The Magus

Based on John Fowles's novel of the same name, The Magus follows Nicholas Urfe, a young Englishman who takes a teaching post on a remote Greek island. There he becomes entangled with Maurice Conchis, a wealthy and enigmatic figure the islanders believe long dead, and with a young woman named Lily. Conchis draws Nicholas into a series of psychological games and staged illusions that blur the line between performance and reality, leaving him uncertain whom to trust and what is actually happening around him.

The 1968 British production was directed by Guy Green, released between A Patch of Blue and Once Is Not Enough in his filmography, and adapted for the screen by Fowles himself. Michael Caine plays Nicholas, with Anthony Quinn as Conchis, Candice Bergen as Lily, and Anna Karina, Paul Stassino and Julian Glover in supporting roles. Jud Kinberg and John Kohn produced.

The film runs 117 minutes and mixes drama, mystery and fantasy. Its reception has been modest: on IMDb it holds a rating of 5.6 from around 2,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.7 from a much smaller group of 36 voters. Both figures point to a film that has drawn limited enthusiasm from those who have seen it, and the wide gap in vote numbers reflects how few users on the latter platform have rated it.