I saw this first in the evening aboard a naval ship, before going up to the bridge for the midnight to 4AM watch. It was a very interesting 4 hours, after which I had a real interest in reading the book. As with most novels, it would be very difficult to re-create on screen. The movie though, gave enough of a flavor of the continuous surprise twists that it draws you in to the mystery of trying to figure out what is going on. I have most of it on a video tape somewhere, and don't remember it as being very good. John Fowles agrees with me. He also said in an interview that he didn't think much of the book, but many people disagree with him on that. It was at least another version of the theme, and visually very interesting. I rated it high because it caused me to think and explore Fowles works further, for which I am very grateful.

After Zorba the Greek, Hollywood called on Anthony Quinn to star in every subsequent movie set in Greece. Not really, but he certainly made a lot of them. In The Magus, he plays a weird magician who plays mind games on a young schoolteacher, Michael Caine. Tony lives on a remote part of the island, with caves and mysteries around every corner. Candace Bergen also lives on his estate, but her identity (and mental health) gets called into question more than once.

How does Tony know so much about Michael's past, to be able to torment him with his mind games? Why is he wearing a skullcap? Maybe he'll have some flashbacks, in which he gets to sport his regular black hair and play his younger self. Maybe Michael will also have some flashbacks, to try and explain why he's traveled to Greece and why he's so drawn to Candace.

This movie has a reputation of being extremely weird, and it is. Explanations merely lead to more questions, and very little is clear at the very end of the film. But if you like Greek scenery, and looking at two beautiful, young people falling into bed together while not knowing anything about each other, you'll probably be very happy with this movie.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are some canted angels and weird tilt/zooms throughout the movie, and iIt will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"