descent into madness is portrayed through his increasingly fragmented and distorted perception of the world around him. The film explores the concept of identity and the dangers of losing oneself in a character or persona.
How to exonerate a convicted witch, 300-plus years later
North Andover, a town in northeastern Massachusetts, is only about 40 minutes from Salem. But until she’d read a book on local witches by historian Richard Hite, LaPierre said she had no idea how the Salem witch trials reverberated in the North Andover area — and it was within those pages that she learned of Johnson.
While many other convicted witches were exonerated, many of them posthumously, the late Johnson — or “EJJ,” as LaPierre and her students called her — had “somehow been overlooked while all other convicted witches had been exonerated over the years,” LaPierre told CNN in an email.
Details of Johnson’s life are slim, but her family was a major target of the Salem witch trials, driven by hysteria, Puritanical rule and feuding between families. She was one of 28 family members accused of witchcraft in 1692, according to the Boston Globe.
Johnson made a compelling confession during a court examination: She said that another woman, Martha Carrier, “perswaded her to be a witch” and that Carrier told her she “Should be Saved if she would be a witch,” according to a 1692 document digitized by the University of Virginia’s Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive.
Some of the details of her story were sordid and mortifying to Salem’s residents: Johnson said the devil appeared to her “like two black Catts,” and she named several other people in Salem whom she said were involved in witchcraft. She also showed her knuckles, where it appeared fellow “witches” had “suckt her,” according to the 1692 examination document.
For her “crimes,” Johnson was sentenced to death at age 22, as the Boston Globe reported last year, but she was given a reprieve by the governor at the time (whose wife had also been accused of witchcraft).
In 1711, after state officials realized they’d had little evidence to convict and execute or imprison women (and some men) for witchcraft, they exonerated many of those who’d been convicted or even hanged, including John Proctor, later one of the protagonists in Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible.”
Johnson’s name, though, was omitted from this list. So in 1712, she petitioned Salem to be included in the act, which provided restitution to families of the accused.
In the letter, she asked “That the Honourable Court would please to allow me Something in consideration of my charges by reason of my Long Imprisonment, which will be thankfully acknowledged as a great favour.”
Why, exactly, Johnson was left out is unclear. But LaPierre decided, after connecting with the North Andover Historical Society, LaPierre that taking up the case of a long-dead “witch” and clearing her name could be an engaging project for her students — a real-life application of civics in action.
Watch Magic also examines the power dynamics in relationships, particularly between men and women. Ann-Margret co-stars as Peggy, Corky's love interest and former high school crush. Their relationship becomes strained as Corky's obsession with Fats grows, highlighting the destructive nature of unrequited love and the lengths one will go to possess what they desire. The film is known for its atmospheric cinematography and eerie score, which heighten the tension and create a sense of unease. The use of close-ups and tight framing further emphasizes the psychological intensity of the story. Overall, Watch Magic is a chilling and thought-provoking film that delves into the depths of the human psyche. It serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of losing oneself in a false reality created by the power of illusion. The film's lasting impact lies in its exploration of the dark side of the human mind and the dangers of obsession..
Reviews for "How Watch Magic Captivated Audiences in 1978"
1. John - 2/5 stars - "I was really disappointed with Watch Magic 1978. The plot was confusing and the pacing was off. I found it difficult to follow the storyline and connect with the characters. Additionally, the acting was subpar and the special effects were outdated. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this movie to others who are looking for a magical and captivating experience."
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - "I have to say, I really hated Watch Magic 1978. The film felt like a never-ending series of confusing and disjointed scenes without any clear direction. The characters lacked depth and the dialogue was cringe-worthy. I couldn't wait for it to be over and I felt like I wasted my time watching this movie. I would advise others to steer clear of this disappointment."
3. Mike - 2/5 stars - "Watch Magic 1978 didn't live up to the hype for me. The concept seemed interesting, but the execution fell flat. The acting was wooden and the story dragged on without any real surprises or excitement. The film failed to captivate my attention and by the end, I couldn't wait for it to be over. I was left feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied."