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The life story of Harry Houdini is dramatically presented in “Houdini”. From his humble beginnings pressing garments during the day and mastering his skills as an illusionist at night, the character of Houdini evolves. One fateful night he meets Bess (Stacy Edwards) and asks her to marry him the same day. The pair marry and Bess joins him on stage as his assistant. Houdini soon realises that to be the greatest, he must convince the audience he will die. From this premise, the legend of Houdini is born. This feature successfully portrays both the legend and the man, with interesting insights into Houdini’s struggle for the love and acceptance of his mother and the great burden this places on his marriage. As Houdini ages, he becomes obsessed with the existence of the after life, vowing to escape death as he escapes.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
314239
Language
English
Audience classification
MA
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Biographical films
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Hobbies, Recreation & Sport → Magic
Magic, Occult & Supernatural → Magic
Magic, Occult & Supernatural → Magicians
Music & Performing Arts → Magic
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)