The 1949 film Black Magic , originally titled and often referred to as , is an Italian-American adventure drama that serves as a pivotal entry in Orson Welles’s "nomadic" European career. Directed by Gregory Ratoff—though widely acknowledged to have been uncreditedly co-directed by Welles —the film dramatizes the rise and fall of the 18th-century occultist Joseph Balsamo. Historical and Literary Foundation
: The film opens with a meta-narrative device featuring Dumas Sr. (Berry Kroeger) telling the story of Cagliostro to his son, Dumas Jr. (Raymond Burr). Plot Summary Cagliostro (1949)
The film is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s 1848 novel Joseph Balsamo (also known as Mémoires d'un médecin ). It incorporates elements from another Dumas work, Le Collier de la Reine (The Queen’s Necklace), which covers the historical scandal that helped trigger the French Revolution. The 1949 film Black Magic , originally titled
: Joseph Balsamo, later known as Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, was a real historical figure (1743–1795). (Berry Kroeger) telling the story of Cagliostro to
Cagliostro eventually joins a conspiracy led by Madame du Barry to discredit Queen Marie Antoinette. He uses a young girl named Lorenza (who bears a striking resemblance to the Queen) as a puppet in the "Affair of the Diamond Necklace" plot. The film concludes with a dramatic royal trial and Cagliostro’s eventual downfall. Black Magic (1949) - Gregory Ratoff - Letterboxd
The story follows Balsamo, a Romani boy who vows revenge against the Viscount de Montaigne after witnessing his parents' execution. After learning the secrets of hypnotism from the physician Dr. Mesmer, Balsamo rejects the doctor’s moral advice to use his powers for healing and instead transforms into the legendary "Count Cagliostro" to pursue wealth and power.