Lost in the Shuffle

10/10: LOST IN THE SHUFFLE is an engaging mystery in which the clues and the cards are costantly moving and the boldness drops your jaw. The real puzzle, hidden in plain sight for five hundred years, is the centerpiece of this documentary in which we investigate a real-life whodunit... and leaves the cards on the table for you to draw your own conclusions!

Get close up, close in, and close to the vest. For those who have never seen Shawn Farquhar before, this is a powerful introduction to both him and some of his most amazing peers in the industry. For those who have, this proves there is no other performer out there quite like him.

Either way, you'll never pick up a deck of cards the same way again.

World Champion Magician Shawn Farquhar takes us on an engaging journey in this extremely entertaining documentary that explores a 15th Century mystery of murder. The unique cast of several world famous magicians in this film will certainly leave you feeling captivated and astonished. Several demonstrations of superior magical skills performed in a series of vignettes provide various insights into each magician's style and individual story. Wonderful cinematography showcasing beautiful European locations further highlight this modern day forensic investigation. Commentary by several experts regarding the detailed sequence of events leading up to such a mysterious death further draw the viewer into forming their own conclusions and interpretation of all the evidence presented. A definite must see for mystery solvers, curious conjurers and those who enjoy sleight of hand astonishment. I found this documentary to be entertaining and certainly give it my highest recommendation. Not only will you be throughly entertained but I guarantee you will not look at a deck of cards the same way again!

It's difficult to hold your poker face while watching Lost In The Shuffle. Definitely targeting fans of the films like National Treasure and Now You See Me, this search for historical truths revealed though an item that almost everyone has in their home is extremely entertaining.

At first I was concerned that the card trick designers, as these magicians call themselves, would reveal some of their secrets to the audience. Sure, some may believe they want to know how a trick is done, but once you reveal the mystery, you surrender your sense of wonder as well. As luck would have it, the filmmakers keep all the tricks up the designer's sleeves, concentrating on following the breadcrumb trail that Shawn Farquhar, a professional magician and two-time World Championship of Magic winner and narrator of the film, deposits along the road. A possible royal coverup of a 500-year old MURDER!!!

Farquhar first takes us into his own home and gives us a little of his personal history. He explains a few of the mysteries behind his magic. For example, each deck of cards he, or any other magician uses, is prepped for a different trick. We accompany Farquhar across the globe to follow his unravelling of the saga, meeting other card trick designers along the way, who show us their specialities.

We're treated to a bit of history in the film. An antique, but still working, printing press is displayed, used to print decks of cards when the pasttime became so popular the creating them by hand simply was too time consuming. China is credited with inventing not only the first paper money, but also the first paper playing cards. The filmmakers take us to other cities, illuminating the story of a singular deck that was considered quite risque for their time. When lighting is placed behind each card, depictions of sexual acts are revealed. Imprisoned soldiers utilized playing cards during wartime, inserting cut up maps between the leaves of the cards, which, when removed and re-assembled, provided the soldiers with a escape route. Even Tarot cards, if you're familiar with them, take their origin from playing cards.

As to the intent of the film - here's the mystery that the filmmakers wish to expose. Examine almost any deck of 52 playing cards. You'll see that the King of Hearts has a sword pushed into the rear side of his noggin. What is that?? The original story goes that these picture or 'court' cards all represent royals and this one represents King Charles VIII, way back in 1498 France. He dies under mysterious circumstances. Historians say he bumped his head in a subbasement of his castle after watching a tennis match. Accompanied by his Queen, he falls to the ground, goes into a coma and never leaves the subbasement alive. But is that what really happened to the victim, or was a palace intrigue afoot? Has there been a royal cover-up?

The film takes us on an examination of the history of the region at that time, disecting the wars and even the clothing worn by regents. Is the truth hidden in plain sight within the deck? Imagine the identical details that have been captured and recaptured for 500 years on decks of cards, internationally. The same tale, under all our noses, which hasn't been investigated till now.

Playing cards are multinational, as is magic. You can be any age, sex or race and partake in multiple games of skill or chance with these same 52 identical pieces of paperstock. You will get swept away by a magician's illusions, regardless of whether you speak their language or not. So I invite you to watch Lost in the Shuffle. I believe you'll be captivated in spades by its sleight of hand, even if you fail to agree with Farquhar's deductions.

Lost In The Shuffle will appear on these VOD platforms: ITUNES/APPLE TV, YOUTUBE, MICROSOFT/XBOX and FANDANGO AT HOME.

And what it feels like to be in the company of ones. What differentiates them from engineers and people in scientific trades. The value and the heartfeltness of truths for all factions and for all types of people. The value and place of story telling. And still all the aspects it takes to become a performer in your own right.

With good editing.

The final big time and place cut I was sceptical on, but upon the second viewing - it fits and brings the (not so obvious) story arc to its intended finish.

Whats especially well done is, that it stays truthful to the audience throughout, while it tells them everything to know to understand whats happening before their eyes in an analytic way also -- and yet in its credit sequence it ends with the most easy thing you can do to an audience - mislead them, but in a way - that if you listen to it closely you'll understand, that it is misdirection in a very fundamental way. Yet still truthful. And for certain, no big mystery, because you've been told how it works by one of the magicians in the first third of the movie.

And yet the movie is not about any of these things. Its about the sense of wonder, the heart, the comfort and the story telling, that Shawn Farquhar brings and brought to magic -- and about being entertained by a shockingly probable murder mystery. And at least in my interpretation, how he hands over his understanding of the craft to future generations.

This Movie is an absolute must see! Such a creative and unique plot about the secret murder mystery hidden within the cards that everyone knows so well. Included are educational and thought provoking interviews from some of the greatest leaders of the Magic industry! The movie also tells the story of how playing cards, as we know it came about, from the earliest record in Chinese paintings to Medieval times. Shawn Farquhar and Jon Ornoy have done a great job mixing the history of cards and card magic with the story and symbolism of what really is going on behind the very familiar characters on the front of those cards. Farquhar and Ornoy go to great lengths on their worldwide journey to bring to you their revelation!