Sawn up virgin
The sawed-up virgin is a classic grand illusion performed by magicians .
illusion
Typically, a woman is put into a box and the box (and with it the woman) appears to be sawn into two pieces. The box is put back together, the woman climbs out unharmed. The sawed-up Jungfrau is available in many versions, with chainsaws , circular saws and also without a box. Sometimes these magic tricks are also performed with volunteers from the audience.
history
This illusion was first demonstrated by PT Selbit (Percy Thomas Tibbles) in early 1921. The unprepared wooden box stood on wooden blocks. Even today, the sawed-up virgin in this version is considered one of the most deceptive illusions.
Percy Tibbles was not known to the general public because Horace Goldin brought out "The Great Divide" with great publicity in America in July 1921. He used a completely different method than Selbit. Goldin had only read reports of the English colleague's demonstration. He was not interested in the secret behind Selbit's deception. His motto was "Give me an effect - and I'll find a way to produce it" . Goldin had his illusion protected by patent, so that Selbit was no longer allowed to demonstrate the illusion he had invented in America. However, just one year later, this illusion was shown by more than a hundred illusionists worldwide.
When the RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company explained Goldin's trick in advertisements for Camel cigarettes, Goldin tried for five years to take legal action against it, but was unsuccessful.
After the secret of the maiden, who had been sawn in the box, was unveiled, Goldin came up with an improvement that shocked the London public in July 1931 : he saw a woman lying freely on a board with a rotating circular saw.
But here, too, Gold had given someone else's idea a more startling shape. In the previous year, Fred Milano granted Goldin access to his patent specification in Berlin for the purpose of dividing a person who was fully visible at all times .
This illusion can be demonstrated in a very spectacular way if spectators are invited to join in a saw, and wooden blocks placed next to the body of the “victim” are also cut up.
method
There are several ways to perform the illusion of the sawed-up virgin .
box
With variant 1 shown on the right, the audience only sees the front of the box (picture A) and assumes that the person has to be sawed through as shown in the picture (picture B). The box is wider than expected, however, so the woman inside the box can pull her legs up while the box is being sawed up (image C). A dummy is used for the feet .
Another possibility is to let a slope (in the half of the leg) sag down (here too, dummy shoes are used). Then a metal plate is inserted in the middle of the box from behind, invisible to the audience, so that the woman cannot be injured under any circumstances. This variant is mainly used by voluntary viewers. So that the whole thing is not noticeable, the background must of course be darkened and the slope must be black.
Circular saw with saw table
A circular saw with a pendulum-like attachment for the saw blade and a large saw table is required for this. First, by sawing wood, the magician demonstrates the proper condition of the saw. Then a woman who wears a long dress is brought to the saw and sometimes put into a " trance " by the magician . Then the woman lies down on the saw table, the wizard's assistant fixes her with metal buckles on both wrists and both ankles (with the arms pointing towards the head and the legs slightly spread apart). Then the saw is started again and passed through the woman's stomach area. Finally the saw is switched off again, the woman is freed from the table and presented to the audience unharmed.
The trick is that the woman wears a special plastic construction under her dress that is supposed to simulate her stomach. While she is strapped to the table, part of the table top sinks, hidden from the audience, causing her stomach to slide down as well. However, the plastic construction ensures that the woman's dress does not collapse. The viewer has the impression that it is still lying horizontally on the table. To be on the safe side, a sturdy steel plate is pushed between the plastic construction and your belly to protect your body from the saw. If the saw is now started, it only cuts through a notch in the plastic belly without touching the woman. Furthermore, due to the X-shaped restraint, your extremities cannot come into contact with the saw. So that the illusion does not blow up, the hollow should be closed again before the woman is released from the bonds.
literature
- Jochen Zmeck : The sawed-up virgin through the ages . In: Ernst Günther, Heinz P. Hofmann, Walter Rösler (eds.): Cassette. An almanac for the stage, podium and ring (= cassette ). No. 3 . Henschelverlag Art and Society, Berlin 1979, p. 110-114 .
