VANISH MAGIC BACK ISSUES Matt Franco | Page 11

by the performer’s skill and dramatic stage presence. After the show Wei Ling Soo removes his oriental stage make up in his dressing room, and it comes as no surprise to us that without the crooked moustache and the gold and scarlet robe he is a proper Englishman. His real name is Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth), and besides being a conjurer he is also a sceptic and an expert in exposing fraudulent mediums. This evening he gets company in the dressing room: a fellow illusionist asks for his help. A young, beautiful clairvoyant, Sophie Baker (Emma Stone), has wrapped a wealthy widow and her son around her little finger in the south of France. The two magicians travel together to the French Riviera. Sophie conducts séances where the spirits knock on wood and candles are floating in midair. Stanley is both troubled and enchanted by Sophie’s “gift”. He, the foremost debunker of spiritual miracles, is it possible that he could have been wrong all his life? As the plot thickens the question is who is deluding whom. It will be revealed in due course - but not before the main characters have entangled themselves in a web of adorable Woody Allenesque whimsical romantic complications. Magic in the Moonlight is released on 25 July in the US, on 28 August in Australia and 19 September in the UK. LUBOR FIEDLER (1933-2014) Magicial inventor and all around genius Lubor Fiedler died on September 3, 2014. He was 81 years old. He was known for some of the most creative and fun magic ever produced, some of which made it into toy stores and departments stores all over the world under th Tenyo brand. Born in Brno, Czechoslovakia Fiedler was raised in a middle class family. His father worked in a bank, but after World War II his family lost a lot of money after the Communists introduced a new currency. Lubor was given a job by the state drilling for coal for 18 months before eventually ending up working in a chemical factory. Lubor moved to Vienna to escape communist Czechoslovakia leaving his wife and daughter behind in Czechoslovakia. He did not see them again for 15 almost years. While in Vienna, Lubor was selling magic tricks to the public on the streets and at the entrances to supermarkets in order to make ends meet. Fiedler’s creations include Gozinta Boxes, the Dental Dam trick, Red Hot Wire and many more. He has created many successful effects for Tenyo. Lubor Fiedler resided in Spittal, Austria. His inventions also include: Parabox (1993), Invisible Zone (1995), Krazy Keys (1996), Impossible Pen (1997), Antigravity Rock (1998), Phantom Clock (1999), Blue Crystal (2000), Gozinta Boxes, Lubor’s Lens, Royal Fantasy, and many more. An incredibly talented and creative being. His equal may not come in our lifetime. VANISH - International Magic Magazine www.VanishMagazine.com 11