|
|
erictan8888 Special user Singapore 517 Posts |
Hi, read somewhere that the Magic Of Alex Elmsley
set of 4 DVDs is very good... what do you think? how does it compare to Michael Ammar's easy to master card miracles? How easy to perform are the tricks in Magic Of Alex Elmsley? I love Ammar's ETMCM....and I find the tricks in ETMCM my level of performance...not too tough...how does elmsley's tricks compare in terms of difficulty? thank you very much eric
"Fill you life with magic by making magic a part of your life." by eric tan.
|
Mistro Special user Canada 577 Posts |
Yes!! They are really good.
ETMCM is not as good as the Elmsley dvds but they are easier. But I would go with the Elmsley DVDs %100. Highly Recomended!!! |
JimMaloney Inner circle 1184 Posts |
Go check out the thread on Alex in the card magic section.
The videos are great, and there's a nice mix of stuff, from the sleight-less to the knucklebusting, with most of it being somewhere inbetween. There's some nice work with the Faro Shuffle, plus a number of effects that use, of course, the Elmsley Count. -Jim
Books and Magazines for sale -- more than 200 items (Last updated January 17th, 2014. Link goes to public Google Doc.)
|
nycmagic New user New York, NY 54 Posts |
This is a fantastic set of videos (I haven't yet upgraded to the DVDs). The material on the DVDs is classic. You get to see his T&R newspaper which is very unique and not used by many magicians (which can be a good thing). Nick Lewin uses this tear and sells the heck out of the restoration. The card material is classic including the Dazzle Act, Brainweave, Ghost/Elmsley Count tricks, a unique cups and balls routine, faro tricks and lots of other great stuff. The dazzle routine was my favorite thing, but it's all great stuff.
Jeremy |
Kamal Loyal user 253 Posts |
hmmm, don't know if we're talking about the same set, but I would rank these videos right alongside the Jim Swain 'Miracles with Cards' videos... utterly useless.
For the man who invented the count that bears his name, he struggles to make the count look natural. I'm sure the material, in the right hands would be great, but haveing both the videos and his collected works, I am somewhat dissapointed. Consider this: I met a boy of 9 years old yesterday, whose elmsley count was better than Alex Elmsley's (on those videos). So while I respect his inginuity and creativity, his performance and skill shown on the videos IMHO are nothing special. A shame really... |
JimMaloney Inner circle 1184 Posts |
I believe he mentions on the video that they were filmed after a long break from magic. He freely admits that his presentation and technique are not up to par.
Still, that doesn't make his contributions (i.e. effects) any less valuable. But hey...if you don't like it, better for me! -Jim
Books and Magazines for sale -- more than 200 items (Last updated January 17th, 2014. Link goes to public Google Doc.)
|
Turk Inner circle Portland, OR 3546 Posts |
On the four tapes/DVDs, what percentage is card magic and what percentage is "other"?
Magic is a vanishing Art.
This must not be Kansas anymore, Toto. Eschew obfuscation. |
Kamal Loyal user 253 Posts |
I agree completely, his contributions to magic are significant, I just feel anyone who is looking at purchasing these dvd's/videos should be aware that his skills are not up to scratch.
|
dpe666 Inner circle 2895 Posts |
The material is wonderful, but Elmsley is a very boring performer.
|
Larry Barnowsky Inner circle Cooperstown, NY where bats are made from 4770 Posts |
Quote:
On 2003-10-07 22:18, dpe666 wrote: Elmsley has a style which is very British and may not appeal to all Americans. However, his patter is quite good and his presentaion not boring at all at least to me. I would compare him to Vernon and Marlo and say his presentation much more polished than those masters. Collinspell and Dazzle are among dozens of great effects on these DVDs. The DVDs are highly recommended. |
Kamal Loyal user 253 Posts |
Quote:
On 2003-10-08 15:17, The Original Countelmsley wrote: hmmm, well I'm australian, and I find Guy Hollingworth to be very entertaining (he is British isn't he?). Having said that I still think the legacy of Elmsley would better have been served with some of the modern day masters to have performed his effects rather than Elmsley himself (similar to the dai vernon reveltaions videos). It in some ways reminds me of winners of magic convention competitions going back the next year to 'defend' thier title. They have nothing to gain by doing so. And can severly harm thier ego's (we know how precious they are) if they lose. Same thing with Elmsley. He only harmed his reputation by making those videos. Until I had seen them, I held him in the highest regard. Now, while I credit his genius, I cannot acknowledge him as a 'real' performer. |
Larry Barnowsky Inner circle Cooperstown, NY where bats are made from 4770 Posts |
Dr K,
I agree, Guy Hollingworth is very enertaining and a better performer than Alex. Elmsley himself would agree with you that he is not a professional performer. I don't however think he was boring. There aren't many true professional closeup performers out there who are truly entertaining. Aldo Colombini and David Regal come to mind as among the best. |
Ian Richards Loyal user 226 Posts |
It is enlightening that the negative comments regarding Mr. Elmsley’s performing style are from individuals who are employed in magic shops. Perhaps the quaint charm of Mr. Elmsley’s performing style is inappropriate for the atmosphere of such establishments.
It is enlightening that the negative comments regarding Mr. Elmsley’s performing style are from individuals who are employed in magic shops. “The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley Volume 1” by Stephen Minch, page 3, the first sentence on the first page of the book following the introduction states: “I think of myself as an inventor, not as a performer.” The fact that many of the most highly regarded magical entertainers (real performers), Bill Malone and Simon Lovell, to name just two, have put Mr. Elmsley’s material on their videos and the fact that L & L Publishing has re-issued this material on DVD should give you an indication of the worth of this collection. |
Euan Inner circle 1041 Posts |
Quote:
On 2003-10-07 22:18, dpe666 wrote: --Euan |
Beetroot Loyal user 267 Posts |
I'd never seen Alex Elmsley before so I was intrigued when I bought a couple of the DVDs.
I think he's great. He may not be ultra-slick, but he could fool laymen and I think his character is great. He comes across calm, cool and charming and his presence commands attention. He's also quietly funny. I very much like the effect where he started by saying "I am a ghost". I hope I am that good when I am that age! |
HiveMind Veteran user 303 Posts |
Some people want to SEE the thing done right.
Others will want to SEE Elmsley good or bad. Still others only care that they can LEARN from the video. As long as the idea gets across, it wont matter how well it was done to these people. BUT it is important in a review stick to the poster's qualifications for "worth it" If you don't know... I suggest you ask. I don't want to be a jerk, but I'm tired of someone's VALID critique getting attacked. Especially when they LIKE the magician, but think the VIDEO wasn't up to par... This is the sort of review I appreciate... NOT the ones who more or less present the idea that "This magician is one of the greats, therefore everything they do is gold." I admire the respect, but in a review it is just bias, and therefore defeating the purpose of the review.
"Free will is an illusion." - B.F. Skinner
|
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Dvd, Video tape, Audio tape & Compact discs. » » Are Magic Of Alex Elmsley DVDs good? (1 Likes) |
[ Top of Page ] |
All content & postings Copyright © 2001-2024 Steve Brooks. All Rights Reserved. This page was created in 0.02 seconds requiring 5 database queries. |
The views and comments expressed on The Magic Café are not necessarily those of The Magic Café, Steve Brooks, or Steve Brooks Magic. > Privacy Statement < |