Mubi Notebook #9

Notebook #9, Smoke and Mirrors, explores the curious relationship between magic and cinema, from Victorian optical illusions to modern film tricks and supernatural storytelling. Inside, filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul shares what every filmmaker should know, Orson Welles introduces the issue with a rediscovered foreword, and artists and filmmakers including Mark Leckey, Kasi Lemmons, and Mona Fastvold dig into the role of mystery and illusion on screen. Plus, discover the history of film magicians, the representation of witchcraft and Hoodoo in Hollywood, and how cult films like Showgirls and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre explore gender, sexuality, and identity.

Mubi Notebook is a print-only magazine devoted to the art and the culture of cinema. Created, prepared and published by MUBI.