Penn & Teller’s Magic & Mystery Tour
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Episodes: B-
As performers, magicians and comics, the famous and
successful team of Penn & Teller are not to everyone’s taste, but they are
survivors in a very tough business and are two of the few know living magicians
in a performance art that is not as popular as it used to be. Even if you are not a fan, you may enjoy Penn
& Teller’s Magic & Mystery Tour (2000), a show that takes them to
other countries finding out about what happened to the world of magic. This new DVD from Acorn Media offers three
episodes, in this case with the duo in China, Egypt and India.
Lasting about 50 minutes each, the well-edited shows have
humor and a great deal of information compacted tightly into each segment. It looks like the duo got to travel all over
each locale, because these shows move swiftly and are never boring. The shows also give the duo a chance to show
a new side of themselves. Despite their
occasionally gory moments, older teens can watch and those interested in the
little-discussed history of magic will particularly appreciate the show.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1/16 X 9 image is not
as sharp or clear as expected for such a transfer, showing some detail limits
that make it look like the NTSC DV format, if not much above that. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo surprisingly
has no surround information, but is clean and clear enough for all the location
taping. Extras include text on the duo,
text notes and additional footage not in the actual shows.
- Nicholas Sheffo
