DEATH DEFYING ACTS
Australia/UK, 2007, 92 minutes, Colour.
Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta- Jones, Saoirse Rosane, Timothy Spall.
Directed by Gillian Armstrong.
Actually, the title is a thoughtful play on words. It obviously describes succinctly Harry Houdini’s escapology performances. His audience was incited to gasp with amazement and fear, with astonishment, as Houdini not only held his breath for a long time under water but also extricated himself from chains and straitjackets (whether he used a hidden key or not).
This film about his visit to Edinburgh provides some well-recreated examples for us to wonder at.
But, Houdini was devoted to his mother and, like other luminaries of the period, including Conan Doyle with whom he went to séances and supported the children who saw and photographed fairies at the end of their garden (Harvey Keitel portraying Houdini in Fairies: a True Story), he believed in contact with people in the afterlife. He wanted to defy death .
In this pleasant Scottish story, Houdini encounters a bright young girl (Saiorse Ronan who was so stiking in Atonement) who introduces him to her vaudeville performer mother (Catherine Zeta Jones) with whom she does a ‘revelation from the dead’ act which has been well-researched in the library and ‘guaranteed’ with the return of a lost object which the daughter had pickpocketed.
Houdini, who claims to believe in a scientific approach to contacting the dead, offers a large reward to anyone who could reveal his mother’s last words to him. Plenty of phonies turn up but mother and daughter are determined to win the money.
Houdini is fascinated by the little girl and becomes infatuated with the mother who is able to mellow him from the driven celebrity he had become.
Guy Pearce looks gaunt as usual as Houdini making him both moody and suddenly friendly and charming. Timothy Spall is good as his cantankerous and protective manager.
Edinburgh in the early 20th century makes for a picturesque historical setting, many actual locations being used for this imagining of a Houdini episode. Direction is by Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career, Oscar and Lucinda, Little Women).
1.The popularity of Houdini in his time? Later? Reputation? Interest, his achievement? Magician? Escapist?
2.The title, Houdini and his defying death in his acts? The impact of his mother’s death? His séances and investigation of life after death as an attempt to defy death?
3.The Edinburgh settings, the 20th century city, the views, the streets, buildings, homes, theatres? The musical score?
4.The voice-over of Benjy: explaining her gift, growing out of it, her absent father, her love for her mother and working with her, stealing the watch, the performance in the theatre, fortune-telling? The news of Houdini, watching him on the movies, the attraction, going to the hotel, stealing the food, the encounter with Sugarman? Houdini and his kindness, giving her the ticket? Her amazement? The prospect of the money, her mother’s investigation, the key of the trunk, staying in the plush hotel? Giving Houdini the information about her mother? Her dreams, the water, the fit during the test, her speaking in German like Houdini’s mother, real or not? Her sadness at his departure, watching the newsreel, his death? Benjy as the focus of the story?
5.Houdini, during the credits, water, breathing, the applause? Reputation, tricks, his belief in science? His interest in the afterlife? Arriving in Scotland, gruff with the journalists? Sugarman and his management? Taking the punch – and removing the corset, spitting blood? The hotel, Benjy, meeting Mary, the attraction? His background story, as Eric, growing up, love for his mother? His dreams and achievement, achieving everything? The encounter with Mary, learning love? The test, the experts arriving, his standing on the top of the castle with Mary and Benjy, the test, Benjy’s words, the truth about his not being at his mother’s death, his declaration, his love? His knowing the truth about Sugarman giving them the information? Arrival in Montreal, the journalists, the joke with the policeman and the punch, his collapse and death?
6.Mary, her background, not having a husband, women attacking her? Her love for Benjy, their lifestyle? The stealing of the watch, going to the library to research, the lecherous librarian, her performance as Princess Kali? Charlie Robertson and his response to her speaking from the other side like his wife Violet, recovering the watch? Houdini’s arrival, watching the movies? Her being puzzled by him, the meeting, the meal, her not being able to read? Snooping in his trunk, the key? Sugarman giving her the information? Her being dressed for the performance, her stopping? Her reaction to Benjy’s revelation? With Houdini on the steeple? The sexual encounter, his leaving, sadness as she watched the film at the end?
7.Sugarman, his management, his emphasis on show business, antipathy towards Mary, reaction to Benjy, giving them the information, handling the media, telling Houdini that he had told Mary the facts, the ending?
8.Scottish life at the time, poverty, rough, the pubs, Houdini going with Mary to see Scottish life?
9.Houdini and his performances, the audience reaction, holding his breath, the curtain, the build-up to the test, the reaction?
10.Elements of trickery, fakery? Reality and unreality? The interactions of the characters and their effect? A different perspective on Houdini?
