Product Review

SYNOPSIS: Ricky Jay is a world-renowned magician, author, historian and actor (often a mischievous presence in the films of David Mamet and Paul Thomas Anderson) -- and a performer who regularly provokes astonishment from even the most jaded audiences. DECEPTIVE PRACTICE traces Jay's achievements and influences, from his apprenticeship at age 4 with his grandfather, to such now-forgotten legends as Al Flosso, Slydini, Cardini and his primary mentors, Dai Vernon and Charlie Miller. Featuring rare footage from his 1970s TV appearances (doing 3-card Monte with Steve Martin on The Dinah Shore Show) and told in Jay's inimitable voice, this is a remarkable journey inside the secretive world of magic and the small circle of eccentrics who are its perpetual devotees. DVD Features Jay's Colleagues on Camera: Paul Thomas Anderson, Steve Martin, David Mamet, etc. ? Mentors and Magic: Ricky Jay and Michael Weber? Bob Dylan Video featuring Ricky Jay? -Never-Before- Seen Performance Footage, Crazy Anecdotes and Animation? The New Yorker Festival with Mark Singer? Theatrical Trailer? The New Yorker Profile of Ricky Jay by Mark Singer (DVD-ROM).