Death Defying Acts

Last updated

Death Defying Acts
Deathdefyingacts-poster.jpg
Promotional movie poster
Directed by Gillian Armstrong [1]
Written by Tony Grisoni [1]
Brian Ward [1]
Produced byChris Curling [1]
Marian Macgowan [1]
Starring Guy Pearce [1]
Catherine Zeta-Jones [1]
Timothy Spall
Saoirse Ronan [1]
Narrated by Saoirse Ronan
Cinematography Haris Zambarloukos
Edited byNicholas Beauman
Music by Cezary Skubiszewski
Production
companies
Distributed by Lionsgate (United Kingdom) [2]
Dendy Films (Australia) [2]
Release dates
  • 13 September 2007 (2007-09-13)(Toronto International Film Festival)
  • 10 March 2008 (2008-03-10)(Australia)
  • 8 August 2008 (2008-08-08)(United Kingdom)
Running time
97 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
Australia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$8,380,329

Death Defying Acts is a British-Australian 2007 supernatural romance film, directed by Gillian Armstrong, and starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It concerns an episode in the life of Hungarian-American escapologist Harry Houdini at the height of his career in the 1920s. It was screened in a special presentation at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

Contents

Plot

In 1926, 13 years after his mother's death, illusionist and escapologist Harry Houdini has begun debunking mystics, psychics, and others who claim to have paranormal powers. He offers $10,000 to anyone who can quote his mother's dying words to him.

Impoverished and uneducated Scottish con artist Mary McGarvie and her daughter, Benji, set their sights on Houdini's reward when he visits Edinburgh on tour. Mary has a music hall psychic act that pulls in the public: Benji surreptitiously gathers information on the audience, which Mary uses to fake contact with their deceased loved ones.

Mary and Benji charm Houdini, spending time with him out of the public eye. However, Benji starts feeling isolated as her mother and the magician begin a relationship. She also has distressing dreams about being trapped in an underwater tank, and an angel-like figure with red hair. While initially suspicious and hostile, Houdini's protective manager, Mr. Sugarman, eventually tells Mary and Benji the truth: Houdini, busy doing a show, was unable to visit his mother on her deathbed, and is racked with guilt.

Mary, wearing Houdini's mother's wedding dress, performs the heavily publicized act surrounded by a crowd of reporters. When she has a crisis of conscience and attempts to leave, Benji begins seizing on the ground. She utters the words of the Kaddish, addresses Houdini as "Ehrich" (his real given name), and asks (in a mix of German and German-accented English) where he is. Houdini says, "I'm here, Mama," and begins crying next to Benji. (Whether her fit is genuine or staged is not specified.) When a note written to confirm the veracity of the experiment is shown to be blank, Houdini reveals to the press the "eternal shame" he feels because he wasn't able to reach his mother before she died. Thus, he was unable to comfort her in her moment of death and doesn't know her final words.

The McGarvies are awarded the $10,000. Mary becomes disgruntled, feeling Houdini does not love her as she believed. However, he visits the small cottage Mary and Benji share and confirms his feelings for her. They make love and spend the night together before Houdini leaves for a performance in Montreal.

Following Houdini's arrival in Canada, a "Red-Haired Prankster" abruptly punches him in the stomach, fatally rupturing his appendix. After calling for a doctor, Sugarman privately reveals that he told Mary and Benji the truth about Houdini's mother, hoping that the staged seance would provide him with closure; Houdini replies, "I know."

At a cinema in Scotland, Benji weeps while viewing newsreel footage about Houdini's death, in which he faces the camera and appears to bid goodbye. In a voiceover, Benji states "Houdini changed our lives. And for a wee short while, we taught him how to love".

Cast

Production

The film was shot on location in London and Edinburgh, and at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, produced by Myriad Pictures and was distributed by The Weinstein Company. Pearce spent six weeks learning Houdini's tricks from magician Ross Skiffington. [3] Magic consultant for the film was English magician Scott Penrose.[ citation needed ]

Box office

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. [5] Globally, the film took $6,415,141. [5] 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.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews, with a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 38 reviews, with an average score of 4.98/10. [6]

Awards and nominations

Related Research Articles

Cezary Jan Skubiszewski is a Polish-born Australian film and television composer. He composed film scores for Red Dog, Two Hands, The Sapphires and TV series Picnic at Hanging Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Speed</span> Australian musician (born 1979)

Benjamin Peter Speed is an Australian musician who composes scores for film and television. He previously performed and recorded as Mister Speed or Mr Speed, and was vocalist and songwriter in the Australian alternative, electronic, and hip hop band The New Pollutants.

The APRA Music Awards in Australia celebrate excellence in contemporary music, honoring songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Yezerski</span> Australian composer

Michael Yezerski is an Australian composer known for his scores for feature films such as The Waiting City, The Black Balloon, Newcastle, and Thursday's Fictions, as well as collaborations with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Gondwana Voices Children's Choir, the National Museum of Canberra, Synergy Percussion and The Physical TV Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Mason (musician)</span> Australian keyboardist

Roger Ashley Mason is an Australian keyboardist who has been a member of new wave groups Models, Absent Friends and Icehouse. He was a session and backing musician for United Kingdom's Gary Numan and for various Australian artists. From the early 1990s he has composed music for television and feature films.

Caitlin Yeo is an Australian musician and film composer, whose credits include the feature film Jucy, All My Friends Are Leaving Brisbane, and The Rocket. Yeo is a graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School and Sydney University. Her work has won a number of awards including 2007 APRA AGSC Screen Music Award for Best Music for a Documentary and 2011 APRA Professional Development Award and received nominations in 2008, 2010 and 2012. She also teaches composition and film music theory at The Australian Institute of Music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APRA Music Awards of 2011</span> Australasian award series

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2011 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2011 was the 29th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 21 June 2011 at CarriageWorks in Sydney, Australia. The Art Music Awards were introduced in 2011 to replace the Classical Music Awards and were distributed on 3 May. They are sponsored by APRA and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) to "recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian music". The Screen Music Awards were issued on 14 November by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) at the City Recital Hall, Sydney which "acknowledges excellence and innovation in the genre of screen composition".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APRA Music Awards of 2012</span>

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2012 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2012 was the 30th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 28 May 2012 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Art Music Awards were introduced in 2011 to replace the Classical Music Awards and were distributed on 3 April at the Sydney Opera House. They are sponsored by APRA and the Australian Music Centre (AMC) to "recognise achievement in the composition, performance, education and presentation of Australian music". The Screen Music Awards were issued on 19 November by APRA and Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), which "acknowledges excellence and innovation in the genre of screen composition".

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2013 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2013 was the 31st annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 17 June 2013 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The Australian Performing Right Association Awards of 2014 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2014 was the 32nd annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 23 June 2014 at the Brisbane City Hall, for the first time. The host for the ceremony was Brian Nankervis, adjudicator on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2015 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2015 was the 33rd annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 24 March 2015 at the Carriageworks, Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Brian Nankervis, adjudicator on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2016 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2016 was the 34th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 5 April 2016 at the Carriageworks, Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Brian Nankervis, adjudicator on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2017 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2017 was the 35th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 3 April 2017 at the International Convention Centre Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Julia Zemiro, presenter on SBS-TV's RocKwiz.

Kyls Burtland is a Canadian-born Australian composer working in film, television, advertising, sound installation and VR. Her TV credits include Bad Mothers (2019), Here Come the Habibs (2016), Whitlam: The Power and the Passion (2015), music for the Shanghai Pavilion interactive experience at World Expo 2010, music for the projections on the Sydney Opera House for Vivid Sydney (2013), and the song "Triumph of the One" for the 2006 Asian Games closing ceremony in Doha, sung by Aladdin (2007) star, Lea Salonga. In November 2019, she was awarded a full scholarship by composer and Song Hubs curator Ashley Irwin to attend APRA's Screen Song Hubs in LA and co-write songs for screen with artists including Megan Washington, John Dafario, Shelley Peikin and Daniel Denholm.

The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 2018 are a series of related awards which include the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards, and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards of 2018 was the 36th annual ceremony by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) to award outstanding achievements in contemporary songwriting, composing and publishing. The ceremony was held on 10 April 2018 at the International Convention Centre Sydney. The host for the ceremony was Julia Zemiro.

Daniel Francis Luscombe is an Australian guitarist, producer, and composer. He has collaborated with many musicians, been a member of several bands, including The Blackeyed Susans, The Drones, and Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males, and has composed music for films and TV.

The APRA Music Awards of 2019 are the 37th annual awards given in the series of awards together known as APRA Awards, given in 2019. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the year: the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards and Screen Music Awards. They are given by the Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society, known jointly as APRA AMCOS.

Nerida Tyson-Chew is an Australian music composer, conductor and orchestrator, principally working in screen music. She won her first Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC) Award, in 1996, for her work on Hotel Sorrento (1995) and Brilliant Lies (1996). With Hotel Sorrento she was also nominated for an AFI Award for Best Original Music Score in 1995. In 2003 she won the Screen Music Award, co-presented by AGSC with APRA AMCOS, category Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie for Evil Never Dies; in 2007 she won Best Music for a Television Series or Serial for Two Twisted, episode "Delivery Man" (2006) and she won Best Music for a Documentary for Trishna & Krishna: The Quest for Separate Lives (2009) in 2010. At the APRA Music Awards of 2020 she was acknowledged for her Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen.

Neil Campbell Sutherland is a New Zealand-born, Australian-based screen music composer and musician. His work on Getaway (1994–present), MythBusters (2003–2016), Border Security (2004–present), Dancing with the Stars (2004–present) and Bondi Vet (2009–2016) has resulted in 14 consecutive Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas Awards at the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) Awards from 2008 to 2021.

The APRA Music Awards of 2023 were the 41st annual series, known as the APRA Awards. The awards are given in a series of categories in three divisions and in separate ceremonies throughout the year: the APRA Music Awards, Art Music Awards and Screen Music Awards. The APRA Music Awards are provided by APRA AMCOS and celebrate excellence in contemporary music, honouring songwriters and publishers that have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields. In January, 20 songs shortlisted for Song of the Year were announced. On 30 March 2023, the final nominations were provided. Winners of the 2023 Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music were Colin Hay and Colleen Ironside. APRA Music Awards were presented on 27 April 2023 at International Convention Centre Sydney.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Cast and Crew". Myriad Pictures. Archived from the original on 24 August 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Death Defying Acts Grosses". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ↑ Pandaram, Jamie; Jinman, Richard (21 September 2006). "Master passes on a few tricks of the trade". Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 19 December 2022– via smh.com.au.
  4. ↑ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). film.vic.gov.au. Film Victoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Death Defying Acts". boxofficemojo.com.
  6. ↑ "Death Defying Acts". Rotten Tomatoes .
  7. ↑ "Screen Awards". apra-amcos.com.au. Australasian Performing Right Association. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  8. ↑ "Winners - Screen Music Awards". apra-amcos.com.au. Australasian Performing Right Association. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.