New name "Stratford upon Avon Postcards" same effect 😊

At the start of this year I decided that from now on I would only perform my own effects.
Effects which I had created myself.....
I think I may make an exception for this.

Chris is one of the few people who, IMHO, has never put out anything less than a top notch effect.


steve

IMO what makes this unique is the presentation. The trick is the same. Think of all the horror movies, especially Psycho or Jaws. Take away the sound and the fear factor diminishes. Chris has added the sound which is awesome.

Best

Steve

Glad you found what you're after, Edith. And thank you so much for the kind words, Stephen and Steven!

Just a thought. It might have been a good idea to provide both nude and non-nude postcards. I like this a lot, and will use it when appropriate.

Thanks, Nicholas! It certainly could have been done that way, but it would significantly push up the price. You could always block out the nipples with sharpie or black tape (something like I do on the cover).

= Sharpie pasties

Thematically, this seems pitch perfect just as it is. If it doesn't suit you, don't perform it. It is really that simple. I don't mean this harshly, just very sincerely.

As we have come to expect from Chris, he's brought a screenwriter's sensibilities to the table. In so doing, he's taken a classic and transformed it in keeping with his unique vision. This is risky in art and doesn't always work out but when it does, as in this case, the pay off can be awesome.

In asking my family for examples from literature and film of similarly successful transformations, the first one that came up was in the opposite direction, from an adult themed story to a children's classic. From Hamlet to The Lion King.

With French Postcards, Chris tells a compelling story in just a few sentences. Once interest has been generated, he then puts the participant INTO the tale. This is a brilliant combination and, along with being a retelling of a classic, is why the effect garners such strong reactions, IMHO.

I'm thinking a Red Sharpie would be interesting... ; )

I'm liking this a lot. White star is good for the right occasions but this is just a perfect fit for anywhere. I thought Chris came across as convincing in the demo too. It looked to me just how the real thing it might look and that's not something I see that often.

Sharpie pasties. Saysold, I figured no one had ever written that phrase before on the internet... I was wrong.

Thank you so much, Bill! I agree with you -- telling an intriguing story then recreating it with the spectator is very powerful.

And thanks, Sean!

And here's more feedback on the effect (used with permission):

"I've just performed French Postcards for the first time, for a group of friends at a dinner party. It was a great success, despite my trepidation after only limited practice! One of my friends who loves magic, declared "your best trick ever" and another friend who can't stand being fooled grabbed the cards and searched high and low, front and back, for " how did he do that?" without being any the wiser, which only added to her frustration! I'm sure in the hands of experienced magicians this trick has a lot of potential but even in the hands of the weekend rank amateur like me, both the magicians and the audience can have a lot of fun. I can thoroughly recommend this trick to all."
-Peter French

I will be at Magic Live, putting in a little time at the Penguin booth demonstrating French Postcards (and 100th Monkey). Come on by and say hi!

And here's another testimonial (as always, used with permission):

"The best version of the best card effect ever!" -Rob Maron

Thanks, Rob!

Ordered from Saturn Magic - This looks great

Thanks, reignofsound -- hope you enjoy it!

Here is a great quote:
"Love these! What a fun, creative spin on a classic. I look forward to seeing what other effects I can dress up with these beauties."
Charlie Frye

Best regards,
Titanas

Enjoyed meeting you at Magic Live.

When I returned home I had a gig at a small dinner party where I performed close up magic. I decided to perform FPC for the first time in public and I have to say it commanded a killer response.

When the young lady who divined the erotic cards finished her selections and discovered she had nailed it, I looked at her husband and said, "You know what all this means don't you?" PAUSE - "It means she (wife) is extremely perceptive and you may get lucky tonight." He laughed and blurted out, "From your mouth to god's ear!"

Thanks again for your creation!

Tommy

Wow, thanks for posting that, Titanas -- Charlie Frye is awesome!

Nice meeting you too, Tommy. Thanks for the kind words and sharing the story -- that made me laugh!

Another cool person I met at Magic Live was the great Simon Aronson, who had just bought French Postcards before the festival and gave me this quote on it: “French Postcards has a great hook, a justification, a clever prop, and an intriguing involvement of the spectator.” Thank you so much, Simon.

Chris may or may not have already posted this link in the earlier pages (I have not read them) but you can read my review here: http://www.mylovelyassistant.com/reviews/view/4853

If you can see yourself using the tasteful and culturally-neutral nude cards, this should be a no-brainer. Even with the tame nudity, you still need to exercise judgement on when to use these and when not to use them.

At the end of the day, this is a superb product!

By the way, I noticed that someone said their instruction pages were out of order, so I double checked my instructions to see if they had the same issue and they do not.

Someone also mentioned the point where the instructions mixed up which cards are on top. I must have automatically corrected it in my mind when I first read the instructions (because I know many handlings and methods for OOTW) because I missed that error. It does exist in my edition, but Chris is now aware of it and is going to fix it for future printings.

Just wondering if anyone else has tried the built in solution for the performer to complete the task. I've used it a few times and am starting to think this might be my preferred presentation as a reading of the spectators mind.

Hey Doctor J -- thank you so much for the thorough and insightful review (and the five stars!)

Wardy, I suppose you can finish the task yourself but I prefer to give all the accolades to the volunteer.