René Lavand is one of the true artists in the world of Close-Up Magic. His presentations and performances have a poetic and artistic quality to them that never fail to earn standing ovations. René Lavand has achieved legendary status and is without a doubt one of the most highly skilled close-up magicians of the past century. His stature is even more amazing if you consider that he accomplishes everything using only one hand. Watching him will inspire you to strive for excellence.

The magic René Lavand performs on these DVDs is both beautiful and poetic. These are more than just tricks, they are multiphase routines accompanied by artistic presentations and wonderful stories. It is impossible to describe the beauty of René's magic. These routines must be experienced.

Routines performed and explained:

The Greek: A spectator selects the four jacks when magically and one at a time each jack turns into a blank on both sides card. Just as magically the cards change back to jacks.

Perhaps, Some Day: Four cards are selected and signed by a spectator. The cards are lost in the deck. A wallet is removed from your pocket which contains the same four cards as the spectators' but these are signed by you. When the cards are seen again they now have the spectators' signature on them.

Homage To Larry Jennings: Four different cards are signed by the spectator and lost in the deck. They vanish from the deck and appear in four different pockets. The effect is repeated and the four signed cards once again appear in four different pockets.

The Tijuana Story: A card is freely selected and used for a humorous gambling routine where it is lost and shuffled into the deck and finally ends up in your pocket.

The History Of Cumanes: Based on Dai Vernon's Cutting The Aces and the classic gambler versus magician routine where four aces are lost in different parts of the deck and are found by cutting to each one, with the last ace being found by counting to it. As a second phase you apparently cut to three sevens. The fourth card is a king, when the first three cards are seen they have now changed into the four kings.

My Penknives: Rene's color-changing knives sequence where a red and a white knife change places and colors.

Mirage: A multiphase gambling routine revolving around a high-stakes poker game which begins with a triumph sequence and a bottom deal demonstration where you apparently deal yourself the four threes which turn out to be the four aces. Each of the other hands are now played out forming full houses and flushes, you then draw three cards and get a royal flush. For a finale the deck is spread on the table to show that all the cards are now separated into reds and blacks.

Single-Handed Matrix: A new handling for the classic Matrix routine using four coins that are covered by four cards. Each of the coins vanish and appear under one card until all four gather under one card. Just as magically all four coins go back to one under each card.

Techniques taught and discussed:
Turn-Over Second Deal Variation, Third Deal, One-Handed Top Palm, The Lap Switch, Coin Scoop and much more.

Includes new and previously unpublished routines and the classics that René uses in his television appearances and award winning live shows. Also includes insightful interviews about René's life and magic. Hosted and simultaneously translated by Joe Hernandez. A Meir Yedid Magic production. Original release date: August 2004. Running time: Approximately 80 minutes.

Special DVD Features:
Bonus footage with performances and interviews (15 minutes)
Instant access to performances, explanations, techniques and interviews
DVD trailers
Dolby Digital sound
Encoded for worldwide viewing