Holiday Gifts for Magicians-Videos

It's that time of year again and time for another list of great gifts to get that magician in your family or a friend who is into magic. Even though the sales of DVD's are down, I would submit that a magic related DVD is an ideal gift. There were many movies this year which dealt with the subject of matter.

Ricky Jay Movie
This is a must for any fan of magic. Filled with stories and rare footage of many of magic's greatest close-up stars including Ricky Jay himself. The Ricky Jay movie is also available on iTunes. I've given you the link for both itunes and Amazon, however, for any of the magic related DVD's, if you can purchase them from your local magic shop, please do that. It might cost a couple dollars more, but you'll be supporting the shops which need all the help we can give.

Desperate Acts of Magic Movie
Here is another magic related movie. I have not watched it yet, but after being contacted by the producers of the movie, I do intend to watch it. It features a lot of magicians as well, so you can't go wrong here.

Now You See Me Movie
This one I have seen several times. There is even an extended cut version. It's not about specific historical magicians, though it does use magic as it's theme. David Copperfield was a consultant on this movie.

Burt Wonderstone Movie
Here is a movie that had a lot of promise, but fell short. I enjoyed it, but I don't know if lay people liked the movie or even understood it. A lot of inside jokes with this movie. David Copperfield makes a brief cameo in this movie.

The Great Buck Howard Movie
This didn't do well at the box office and apparently didn't make very much money. But I think it's because it was terribly promoted. It's a really cool movie that is basically about the life of Kreskin.
I really enjoyed it and Kreskin is featured in the Bonus Footage.

The Prestige
One of the most awesome magic related movies ever made. It's a must see with Wolverine and Batman, I mean, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale.

The Illusionist Movie
This is one of my favorite magic movies. Edward Norton does an incredible job in the title role. This came out around the same time as The Prestige and both are great flicks!

The Illusionist Animated Movie
I have not seen this movie but I understand it's quite good. From what I hear it's also sad. But take a look for yourself. More than likely most of the movies here are available on itunes as well, so if you'd prefer to rent them, you can do that.

HOUDINI Movie
The original with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh in the starring roles. This is the Hollywood version of Houdini's life so it's highly fictionalized, but it's also the movie that got many of us interested in magic to start with.

Houdini The Movie Star
A collection of most of the real Houdini's silent movies.

American Experience: HOUDINI
A fine documentary by PBS on the life of Harry Houdini.

David Copperfield-ILLUSION
This is a special compilation video from many of David Copperfield's specials. There is some fantastic footage on here. If you are a younger magician and didn't grow up with David, I encourage you to get this video.

David Blaine: Decade of Magic
Cool footage from David Blaine's various specials. He is the guy who really changed the face of magic.

Guest Blog - Amy Brewster - The Art of Escapology

 Harry Houdini was known for his escape acts and played a huge part in the shaping of escapology routines.  We spoke to three modern day Houdini’s, Chris Cross, Rob Roy Collins and Roslyn Walker on how Harry has been a big part of their careers and how they became the performers they are today.

All three artists said Houdini played a major role in their life, not just with his routines but with his performances and ability to capture an audience. “Houdini obviously influenced me – it’s difficult for him not to have. He took a very old art form and transformed it into a massively successful performance piece,” says Roslyn. “Before him magicians would use the ability to escape from cuffs and other restraints in order to perform pseudo psychic demonstrations. He was the first to see the potential of using the escape itself to entertain.”

Rob Roy Collins too is mesmerised by Houdini’s ability to entertain, “What I love most about him is not just his ability to perform escapology stunts, but his ability to sell himself. He was the best PR guru I’ve ever come across!”

Chris Cross envies Houdini’s ability to pull a crowd, especially “his marketing skills and his ability to create hype. He got people’s attention and was a master crowd-puller.”   All three artists highlight the power of Houdini’s work and how charisma was an important element in Houdini becoming a household name.

Roslyn Walker is such a fan of Houdini he recreated some of his most famous routines, “One of his most famous stunts was the Mirror Cuff Challenge where a pair of escape-proof cuffs was created. Houdini was locked in and had to escape. It took him over an hour to get out. But he did it and the audience went mental!”

Roslyn explains how he took the challenge to escape from the same kind of cuffs: “I wasn’t allowed to see them until they were snapped on my wrists and I wasn’t allowed to have them taken off unless I admitted defeat, or I escaped on my own. The only difference was I did this in full view, so my audience of 3000 could see everything, whereas Houdini did the escape in private. Houdini took over an hour, as I said, but I took just over four minutes to free myself. I was given the cuffs as a souvenir.”

Roslyn, Chris and Rob obviously love what they do and would encourage others to get involved but with precaution, as “the world of escapology is littered with horror stories of escapes going wrong and people being injured, or worse,” says Rob. ”If the person has practiced enough and has all safety precautions thoroughly in place then this should not happen.”

Roslyn Walker thinks experience in performing arts is the key to escapology, “Most escape artists get into the art through magic. They train as magicians first and then find escapology. Personally I think it’s an advantage to also have knowledge and experience in other performance arts. My background in circus has really helped me.”

Find out more about Roslyn Walker, Chris Cross and Rob Roy Collins here.

An Early Bust from the Scranton Houdini Museum

Today's photos are a special treat from Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks. These show one of the early casts made during their attempt to recreate the bust to sit on Houdini's Grave. Look closely and you can see all the pits and imperfections which were later filled in for the final bust. This particular bust is made of solid polyurethane and was then coated to give the appearance of bronze.

The photos also contain a second bust much smaller. This is apparently a bust that Bess Houdini gave out. It's hollow, made of plaster and quite fragile.

Thank you Dick and Dorothy for sharing these images!