Houdini (film)

Houdini, king of vaudeville is an American biographical film of the year 1953. The literary adaptation based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock.

Action

During an appearance as Bruto Wildman in a small circus Harry Houdini first met the beautiful blonde Bess. Since he also under his name, the great Harry Houdini, a magic show, has he asks her for one of his tricks on the stage. He comes closer to her, where they face shows him still distant. Only after Houdini she looks at a fairground at Coney Iceland and an evening show again, both are really closer. He confesses to her that he only took the shows to be near her may. Then he takes her home, where she is warmly received by his mother. During the night makes Houdini with Bess a magic trick by attempting to saw. It turns out that it is suited to the future to help him as an assistant for his show.

After a less successful performance in the Miners Hall, where both are pelted with tomatoes and tacks to Bess hopes that Houdini stops and pursues a regulated job. To prove his love for her, he stops and then works in a safe and lock factory. This makes Bess happy, come regularly from now on every Saturday a paycheck home. With the money they go always enjoy eating out. When they visit this Hotel Astor, where a magic show is listed, Houdini has to beg for it to participate as a volunteer in mind in order to free himself from a straitjacket may at his wife. While all the other fail to do so, it creates Houdini was the only one. He impressed Mr. Malue who declares him winner, tells the story of the Berlin magician Johann Von Schweger and funded as first prize a trip to Europe.

As Bess did not originally want to make the trip, they can be swayed until after Houdini has lost his job in the factory. By boat journey is to London, where it can produce Dooley, a reporter for the Examiner alleged, a challenge not being able to break out of a prison in Scotland Yard. He can imprison and then must occur in his own show. Since he did not make it in time, are Bess, disguised with a mask as Houdini out. Only at the last moment he appears in person and can make with Bess the exchange so that everyone sees that he could successfully break out of prison. This increases his fame, so his shows in Paris and Berlin will be even greater. In Berlin Houdini also celebrating his birthday. Bess surprised him with a visit to his mother. It is then accused by the Germans because of spiritualism, because he pretends to have psychic abilities. But Houdini denies it and the judge drops the lawsuit after he proves how he can free himself from inside a vault.

Then he goes to From Schweger. But he meets only to Otto, who not only told him that Von Schweger two days earlier died, but rather also offers the same as his new assistant with all the tricks of Schweger. Back in the United States will be Houdini's tricks and unleashing numbers are always spectacular, making it increasingly celebrated also. However, fails one of his tricks, he shows in the frozen Detroit River almost. While the newspapers already write that Houdini died, he manages to save himself invalidated. Shortly after, he learns that his beloved mother died before.

After Houdini for two years withdrew from enchantment and the public, the journalist Simms looking up at him to find out what was with him. Here, Houdini told that he had tried to contact with the afterlife through spiritualism. But this had happened to him nothing more than scams. So accompanied him Simms to a séance in which Houdini every trick can debunk. He then provides publicly every 25,000 U.S. dollars, which can prove, how to contact with the spirit world. Then he tried the most dangerous of all the tricks of Schweger Entfesslungstrick in a water tank to show off. Against the will and despite his abdominal pain that he wants to investigate after his tour of a doctor, he denies a show with this trick. He promised not to perform it. It was the audience that asked for it. Houdini leads him before, the trick fails and he dies on stage.

Criticism

The Variety magazine opined that this " typical biopic rather a fanciful version of Houdini's life " show. The director laid the emphasis on the drama and make it " to maintain the tension. " Although the performer " sympathetic " had been criticized that there was no aging in the representation of different life stages of the actors.

The lexicon of the International film said: " A solid staged entertainment movie with some cheesy moments. However, he too Very subject to the fascination of the title character and exaggerated his cabinet pieces in an almost otherworldly atmosphere. "

Background

Paramount Pictures announced in 1935 a film about Harry Houdini on. However, there were the two real estate agents Joseph Raboff and Earl Cohen, who with their newly formed production company, Film Producers, Inc. and the acquired rights of the Romany Houdini of Kellock and the film rights of his life, wrote a screenplay titled The Life Story of Harry Houdini. Stephen Longstreet wrote the screenplay and John Garfield and Lee J. Cobb were as respective main characters in conversation. The project never materialized

It is the first film in which Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, who married in 1951, played together. Curtis was born Bernard Schwartz and Houdini was real name was Erik Weisz. Schwartz played in this film Weisz.

The film was released on 2 July 1953 in the U.S. theaters and was able to import a little more than 1.8 million U.S. dollars. In West Germany it was released in theaters on March 18, 1954.

1953 in film George Marshall (director) Philip Yordan George Pal Film score Roy Webb Ernest Laszlo George Tomasini Torin Thatcher Ian Wolfe Mary Murphy (actress) Coney Island
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