| The Magic Christian | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:The_Magic_Christian.jpg) UK DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Joseph McGrath |
| Screenplay by |
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| Additional material by | |
| Based on | The Magic Christian by Terry Southern |
| Produced by | Denis O'Dell |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Edited by | Kevin Connor |
| Music by | Ken Thorne |
Production company | Grand Films |
| Distributed by | Commonwealth United Entertainment |
Release dates |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British satirical farce black comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with appearances by John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Raquel Welch, Spike Milligan, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel The Magic Christian by the American author Terry Southern, who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation with McGrath. The film also features pre-Monty Python appearances of John Cleese (credited) and an uncredited Graham Chapman, who had jointly written an earlier version of the film script. It also features an uncredited appearance by Yul Brynner performing “Mad About the Boy” as a drag artist.
Songs by Badfinger, including "Come and Get It" written by Paul McCartney, were used on the soundtrack. The official soundtrack album had other music as well as dialogue from the film. Badfinger released an album, Magic Christian Music, containing their three songs for the film.
The film received mostly negative reviews on release, citing its unrelenting and heavy-handed satire of capitalism, greed and human vanities.