Touches You

Memorable, crazy movie

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Other users here at IMDb seem to have a hard time locating this film, leading to talk of it having been suppressed. The reason The Magic Toyshop has become (unfairly) obscure is simply because it was screened on British television before having any major theatrical release. Technically it's a TV movie, made by the Granada network (not the BBC), and it has suffered the same fate as many British television movies of the 70's and 80's. Thankfully this film was released by Palace video in the UK - I located a copy and have now archived mine to DVD.Caroline Milmoe was not underage when the film was made - she was 23 years old, playing a 15 year old. It is true that the nude scenes present a minor through a grown woman, and that is one of the central themes of the film - the sexual element itself is disturbingly grim.The whole film has a unworldly sheen and inhabits magical realism long before it became fashionably known as such. Watch the camera track the parrot's gaze to get an idea of the sheer level of invention and ingenuity. And Milmoe really knows how to torment those braids...This is one of the best films of the 1980's, and certainly the best film I have ever seen about childhood's end. I don't mind it being obscure because that lends it cult status, but I feel unhappy for the cast, particularly Caroline Milmoe, as this film is the top of their art and that deserves a wider audience.Brilliant.

In an odd coincidence, I also saw this film at what I am sure is the same out-of-the-way cinema in Berkeley, CA in 1987 or 1988 that was mentioned above. (It was in North Berkeley I believe on Euclid Avenue just off of Hearst St. and round the corner from LaVal's pizza.)I have been looking for this film ever since and also had the thought that perhaps I had imagined seeing it and it never really existed. Well, not really. But it did appear to completely disappear from the face of the earth after that. I just loved the puppet sequences and creepiness of Tom Bell and his toyshop. I remember when one of the children accidentally broke a pull toy the deliciously weird way he spoke directly to the toy, "We'll have to get you a new leg, will we?" I also like the oddly positive form of the tag question ("will we?") and wondered if that came from a particular English dialect.It's funny how much good press her other film The Company of Wolves got compared with this one (I didn't like it that much.) But I'd be quite surprised if this turns out to be an act of censorship. I think it's more likely the lack of an interested distributor that is holding it back.As someone mentioned above they actually got a copy of this in the U.S. I hope that means I can find one, too. Good luck to everyone else.

I saw this film when I was very young and it was shown on British TV. It made a huge impression on with its fairytale story and blackly humorous touches. Years went by and I hadnt thought of the film until I wanted to see the comments for it on IMDb.com. I managed to get a DVD copy It was even more brilliant than I remembered.Melanie is orphaned when her parents die on holiday and is left to take her younger brother and sister to live with her strange uncle who has not had contact with the family. Her uncle owns a toyshop which is filled with wonderful toys and disturbing life like puppets. She also meets the rest of the family in his mute wife and her brothers. Her uncle puts on surreal plays with the puppets and makes Melanie take part. She develops a relationship with Finn who is her aunts brother and discovers the incestuous secret in the family.I love this film because it is so quirky and deals with the subjects of growing up and relationships in such an interesting way. The dialogue works and the actors are all well cast, especially Melanie and her aunt. Tom Bell brings the right amount of creepiness as the uncle. The sets are all fab and really give a sense of a post war Britain (you will know what I mean when you see the bathroom!) Great film and I wish they would put this out on general release as I had a tough time trying to get a copy.

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.