Word: magical
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Confusion is heaped upon confusion as McMann vainly attempts to separate the deadly reality from the crazy fantasies of Palmer, but with no real success. Conti, with the theatrical-magic he brought to Reuben, Reuben and The Norman Chronicles, transforms the whiny, irresolute McMann he found in the script into a sexy and sympathetic British playboy. With a perfectly raised eyebrow and a fatalistic shrug, Conti is Man confronted with the inexplicable essence of uninhibited feminity. Conti is God's gift to romantic comedy, an Italo-British Cary Grant who consistently surpasses every superlative piled on his previous performances...
...production, then, Life is a Dream strives hard, and occasionally succeeds in bringing its magic to life, particularly with the aid of Bradford's strong performance. But as a work of drama, for all its aspirations, the play never really manages to cast a lasting spell. For the moment, at least, Shakespeare's reputation is quite secure...
...recent a spate of opera films are making it possible to munch away on popcorn, Junior Mints or anything else while basking in some of the world's sophisticated music. The film adaptations of Mozart's "The Magic Flute", Puccini's "La Traviata" and now Bizet's "Carmen" return opera to its intended audience, the general public, more successfully than any low-budget opera company ever could...
Louisville can only have left the President wishing that he could so easily sail back into his magic. Until the debate, the presidential campaign had been a disengaged and ghostly pageant, on either side a kind of somnambulation: Reagan working under a charm, Mondale under some sour malediction. After Louisville, the campaign began to develop, Like a Polaroid picture in one's hand as the images start to come clear...
Bauer comes into her element in the second act. Part of the magic comes from a careful economy of movement. By perfecting antique, elongated shapes, Bauer gives the illusion of being supported by thin air. The absence of superfluous gestures suspends this illusion even further. With light, fluttering footwork and muted, delicate poses, Bauer surrenders her soul to the supernatural world of the willis...