Black Magic (1929) Review: Not actually magic, but very sweaty

If you are looking for a movie about actual wizards or dragons, you should definitely skip this one. This isn't that kind of movie at all.

Black Magic is worth a watch if you like those old silent films where everyone looks like they haven't showered in three weeks. It's for people who enjoy tropical melodramas where the heat is almost a character itself. 🌴

Most people will probably find it a bit slow or goofy. Especially when they realize the "magic" part is basically just a giant gaslighting prank.

The story starts in a bar in the South Seas. Earle Foxe plays this guy who has basically given up on life and spends his time staring at the bottom of a glass.

He is surrounded by these three really mean traders. They want his land or his money, I couldn't quite tell which, but they are clearly up to no good.

The whole plan they hatch is to use "voodoo" to scare him. They make him think he is seeing things and that he is cursed.

It reminds me a little bit of the mystery vibes in The Black Gate. But way more humid.

Dorothy Jordan shows up as the love interest. She's fine, I guess, but she spends a lot of time looking worried in a very 1920s way.

I noticed that the makeup in this movie is really thick. You can see the heavy lines around the eyes even in the blurry shots.

There is this one scene where a character is trying to act possessed. It goes on for way too long and honestly, it looks like they are just having a very bad cramp. 🤨

The sets are actually pretty cool though. They built these little huts that feel real, even if you can tell the "jungle" is just a few potted ferns moved around the studio.

It's not as fast-paced as something like The Telephone Girl. It sort of lingers on shots of people sweating and looking guilty.

I found myself wondering why the main guy didn't just leave. The bar looks miserable and the drinks probably taste like kerosene.

One thing that bugged me was the lighting. In some scenes, it's so dark you can barely tell who is talking, or well, gesturing.

It’s kind of funny how movies back then thought "psychology" was just staring intensely at someone until they fainted. Earle Foxe does a lot of intense staring.

If you've seen Men of Steel, you know how these silent dramas love their macho posturing. This one has plenty of that too.

There is a weird bit with a bird in a cage that I didn't quite get. It felt like it was supposed to be a metaphor but it just looked like a confused bird.

I liked the ending though. It gets surprisingly tense once the tricks are revealed and things start actually going wrong for the villains.

It is definitely better than Oh, Teacher! if you want something with a bit more grit. But it’s no masterpiece.

The title is honestly a bit of a lie. It’s more like "Mean Guys Playing Pranks" than anything supernatural. 🪄

You can tell the director really liked shadows. Every wall has these long, creepy shadows that don't always match where the lamps are.

I did find myself checking how much time was left around the forty-minute mark. It's a bit of a slog in the middle section.

Still, for a movie from 1929, it has a certain mood. It feels like a fever dream you’d have after eating bad seafood in a basement.

If you're into the history of how movies portrayed the "exotic" South Seas, this is a fascinating relic. Just don't expect it to make a whole lot of sense by modern standards.

It’s got that raw, slightly clunky feeling of a studio trying to figure out how to make a thriller. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s just silly.

Overall, it's okay. Not great, not terrible, just a very sweaty piece of film history. 🎬