REAL MAGICIAN

Two new DVDs. One fantasy, one fantastic. One wizard, one triumphant human. Which one will you choose to watch?

Yes, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is now out and it a fine film, directed by charming Brit director David Yates and featuring a starry cast.

But if you seek true adventure, you would do better to cast your eyes over the eerily named "Black Sun" DVD.

Black Sun??? What on earth does that mean?

To New York painter Hugues De Montalembert, suddenly blinded in a street mugging in 1978, a 'black sun' is a way of life.

But hold on. Before you switch back to Harry and his wand for fear of getting bogged down in a grim tale of personal disaster, take note that De Montalembert barely paused when his day was turned from brilliant light into darkest night forever.

Instead of going into a sulk as might be expected, he picked up his easel and got on with life more or less as he had lived before, even travelling the world.

Alone.

Awesome. What are the chances of any Hogwart grad having that kind of courage?

De Montalbert is undoubtedly a brave man but still it took another brave man, Brit composer Gary Tarn, to dare to commit his stunning story to film. And what an excellent job Tarn has made of the challenge, creating a visually arresting, poetic meditation on what would by most observers have been seen as merely a tragic accident.

Worth noting, by the way, that Tarn is fabulously skilled for someone whose name is not exactly a household staple: he not only directed the film but shot it, edited it, and contributed the music.

The commentary he left to Hugues De Montalbert himself and, not surprisingly, he proves to be the perfect man for the task.

So go on. Indulge your own eyes. See this bit of true magic.

Filed November 20,2007.