The Magic Toyshop (1987)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I'm trying to collate the recorded works of erstwhile treble singer James Rainbird and have arrived at this particular credit. But the plot thickens! In the rolling credits there appears 'Peter Roberts, boy soprano' – no mention of James Rainbird who was at his brief recording zenith at the time.There was no such reticence when putting out the contemporaneous 33rpm LP record; the sleeve is prominently annotated on the face with "Featuring JONATHAN'S SONG sung by James Rainbird" – and no mention of any 'Peter Roberts'. According to the British Library this LP is an 'Original 1987 film soundtrack recording'.So who the hell is Peter Roberts? There is one of that name on Yahoo! Movies with a media career - but the dates don't tally. He is credited to The Magic Toyshop as 'Music Performer (boy soprano)' but was purportedly a location manager and production scout at the same time! Improbable to say the least. IMDb credits show neither Rainbird nor Roberts.Could 'Peter Roberts' be a disassociating pseudonym dreamed up for the same reasons quoted by sheepfarmer-2 above? Followed by a re-think for the LP? Incidentally the other juvenile contributions on the LP are cited as "St Catherine's Roman Catholic School Choir" and "Manchester Boy's Choir". I suspect the latter might be a portmanteau title chosen for the same reasons cited by sheepfarmer-2.Can anyone unravel this one?-------------------------Since transmitting the above I Googled 'Manchester Boys' Choir' - oh what a can of worms that was! No further comment.

When I was 10 years old (in 1986) the school i attended at the time performed parts of the audio sound track. We were in the award winning school choir of Saint Elizabeths Primary School in South Manchester.In the summer we always used to perform in the RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) in some competition i no longer remember the name of. After the event we were asked to contribute vocals to the music score of an up and coming film produced by Granada TV.I remember the day coming and ten or so of the top choir singers, of which i was one (pre my voice breaking), went down to the studios in Manchester City Centre on a coach, with our now long since deceased teacher John Dennision. (a great man!) We spent what i remember to be a very tiring and very very long day repeating the same bars over and over again in a studio. These were then to be cut and arranged into sounding like a very large group of children singing the track.I remember then being very excited about the film being released only then to be told the school had found out it is an adult theme film and we were not allowed to see it.Further to this the school was outraged at the children's choir being used in a film of this theme and demanded that our school be completely uncredited from the film and it was kind of never mentioned again.I did watch it in 1988 but don't really remember the story. However I can still remember some of the bars we sang! I'd love to see it again. Not only to see it as a film but to hear the music again. (there are 3 VHS copies on amazon.co.uk for £39.99, which is a bit steep) I'll keep looking....

I have recently found this film on one of my husband's VHS tapes (the blank variety which he uses to record stuff from the telly). The film looks as if it was last shown in the eighties and I don't remember having seen it since. It has not (to my knowledge) been released on DVD or VHS although I shall browse around for a copy.The film tells the story of three young people: two girls, one on the edge of puberty and the other much younger, and a young boy who go to live with their mother's brother and his young, mute Irish wife. His wife also has two brothers who live with them. The children's uncle is an unpleasant control freak who forces his young wife to wear a silver collar whilst she watches a marionette show put on by him and her brothers in his toyshop.The eldest girl and one of the Irishmen (the younger) develop a love for each other whilst they live in the same house. The girl helps her aunt out in the shop whilst her brother helps his uncle to make things in the workshop.There are a lot of very disturbing elements to the film. There is the uncle's treatment of his wife as some kind of dumb (literally) possession (illustrated by the collar) whilst the Irish indulge dancing, drinking and somewhat forbidden love. Interestingly, though, I have seen far more explicit themes played out in other movies made in Hollywood today.Makes you wonder whether the British film industry and the BBC have some kind of hidden agenda going on.Still, despite it not being a children's movie, there are a lot of playful, magic moments in it and the one Irishman does some beautiful paintings.

I saw "The Magic Toyshop" at the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs, Ohio, in 1988 or 1989. The film is not a figment of anyone's imagination, but I have never been able to find it again. I recall it being a wonderful piece of non-naturalistic film-making, and it is a shame that more people can't see it.I think there are two reasons why the film may have been quashed. First, there is some nudity, and since the character involved is supposed to be a minor (and since the actress may have been at the time), there may be some people who consider the film pornographic, or (even worse) child pornography. If so, this is sad, because my recollection is that the context for the nudity is not gratuitous or salacious, and is important to both character and plot development.Second, the relationship between the evil Uncle and his Irish servants may have been read as politically controversial. And (here comes the spoiler) the transformation of the Uncle into a dummy to be burned on Guy Fawkes Night might also be considered less than flattering to Britain's policies in Ireland and elsewhere (as an American, I am uncertain of the political baggage attached to the holiday, but didn't Fawkes try to blow-up Parliament?). Isn't the film mostly about the Uncle's abuse of his authority?I think anyone who enjoys Tim Burton's films would enjoy The Magic Toyshop. If the film has been intentionally suppressed, it is a disgraceful state of affairs. This was one of the most fascinating films I have ever seen, and I wish I could see it again and think about it some more.