Film Comment: The Magic Christian

The Magic Christian (1969) is Terry Southern's sarcastic and nihilist bite at hypocrisy, self-righteousness, and pretensions of altruism.  This satire of the modern consumer culture skewers the rich, lawyers, social snobs, the church and just about everyone else.  An underlying theme during the film is that the hypocrites are running about doing their lives while social unrest burns around them, totally unnoticed by them.  The novel (also titled The Magic Christian) on which the film is based was considered by many to be obscene and was banned in several countries.  Think of Monty Python with a knife.

Sir Guy Grand (Peter Sellers) is a multi-bazillionare ("I have enough for everyone.") One day, on a whim, Sir Guy adopts a smelly and unkempt vagrant (Ringo Starr, of the Beatles) whom he meets in the park, and names him Youngman, Youngman Grand.  "It's grand to be Grand."

Sir Guy takes Youngman out into the world to teach him the ultimate truth; Everyone has a price, everyone can be bought.  Spreading around his fortune with wild abandon, Sir Guy stages absurd situations to expose snobbery and greed and everyone responds exactly as he predicted they would.  Youngman gets into the spirit of his lessons, becoming ever more cynical by the second.

The Magic Christian of the title is a luxury ocean liner which caters only to the ultra-ultra-rich.  Sir Guy arranges for the only available food on the ship to be potatoes.

Unless you are a Peter Sellers completist, this is not a film you probably wish to see.  It is more sarcastic and angry than funny.  When I say angry, I mean bitter.  The bitterness comes to full fruition in the ending of the film.

THIS IS A SPOILER!  DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH IF YOU PLAN TO SEE THIS FILM!  SKIP TO THE ENDING OF THIS POST!  The film ends with an iconic but disgusting scene in which Sir Guy drives home his point.  He hires a waste disposal company to fill a large swimming pool with animal blood, urine, and feces and then, while wearing a gas mask, scatters millions of pounds (this is a British film) into the pool.  He and Youngman then stand back as all the men in expensive suits dive in to grab up as much money as they can.  Everyone can be bought, everyone has a price.  The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) because it is actually the love of self, the glorification of self, the root sin.

Christians may not realize it but they also have a price.  Instead of allowing themselves to be bought by the world, they belong to Christ.  Their love is of Christ who is of inestimable value.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13

"For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20.  

 The price was the life of Jesus, who is fully human and fully God.  How much is God worth?