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Like the near-contemporary The Countryman and the Cinematograph (d. R.W.Paul, 1901), The Would-Be Conjuror pokes fun at the credulousness of country yokels unable to grasp the difference between illusion and reality - in this case, taking a magician's conjuring trick all too literally. Structurally, the film is based on two shots of similar length and content: the magician performs the trick, and the yokel attempts to repeat it on his wife - with consequences that can clearly be foreseen from her very first appearance: her no-nonsense expression and rolling pin readily to hand clearly indicate who calls the shots in this particular relationship. In this respect, she's a close relative of the terrifying battleaxes commonly featured in the seaside postcards that made Bamforth's reputation. Michael Brooke
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Complete film (1:21)
