LAUSR

Although the concept of the occult was noticed as early as the beginnings of the film industry in films by Georges M eli es and Thomas Edison, the phenomenon of cinematic magic has not been amply witnessed with careful attention in related literature. Lucy Fischer assures that, “in the history of theatrical magic... female magicians are rare, and their occurrence is no more common in the archives of cinematic magic.” Fischer composed an interesting essay with a rich source of Western movies that address this phenomenon. However, the gist of her article outlines the movement from theatrical magic to the trick film through a psychoanalytic approach. In similar vein, Mathew Solomon’s article, “Up-to-Date Magic: Theatrical Conjuring and the Trick Film,” diffuses relevant knowledge on this ancient phenomenon; Solomon defines this genre: