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Houdini (1953)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
8/25
8/25:
Houdini is a disappointing film in several ways.
I initially picked it up for Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh as it's their first movie together (out of five
in total) and they had married. Sure, they have chemistry but show no depth to the characters they play. Tony
Curtis was actually in the beginning stage of a leading actor and was certainly not ready yet to give a serious
performance.
The magic tricks I saw are totally rubbish that's aided by bullshit editing. At one point, Tony Curtis was sawing
Janet Leigh into half, and then a cut emerged which meant they shot the scene until stopping and rearranged
it a bit before resuming. It's a recurring theme throughout while handcuffs are used too much. How about several
tricks with a cloth draping Tony Curtis and I never get to see how he did it?
On the day of dropping the safe accidentally into the ice hole, I'm pretty sure the temperature was over 60
degrees Fahrenheit. That's indicated by the lack of cold air through breathing. Whenever somebody came up with
his own invention and presented it in front of the audience, I feel positive he was paid in advance as part of
Houdini's showsmanship and that thing wasn't meant to be escape-proof.
As for the biography of Harry Houdini (his real name was Ehrich Weisz) who's the most famous magician ever
lived, there's barely much in the film to reflect the true events of his life. Where's the magic trick that made
a huge elephant vanish? Or how about the Daily Mirror challenge or the Milk Can Escape? There are others
as well. Prior to Houdini's death, he was punched in the belly by a male as part of a dare. Afterwards, he
developed peritonitis and died on Halloween of 1926. There's one thing that Harry Houdini and Tony Curtis had in
common: they were Hungarian Jewish.
All in all, you're better off reading a biographical book about Harry Houdini than wasting time on
Houdini.