The magician's youth

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Movie
German title The magician's youth
Original title Young Harry Houdini
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1987
length 90 minutes
Rod
Director James Orr
script James Orr
Jim Cruickshank
production James Orr
Jim Cruickshank
music Lee Holdridge
camera Paul Lohmann
cut Robert Estrin
Norman Hollyn
occupation

The youth of the magician is an American adventure film from the year 1987 . The television film loosely tells the story of Harry Houdini .

action

During a performance Harry Houdini performed the dramatic staging of his “Chinese water torture cell” in front of a large audience. Once again he manages to amaze everyone. His friend Arthur Conan Doyle is no less enthusiastic and believes it was more than a trick, maybe something psychic and mystical. But Houdini doesn't believe in such a thing. It was just a trick. He doesn't really believe in psychic things either, although as a boy he once experienced something that he couldn't explain. If Doyle never shares it with anyone, Houdini tell him the story.

In 1886, Erik Weisz lived with his family in Appleton , Wisconsin . Together with his brother Theo, he appeared in front of other children as Prince of the Air . He tried himself as a trapeze artist and as an escape artist, whereby his father, the local rabbi, wonders about the big dreams of wanting to become the greatest magician of all time. After all, a locksmith could earn $ 500 to $ 600 a year. Nobody understands their dreams, except for the magician The Great Merlin , who stays at the local hotel on his way to Chicago. He encourages young Erik to continue so that shortly afterwards he decides to run away from home to follow him to Chicago and become his assistant. Unfortunately he takes the wrong train and ends up in Kansas City instead , where he meets Dr. Meet Tybolt Grimaldi and his beautiful granddaughter Calpernia. He can convince her to be an escape artist, whereby he is allowed to the two and Chief Greywolf , a medicine man of the Menotok tribe, afterwards.

From then on he travels with them through the country and has several appearances in several cities, including an unleashing number for gold miners. They are particularly keen to prove that everything is just a trick. One of the miners bets a valuable 20 dollar coin that Erik will not be able to free himself. He is locked in a box and hung over a ravine with a rope. Suddenly the rope breaks, the box falls and crashes onto the rock. Everyone believes that Erik was killed in the process. But as if by magic, he suddenly stands behind the workers. Everyone is amazed and Erik later admits that he cannot remember his escape. Chief Greywolf later quietly reveals it to him. Erik promises not to tell anyone and learns how the Indians were once favored with strength by the great spirit. So the great spirit always had a chosen one who had the power to materialize. Since Erik seems to be the chosen one, Chief Gerywolf agrees to teach him and explains the two most important rules to him. He should always deny the power and continue to deny it until all doubters believe that he does not have the power. With the power of imagination, they then travel from a desert over mountains until they come to a small town. There he shows him the strength and how he can get everything he wants with just a snap of his finger. However, he shouldn't let himself be seduced, because the easiest way is not always the best, which is why Erik ultimately opts for the more patient one.

During the performances and the trip through the cities together, Erika fell in love with the beautiful Calpernia. Unfortunately it was promised to a young man from Ellsworth. After almost all of her property was lost in a fire about a year ago, Tybolt had to take out a loan, leaving his daughter's hand as a security deposit. Although they now have 50 percent of the money together, when the Johnsons appear at one of their performances, they refuse to accept and prefer to see the daughter's hand. Since Calpernia refuses, Wesley, who now owns the girl, tries to get her by force. Erik opposes him with his strength and transforms his whip first into a stick and then into a snake. Before the fight escalates, the sheriff appears and settles the conflict. The Johnsons are due to return with a priest later to consummate the lawful marriage of Calpernia. To spare Calpernia this fate, Erik travels to the Johnsons, where he wants to use his strength. But Chief Greywolf appears and reverses the effects of his abused power. After the Johnsons finally fled all the magic, Chief Greywolf gives Erik an amulet, which reminds him that he wanted to become a great magician.

When Erik wakes up in Tybolt's car, he learns that he never escaped from the box. So, says Houdini Doyle, it was all just a dream. He later returned to his family. Calpernia married a young man from a daily newspaper only a year later and had four children with him, the eldest being Erik. Tybolt, on the other hand, continued to move from town to town in Atlantic City until his death two years ago , doing his shows and selling magic oils. Chief Greywolf did not return from fetching firewood a few days after the dream and was never seen again. With this, Houdini says goodbye to Doyle into the night and takes his amulet out of his jacket pocket.

background

At the Primetime Emmy Awards in 1987 , the television film received a nomination in the Best Youth Program category.

The film premiered on March 15, 1987 on ABC . It was first broadcast in Germany on June 19, 1994 on PREMIERE . A German-language publication on VHS , DVD or Blu-ray Disc is not available.

criticism

The lexicon of the international film said: "A comedic-inspired fictional life story of the well-known magician in a conventional but entertaining style."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. The Magician's Youth. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used