Houdini

By the early 1900s, the extraordinary Houdini earned an international reputation for his theatrical tricks and daring feats of extrication from shackles, ropes, handcuffs, and Scotland Yard's jails... The film depicts Houdini's memorable escape from any pair of handcuffs produced by the audience; the outdoor exhibition, when he allows himself to be hanged upside down from his ankles, suspended from the roof of a high building, in a strait jacket; and, the dramatic act, when he accepts to be shackled with irons and placed in a box that is locked, roped, and submerged in frozen waters... The film also exposes Houdini's campaign against mind readers, fraudulent mediums and others who claim supernatural powers... Houdini shows a passionate talent for escapology and the film did much to create the 'Water Torture Cell' illusion... With his pretty-boy looks, Tony Curtis handles the title role with passionate skill... His energetic performance, as the talented and motivated magician, is very good... With good period atmosphere, but with more attention to romance than to interesting detail, the film is quite enjoyable and colorful... Janet Leigh does a great job as Houdini's faithful wife...

Tony Curtis ... Harry Houdini Janet Leigh ... Bess Houdini Torin Thatcher ... Otto (Von Schwager's assistant) Angela Clarke ... Mrs. Weiss Stefan Schnabel ... German Prosecuting Attorney Ian Wolfe ... Malue Sig Ruman ... Schultz Michael Pate ... Dooley (London examiner) Connie Gilchrist ... Mrs. Shultz Malcolm Lee Beggs ... British jail warden

Runtime:106 min Country:USA Language:English Year: 1953