MovieChat Forums > Tempest (1982) Discussion > The Magic System... spoilers

The Magic System... spoilers

posted 10 years ago by debtfull
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I was pleased to see this movie after so many years. Anybody want to talk about the "magic?"

Was it a real power, a fantasy, or just coincidence? Where did they come from?

Not that I'm for explanations in movies, they are best by fans afterwards.

But this is something I was wondering about:

Early on Phillip Dimitrius suggests to his boss using the names of Greek Gods in an architecture project. Could this have demonstrated some past with magic or paganism, or perhaps just bringing them up drew their notice?

or...

Did he just learn it while studying on the island? Did it have something to do with the ruins he was searching for? Either came across something really interesting or in fulfilling something unexplained from the past.

Now, the sacrifice scene, was it just an over the top hissy fit, such as when he came home and interrupted his wife's party or was it actually a symbolic thing related to something neopagan?

[–] DrSamba 10 years ago

I think the reference to the Greek gods is less of a connection with paganism and more suggestive of his Greek heritage. At least in New York, he seems too materialistic in every other aspect to be overly concerned with the supernatural.

Remember that this film is loosely based on Shakespeare's comedy The Tempest, so it will have some references to magic.

The two storms, first in New York and then in Greece, just happened to coincide with crazy moments in his life. I don't believe for a moment that he conjured them up, or that that was the intent of the director.

When he knocks Kalibanos out of the boat and then rescues him, Kalibanos says, "You're a god, boss" and he replies, "I'm a monkey like you."

He still had the spirit of an architect, so even after they arrived on the island, he started the construction of the outdoor theater. I think more of his gifts as an architect, the ability to turn stones into an edifice, as his magic abilities rather than anything truly supernatural.