Ricky Jay is a preeminent sleight-of-hand magician, historian of magic and oddities, author and actor, but the man with the cards himself is more a mystery. In “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay,” the magician reveals a bit of himself but more about how he learned all those tricks, along with something of the history of magic in the past century.

This surprisingly engrossing documentary is the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival’s bonus film this year. The showing will be preceded by an introduction and live performance by Shep Hyken, a local magician and entertaining inspirational speaker who has a bit of Ricky Jay in him, too.

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