Deadly Magic
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Deadly Magic |
| Original title | Death Defying Acts |
| Country of production |
UK , Australia |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 2007 |
| length | 97 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gillian Armstrong |
| script |
Tony Grisoni , Brian Ward |
| production |
Chris Curling , Marian Macgowan |
| music | Cezary Skubiszewski |
| camera | Haris Zambarloukos |
| cut | Nicholas Beauman |
| occupation | |
| |
Death Defying Acts is a British - Australian film drama from the year 2007 . Directed by Gillian Armstrong and written by Tony Grisoni and Brian Ward .
action
Mary McGarvie earns her living as a deceitful necromancer in a vaudeville in Edinburgh , where she makes contact with the deceased as the fortune teller Princess Kelley in an exotic Egyptian show . Her twelve-year-old daughter Benji assists her in the show dressed as a Moor.
Before that, she spied on the information for her performances together with her daughter. In the afternoon, the daughter mingles with the people in the queue for the evening variety show while playing a ball in order to look for the ball that has rolled away. Then she chases an elderly gentleman who has bought a ticket. When he buys flowers a little later, the opportunity arises to steal his gold pocket watch, which it brings to his mother. With the help of the inscription on the clock, she gets further information from the civil status register, which she then gives in front of the audience in the evening as information from the afterlife.
The film tells the story from the daughter's perspective and with comments such as “We only gave people what they wanted. After a month the theater had to close due to problems and we were unemployed. "
In the cinema she sees a silent film about Houdini , a promotional film for his upcoming European tour. In this silent film the following question is also asked: “Are there ghosts? Prove it to me! ”At the same time, for example, a trick device is shown that lets the table float when the table is moved . Apparently, as a magician, Houdini knew the tricks of the spiritualists . It is also reported that Houdini has offered $ 10,000 to the fortune teller who can tell him his mother's last words, which she said on her deathbed. Since Houdini's European tour also takes him to Edinburgh, Mary McGarvie wants to face the task. The two are aiming for the premium. Arrived in Scotland, the magician meets Mary McGarvie and Benji.
Mary McGarvie and Houdini enter into a relationship against the opposition of Houdini's manager Sugarman. Sugarman offers Mary money if she leaves the artist, but Mary and Benji rather try to spy on the artist's professional secrets. Finally, Sugarman reveals to them that Houdini was actually never on his mother's deathbed. When the day of the screening comes, Benji seems to fall into a trance and, in the role of Houdini's mother, reveals the truth about his absence when his mother dies and even predicts the hour of his death. After Mary has received the reward, Houdini has to leave her and Benji and is soon afterwards killed in Montreal, as prophesied by a student, by an unexpected blow to the stomach.
Reviews
Dennis Harvey wrote in Variety magazine on October 1, 2007 that the film took advantage of the demand for costume films about magicians who had made The Illusionist and Prestige visible. It was " animated " and " well done " but lacked depth and real tension. The critic praised the achievements of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce, who would, however , embody " unsympathetic, opinionated " and non-matching characters. The camera work and the production design are " very appealing ".
On Reel Film Reviews, David Nusair praised the “ charismatic ” portrayal of Guy Pearce that wears the film. The portrayal of Catherine Zeta-Jones was " as expected lackluster ". In places the film seems like a " prefabricated mold for costume dramas " and is not able to make an impression on the audience.
backgrounds
The film contains motifs from Houdini's vehement struggle against the spiritism movement. Clearly recognizable is the controversy with the attractive necromancer Margery , whose success called his authority into question and who, through the use of her charms, clouded the judgment of male critics. While a fictional affair between Houdini and the hated Margery in the film would have been unthinkable, Houdini's widow Bess later entered into a secret relationship with the spiritualist Arthur Ford and confirmed that he had made contact with Houdini's ghost.
The film was shot in London and Edinburgh , among others . Its production amounted to an estimated 20 million US dollars . The film was shown at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2007 .
Web links
- Death Defying Acts in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Death Defying at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release Certificate for Deadly Magic . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , January 2009 (PDF; test number: 116 618 DVD).
- ↑ Film review by Dennis Harvey, accessed on November 28, 2007 ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Film review by David Nusair, accessed November 28, 2007
- ^ Filming locations for Death Defying Acts, accessed November 28, 2007
- ^ Box office / business for Death Defying Acts, accessed November 28, 2007
- ↑ Death Defying Acts premiere dates, accessed November 28, 2007
