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Tanya (Marlene Dietrich), a cigar-smoking brothel-keeper, refuses to read the cards for Detective Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) in the film noir masterpiece, Touch of Evil (1958; re-edited/restored 1998). The music is “Tanya’s Theme” by Henry Mancini. It looks to me like a Swiss 1JJ deck.
Check out other tarot media appearances here.
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Check out this podcast interview with me and Leisa Refalo at The Tarot Connection – Episode #93.
Here’s an excellent program: BBC – History of Magic – Mentalism.
and continued here (with additional links to the rest of the program).
Mentalism is great and astonishing entertainment except when used to defraud. The bigger problem arises from the assumption that all tarot and psychic experiences are nothing more than similar trickery. The program explains that magicians have “pirated” much of their effects from the spiritual, but then claims that mentalism goes back to the Delphic Oracle, suggesting that the Oracle was simply a scam. Admittedly, techniques associated with mentalism and stage magic have traditionally held a place in shamanism and tribal healing arts. What I am advocating is becoming aware of what we are doing as tarot readers and doing it in the most ethical way possible.
While there are lots of ways to read the cards, I believe that, consciously or not, most face-to-face tarot readers use at least a few skills that have been deemed ‘cold reading,’ in that many of these are simply normal human modes of communication that can hardly be avoided. If you want to totally avoid any such issue then readings by (e)mail should suffice.
I just couldn’t resist this photo from the 1997 BBC Hamish Macbeth series (Season 3) based on the mystery stories by M.C. Beaton. Here’s Robert Carlyle as Hamish on a cliff edge, being “hounded” by his faithful companion, Jock. If you like British “cozies” and stories of the wise-fool then you’ll love this series. And, if that’s not enough, in Beaton’s most recent Hamish Macbeth book, Death of a Gentle Lady, he’s referred to several times as a fool.
Dan Pelletier consulted the tarot before heading from his home in Seattle to New York to train for a new job. The cards told him he would come home a changed man. On the second morning of training he got an overwhelming urge to go out for a cigarette. The training was on the 61st floor of Twin Tower 2 and it was 9/11. Dan watched others die while he inexplicably escaped the falling debris, beginning an odyssey that, soon after, led to his leaving the financial industry to follow his heart and do what makes him feel whole. Dan is now co-owner with Jeannette Roth of Tarot Garden, Inc., a shop and information site dedicated to helping you find the tarot decks that interest you. He’s been reading tarot for over thirty years and credits some kind of other-worldly sense with guiding and saving his life more than once. As Umbrae, he frequently posts on Aeclectic’s tarotforum. Read the rest of this entry »
Glenn Close’s character, Dr. Keener, in the movie Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, gets a tarot reading from a young woman played by Calista Flockhart. The film is by Rodrigo Garcia, son of the magical-realism author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and features an impressive cast of women. You can buy the DVD of this independent film at a very low price. [Thanks Lila – see her comment in the TV & Movie Watch List]
I no longer update this post, but you’ll find a lot of old information about Tarot in movies and Tarot on TV. Please post in the comments when you see one so we can keep a running list in the comments. The more info the better.
See especially Richard Kaczynski’s wonderful list of Thoth Sightings in film and TV.
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Just found this video in which Bea Nettles explains how she came to create, between 1970 to 1975, the first photographic and photo-collaged Tarot deck. A friend knew Bea Nettles and told me about the deck, so I was able to get a copy when it originally came out. It’s great to finally see the creator of this landmark deck. Follow the link to buy the updated version of the Mountain Dream Tarot.
The original video I had here is no longer available on YouTube, but I found a second Tarot episode from the same soap. The deck that appears in this episode (see first 2:30 minutes) is the Sacred Circle Tarot by Anna Franklin and Paul Mason (Llewellyn). Kevin, the disgruntled querent, says to the reader: “Maybe you should try to predict more cheerful futures . . .”
The video I posted earlier featured the Enchanted Tarot from Amy Zerner and Monte Farber.
Using the Mythic Tarot to diagnose those pesky car problems: “There’s no way I’d think of touching a car without consulting the cards.” Those Welsh really understand what’s important on this and the other planes. Thanks to Val on Readers Studio NING.
“In the Cards” is a 24 minute TV short story from the series Tales from the Darkside (January 27, 1985). The official description is, “A tarot reader who attracts business by giving out only good predictions finds herself stuck with a new deck of cards—one which makes terrible predictions come true.” Warning: it’s hoaky and may not be how we like to envision the cards—pandering to too many fears, superstitions and stereotypes, but it’s rare to see a story centered this thoroughly on Tarot. This “horror” story is in three segments. Watch Part 1 below. Click here for Part 2 and Part 3. Thanks to Kalessin for telling me about it.
Mary K. Greer has made tarot her life work. Check here for reports of goings-on in the world of tarot and cartomancy, articles on the history and practice of tarot, and materials on other cartomancy decks. Sorry, I no longer write reviews. Contact me
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