Howard Hamburg is a magical legend. Known to be particularly secretive, yet it is with you that he now shares more than 60 years of magical experience. He, who experienced the golden age of the Magic Castle in Hollywood, was a personal friend of Dai Vernon and Charlie Miller, among others, and shares many fascinating anecdotes with you. As if you were there! In this episode, he shares with you a particularly touching story with Johnny Thompson. Thanks to him you will be able to relive these privileged moments.  

In 1988, Dominique Duvivier edited a video program (then in VHS!) " Special Ernest Pancrazi", which we now offer to you. This program has been divided into five parts. "This special is very special. No explanations... or almost. But an exclusive interview with one of the greatest magicians in the world. If you are a beginner magician, or even an experienced one, or a senior one, sit back and get carried away by our guest..." Not to be missed under any circumstances!  

Fred Razon introduces us to this art form, which is an adjunct to magic and can be a wonderful complement to our own performances. He breaks down his pickpocket act element by element, and gives us the keys to integrating this art form with magic to complete and enrich our performances. These explanations are split into seven parts. - Part #1: In this preamble, he draws our attention to the fact that it is better to approach these explanations on pickpocketing in the order of the videos. - Part #2: He presents the main lines that will be developed in the following chapters, and he shares his own journey with us, as well as his list of his favorite pickpockets. - Part #3: How to "steal" a watch. - Part #4: How to manage the "steals" based on the disposition of the pockets in the spectator's jacket. - Part #5: Description of his stage act, which consists of 3 steps, plus the final step. - Part #6: Continuation of part #5. - Part #7: Answers to miscellaneous questions asked by Alexandra Duvivier.  

The "elders" thought that magic could only be divided into 3 families of effects: appearance, disappearance, transformation. In the last century, Winston Freer revolutionized magic by discovering 17 families. Dominique Duvivier developed the concept and today, his work is based on 30 families! In this video, Alexandra Duvivier highlights the importance of this concept and explains how she takes it into account to enrich her performances and make them more attractive.  

 

« Hiding the Elephant » is a book written by Jim Steinmeyer that traces the history and "wars" between magicians when magic became the entertainment of choice for the general public before the advent of movies. He describes the creative process in magic, the notion of keeping a secret in magic, etc... through the great magicians of the time (Thurston, Selbit, Devant, Maskelyne, Kellar, Robert-Houdin, Buatier de Kolta, Houdini...) and the illusions they created. A fascinating and essential book!  

To celebrate the 23 years of existence of the Double Fond, in 2011 we welcomed Eric Antoine for a few shows and a lecture. We can say that the atmosphere was particularly nice. The Double Fond in all its splendor! What bliss... This recording is the discussion after one of these shows, between the three artists that evening (Eric Antoine, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier) and the public.  

Every great artist has his truth... Before understanding the secret of his magical art, discover Quoc Tien Tran in this presentation video which will allow you to learn more about him and his magic.  

Recommended books that have had a lasting impact on my career. If you read these few books, the impact on your magic can be at least doubled. I give you the main lines of thought from these books and strongly encourage you to get them!  

The idea is to present works of magical literature and the people involved have a freewheeling discussion about what they think of it. Today, three protagonists: Gaetan Bloom, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier. The book of the day: "Will Goldston's Exclusive Magical Secrets". Not to be missed under any circumstances!  

Excerpts from an interview for Magic Castle Members, courtesy of Jonathan Levit.  

The idea is to present works of magical literature and the people involved have a freewheeling discussion about what they think of them. Today, three protagonists: Gaetan Bloom, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier. The books of the day: “True and False” by David Mamet and « Accidental Genius » by Mark Levy. Not to be missed under any circumstances!  

Howard Hamburg is a magical legend. Known to be particularly secretive, yet he now shares more than 60 years of magical experience with you. He experienced the golden age of the Magic Castle in Hollywood and was a personal friend of Dai Vernon and Charlie Miller, and now shares many fascinating anecdotes with you. As if you were there! In this episode, he tells you about the time Dai Vernon is supposed to have missed his trick, and against all odds, he succeeded! “I never miss!”  

Short video introduction of the videocast with Laurent Beretta and the Duviviers.  

Open discussion with Gaetan Bloom, Alexandra and Dominique Duvivier. The three protagonists will evoke their memories and anecdotes concerning great "Masters of Magic": Frank Garcia ("The Man With The Million Dollar Hands"), Freddy Fah, Fred Kaps and Philippe Fialho.  

Laurent Beretta develops his approach to improve his performances by mixing the different existing artistic disciplines, allowing him to enrich the magical worlds he creates during his shows.