Playing at Hot Docs
May 1 8:15 pm at the TIFF Lightbox 1
Toronto, Ontario
Everything that viewers want to know about how the deck of cards came to be, why it’s played in certain social circles and when stage magicians embraced it for their tricks is well covered in the documentary Lost in the Shuffle. Just when I thought it concerned revealing how a few tricks are done, there’s more to this stage prop than meets the eye.
Like Jon Ornoy, who narrates this piece, I was enamoured with the art. Not all of them have that boring patterned back, and some of the early designs are art pieces in itself! They turn out to be very collectable and have a hefty price tag to them. As for why that king, queen, and jack exist on the face, what’s revealed is apparently factual! As for why spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs exist, there’s even a tale behind that too. But why should that matter to a card trick master like him?