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Houdini

Play trailer Poster for Houdini Released Jul 2, 1953 1h 46m Drama Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 59% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
While working as a Coney Island entertainer, Harry Houdini (Tony Curtis) meets and falls madly in love with Bess (Janet Leigh). The two quickly marry, and with her at his side, the magician begins his rise to fame as the world's greatest escape artist and magician. But as the escapes get more and more dangerous, Bess worries that Harry may be taking his act too far. This biographical look at the life of Houdini takes several liberties with the facts, including how the magician actually died.
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Houdini

Critics Reviews

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James Plath Family Home Theater Hollywood legend Tony Curtis gives one of his best performances in Houdini, a colorful biography set in the 1890s through 1920s, and he does it playing opposite his then-wife Janet Leigh.... Rated: B+ Jan 16, 2018 Full Review David Cornelius DVDTalk.com There's enough whimsy on display to make the film a pleasant charmer. Rated: 3/5 Jul 11, 2008 Full Review Steve Crum Video-Reviewmaster.com Colorful, but full of falsehoods, story of Houdini. Curtis is pretty good. Rated: 3/5 Mar 23, 2008 Full Review Daniel M. Kimmel Worcester Telegram & Gazette Rated: 3/5 Nov 4, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 21, 2005 Full Review Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Rated: 2/5 May 16, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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steve d Surprisingly entertaining and well acted. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review matthew d The definitive biopic on Houdini. Houdini (1953) remains the most faithful account of Houdini's life. After half a dozen other shows and movies have come out, this movie perseveres as the one that put the most heart and information into it. Director George Marshall pulls off every trick in the book to recreate Houdini's magic act with vivid imagination and thrills. There are many incredible sequences of magic tricks and fascinating visual ideas. Beautiful sets with lavish costumes and period accurate detail all help make Houdini a special film. The gorgeous music ranges from lovely symphonies to heart pounding accompaniment to Houdini's most dangerous stunts. This is as classic as biopics get. Houdini remains my favorite film of 1953. Tony Curtis gives the performance of his career as Harry Houdini. He is charming and charismatic while delivering sweet dialogue and fun tricks alike. His chemistry with his real wife Janet Leigh is palpable. Houdini doubles as an engaging biopic as a cute romance of this devoted couple. They loved each other dearly, while Houdini's obsession with fame, fortune, and performance pushed him to the extreme. I adore Houdini and continue to come back to this film again and again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent movie. The chemistry and timing between Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis makes this movie believable. It concentrates on more of the positive aspects of Houdini's life, rather than the myths and exploitations. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Its very entertaining and fun. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member A great movie! A lady from the Magic Castle recommended it after we heard about Houdini. I loved it! It was funny too. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member This speedy, swashbuckling biopic tells the story of late, great escape artist, Harry Houdini, offering some sweet performances from big 50s names and bags of pizazz. Wry humour, charming romance and cheeky panache all ensure escapist fun, held together by a beguiling rise-and-fall structure, yet the film falls flat on its face in its misrepresentations of events and failure to address the magician's mysterious death. Fanciful fun flummoxed by falsehoods. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Houdini

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Movie Info

Synopsis While working as a Coney Island entertainer, Harry Houdini (Tony Curtis) meets and falls madly in love with Bess (Janet Leigh). The two quickly marry, and with her at his side, the magician begins his rise to fame as the world's greatest escape artist and magician. But as the escapes get more and more dangerous, Bess worries that Harry may be taking his act too far. This biographical look at the life of Houdini takes several liberties with the facts, including how the magician actually died.
Director
George Marshall
Producer
George Pal
Screenwriter
Philip Yordan
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Drama, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 2, 1953, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 46m
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