Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Mary manages to charm the unsuspecting magician, but as they spend more and more time together, Sugarman intervenes, trying to prevent Houdini from becoming entangled with Mary, of whom he is suspicious. There was a novelization written by Greg Cox released by Pocket Books (left). However, all does not go to plan. Death Defying Acts Production: STAMFORD, CONN. A Julian Schlossberg and Jean Doumanian presentation of three one-act plays, by Woody … Was this review helpful to you? Play It Again, Sam: A Romantic Comedy in Three Acts by Woody Allen Paperback $10.95. View production, box office, & company info, Rated PG for some sensuality, thematic material, language, violent content and smoking, Three local producers off to the UK’s Production Finance Market, Watch: 'Brooklyn' Nyfcc Winner Saoirse Ronan on Instinct, Insecurity, and Meaty Roles for Women: "It's getting better". In 1962 England, a young couple find their idyllic romance colliding with issues of sexual freedom and societal pressure, leading to an awkward and fateful wedding night. Death Defying Acts Death Defying Acts is the collective title for three one-act comedies by David Mamet, Elaine May and Woody Allen. When he says he does, they become romantically involved before Houdini leaves for his last performance, in Montreal. Guy Pearce spent six weeks learning Houdini's tricks from magician Ross Skiffington. A little too "psychic" for me and too little about the true nature of Harry Houdini except his fascination for his dead mother. This long-running Off-Broadway hit features a trio of one-act comedies by three gifted American playwrights. There's nothing death defying about Death Defying Acts. Terrific final scene too. There's nothing terribly wrong about this, but there isn't anything particularly original about the movie either. Mary's psychic act pulls in the public: Benji surreptitiously gathers information on members of the audience, information Mary uses to con them into believing they can reach out to their deceased loved ones. Mary is disgruntled because she believes Harry does not love her as she believed. Another magician movie? During his travels, he is climbing a set of stairs when a "Red-Haired Prankster" punches him in the stomach while he was not prepared, rupturing his appendix, eventually killing him. as the next stop on his tour, his offer piques the interest of sexy… A CD soundtrack of the score by Cezary Skubiszewski was also released, and marked the first time a Houdini movie soundtrack made it into stores. In contemplation of the upcoming apocalypse, Jesus returns to Earth to see if the people have become better than they were in his lifetime, and falls in love with Marie, who has just left her fiancée. Gillian Armstrong's new feature film starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce, releasing in Australian cinemas March 13. I have just modified 2 external links on Death Defying Acts. It concerns an episode in the life of Hungarian-American escapologist Harry Houdini at the height of his career in the 1920s. Set in 1920s Edinburgh, Death Defying Acts stars Guy Pearce as legendary escapologist Harry Houdini, who offers $10,000 to any so-called psychic who can tell him his dead mother's final words. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Download or stream from your Apple TV, Roku, Smart TV, computer or portable device. Details. Death Defying Acts - YouTube During Harry Houdini's tour of Britain in 1926, the master escapologist enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic. “Death Defying Acts,” a fictionalized love story involving Harry Houdini, could be a sweet little discovery if only the relationship at the core of it were more convincing. Bryan Stevenson’s Death-Defying Acts. When Guy Pearce's Houdini comes into town to prove or disprove the existence of the paranormal, they come into contact.It is both a sad and a hopeful movie. Sugarman's main desire is to see Mary and Benji gone; they claim they will be gone for good once they secure the reward for finding out what Houdini's mother said to him on her death bed. Death-Defying Acts. Death Defying Acts is a 2007 British-Australian supernatural romance film, directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Please take a moment to review my edit . Short Plays / Comedy / 2m, 3f / 3 ints. When Houdini announces Edinburgh ("The Athens of the North!") Thank you: I would like to thank you for your fast shipping of this movie. It was screened in a special presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. On a tour of Britain in 1926, Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) enters into a passionate affair with a psychic out to con him. The psychic and her daughter attempt to con Houdini during a highly publicized séance to contact his mother whose death has haunted him for many years. The McGarvies are awarded the $10,000. The film was shot on location in London and Edinburgh, and at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, produced by Myriad Pictures and is being distributed by The Weinstein Company. In the early twentieth century, an aging actress and her lover visit the estate of her elderly brother. Death Defying Acts Catherine Zeta-Jones (Actor), Guy Pearce (Actor), Gillian Armstrong (Director) Mary is caught trying to open Houdini's chest and covers up by saying she was just searching for something to channel the psychic energy of the deceased. Death Defying Acts (2007) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. After undergoing a procedure to erase his memories, a successful author begins having unexplained recollections relating to a series of unsolved murders. Mother Nature messes with their fates. Fortune Theatre, Russell Street, Covent Garden, London, England, UK, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC). Turns out, there isn’t much smoke and mirrors involved; to perform these death defying acts, you must “un-train your instincts, unlearn self-preservation.” You have to, essentially, make peace with pain. It concentrates more on the fictional "what if" romantic drama waving within the life of one of history's great magicians, Harry Houdini. In recent months, California and Maryland followed eight other states in suspending operation of their death chambers. He tells them that Houdini was out doing a show and missed seeing his mother before she died. It has been 13 years since Houdini’s beloved mother passed away. In 1926, 13 years after his mother's death, illusionist Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) has begun debunking mystics, psychics and others who claim to have paranormal powers. When the time comes, Mary is unable to perform the experiment and attempts to leave. It was screened in a special presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. [3] Magic consultant for the film was English magician Scott Penrose. . Order it now. But The Illusionist and The Prestige were great movies, so why not? If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. Death Defying Acts movie reviews & Metacritic score: It is 1926, and Harry Houdini is the most famous performer in the world. Death Defying Acts is a 2007 British-Australian supernatural romance film, directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. In 2007 she had a small role as an autograph hound in Gillian Armstrong's supernatural romantic thriller Death Defying Acts, an Anglo-Australian production which starred Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Death Defying Acts, on the other hand, offers no competition to either. Catherine Zeta Jones plays a foxy, yet poor, mother, scamming away through life pretending to be a psychic. [5] Globally, the film took $6,415,141. [7], Australasian Performing Right Association, Master passes on a few tricks of the trade, https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=deathdefyingacts.htm, https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=deathdefyingacts.htm, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/death_defying_acts/, Unfolding Florence: The Many Lives of Florence Broadhurst, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Death_Defying_Acts&oldid=1016504796, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 April 2021, at 14:50. Death Defying Acts book. Death Defying Acts is a hugely enjoyable, impressively directed drama with superb performances and an emotionally engaging script. 5.0 out of 5 stars death defying acts. This article is more than 10 years old. He offers US$10,000 to anyone who can quote his mother's dying words to him. On a tour of Britain in 1926, Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) enters into a passionate affair with a psychic out to con him. Capital punishment, that contentious old emblem of the American criminal-justice system, is under fire. A mother falls for a younger man while her daughter falls in love for the first time. Audiences flock to watch him perform death-defying acts. It is 1926. Benji gets the key to the chest from Sugarman. During his stay in Japan, he becomes obsessed with the concubine of a local baron. Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort. An Interview by David Mamet is an oblique, mystifying interrogation. Title: The script itself does not lend itself to praise, but the atmosphere and realisation are top notch.Bottom line: watch it when you are in a mood for a rom-drama, but you don't care much about the subject. This was only the second time a Houdini film was novelized (the first being The Great Houdinis in 1976). A young woman, kidnapped when she was a child, returns home to the family she barely remembers and struggles to feel at home. Add the first question. Showing all 4 items Jump to: Summaries (3) Synopsis (1) Summaries. During Harry Houdini's (Guy Pearce's) tour of Britain in 1926, the master escapologist enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic. It concerns an episode in the life of Hungarian-American escapologist Harry Houdini at the height of his career in the 1920s. When the unfortunate assistant in a magic show is beheaded on stage, Jack and Phryne's investigation unravels a secret murder in the past. Need some help finding the best things to watch on Netflix? This could be interpreted as either a genuine seance or a very skillful and convincing impersonation by the young artist. Impoverished and uneducated Scottish con artist Mary McGarvie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and her daughter Benji (Saoirse Ronan) set their sights on Houdini's reward when he visits Edinburgh on tour. Read 3 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. During Harry Houdini's tour of Britain in 1926, the master escapologist enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic. By Gerald Weismann. 14 of 21 people found this review helpful. Death Defying Acts  (54)IMDb 5.81 h 36 min2008PG During Harry Houdini's tour of Britain in 1926, the master escapologist enters into a passionate affair with a Scottish psychic. At this point Benji starts having a fit on the ground and claims to be channelling Houdini's mother on her death bed, uttering the words of the Kaddish and addressing Houdini as "Ehrich", his real name, and speaking partly in German and partly in German-accented English asking where he is, and why he is not with her. Death Defying Acts wasn't entirely "promotion-free". FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer who's having a rough time trying to get his new picture made. The story of a married silkworm merchant-turned-smuggler in 19th century France traveling to Japan for his town's supply of silkworms after a disease wipes out their African supply. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. This is a pretty conventional motion picture that doesn't try to do anything new with the genre it's portraying. Harry Houdini (Pearce) is the most famous performer in the world. This item: Death Defying Acts by Woody Allen Paperback $10.95. The curtains of anesthesia close in, and the final act begins. Death-Defying Acts. Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2012. Use the HTML below. The “man behind the performer” is a different story. (2007). . Death Defying Acts (2007) Plot. In stock on April 25, 2021. Doctors Jo Wilson, April Kepner, and Andrew DeLuca share the episodes they think are essential to understanding their characters. Death Defying Acts earned $2,839,345 at the Spanish box office, $800,505 in South Korea, $713,741[4] in Australia and $608,455 in Mexico. Let our editors help you find what's trending and what's worth your time. . When the note he wrote to confirm the veracity of the experiment was removed from its safe and shown to be blank, Houdini reveals the "eternal shame" he feels because he wasn't able to reach his mother before she died, and thus was unable to comfort her in her moment of death, or to hear her final words. Two teenage assassins accept what they think will be a quick-and-easy job, until an unexpected target throws them off their plan. Sugarman realizes he can't get rid of them as easily as he had hoped. Based on Ian McEwan's novel. Format: DVD Verified Purchase. The film received mixed reviews, with a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews, with an average score of 4.98/10. When Mary and Benji fail to turn up any useful information, they turn again to Sugarman. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. The fifth film in the documentary series about the lives, hopes and dreams of three lively, working class Adelaide girls since they were fourteen in 1976. Their only obstacle is Houdini's protective manager, Sugarman (Timothy Spall). This FAQ is empty. [6] It was on a very limited release in larger markets such as the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, resulting in low box-office takings there. Buy, Rent or Watch Death Defying Acts and other Movies + TV Shows online. 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