This review took longer than it should have to publish and, for that, I owe everyone who reads this an apology. Had I published sooner, you may have read this sooner, and you would have had a chance to experience a fantastic documentary sooner. Lost in the Shuffle is everything that I want in a documentary. I often say that I’m not a fan of documentaries, but it turns out, time and time again, that I’m a huge fan when the topic interests me. I find history fascinating and dabble in card magic myself, so Lost in the Shuffle feels like a documentary that was written to appeal to me.
Lost in the Shuffle looks at the story surrounding the death of Charles VIII of France. I say story and not history because what is discussed is more of a conspiracy theory drawn from the artwork on a deck of playing cards, a fascinating conspiracy theory that, at times, had me convinced it could be true. The documentary does balance this theory with the known story of the death of Charles VIII told by French historians. However, since the documentary follows a magician, the story found in the deck of cards makes for a more interesting and entertaining film.
In the film, Shawn Farquhar, a Canadian magician, sets out to explore the story and develop a magic trick based on it. In doing so, he seeks out the guidance of four of the world’s best magicians – Alexandra Duvivier, Juan Tamariz, Richard Turner, and Michael Vincent – each of whom contribute a favourite plot of theirs to Farquhar’s final plot. In card magic, a plot is a theme or storyline used to engage the audience and provide a framework for trick. For me, as a magic enthusiast, seeing each of these masters of magic perform and discuss their techniques was a dream come true. In many ways, this documentary gave me a once in a life time experience, where I felt like I was in the room discussing the plots with the magicians rather than watching them on a screen. For that, I need to give credit to director, Jon Ornoy, for really bringing everything together.
The most interesting thing for me, however, was learning about the National Playing Card Museum in Turnhout, Belgium, which has taken the number one spot on my travel bucket list. It was a lot of fun to see the old playing card printing presses in use and to learn how the cards were made. An easier visit for me, being in Canada myself, will be Shawn Farquhar’s HiddenWonders, which has also gone on my bucket list.
I just had a lot of fun with this documentary. There’s something about magic, particularly card magic, that can excite and amaze all of us. Even knowing a bit of slight of hand and a few tricks, magic still mystifies me. It makes me feel like a little kid again and the wonder and awe are inexplicable. That’s how I felt watching this documentary. The storytelling, the magic, and the overall journey were more than I ever could have hoped for. While the film is available to stream, this is one that I would love to have on my shelf, it feels like something that you want to own on physical media, so that you know you’ll always have access to it. Thankfully, it is available and I’ll be purchasing my own copy to own forever.
My only disappointment, and I only have myself to blame, is that I didn’t learn about this earlier and was not able to acquire the decks of cards used at the end of the documentary, which were sold on the documentary website and are now, sadly, sold out. You have to admit, if the only downside to a film is that you couldn’t spend money on items related to the film, the film itself has to be pretty amazing and Lost in the Shuffle was just that – amazing.
Lost in the Shuffle is available to stream via a number of rental and purchase services.
Lost in the Shuffle
Movie title: Lost in the Shuffle
Movie description: For almost as long as there have been cards, there have been card tricks. In the hands of a magician, a simple deck of cards takes on a life of its own and is elevated to an instrument of wonder and awe. Seen through the eyes of some of the world’s best sleight-of-hand artists, Lost in the Shuffle is a loving look at how playing cards have become synonymous with magic and the mysteries hidden in their art. Two-time world champion Shawn Farquhar takes us through six countries as he both tries to prove his theory that hidden in the art of every deck of cards are the clues to the conspiracy to kill a French king in 1498, while simultaneously creating a brand-new routine that tells the real story of Charles VIII’s untimely demise. Workshopping different elements of the routine with four top magicians, the film pulls back the curtain on the creativity, ingenuity and psychological tricks the modern magician employs to make us all believe in the impossible.
Date published: 2024-04-29
Director(s): Jon Ornoy
Actor(s): Shawn Farquhar, Alexandra Duvivier, Juan Tamariz, Richard Turner, Michael Vincent
Genre: Documentary
Overall
5-
Overall
-
Cerebral Cinema
