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Death Defying Acts (2007)

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clip Houdini escapes

Original classification rating: PG. This clip chosen to be PG

Clip description

Showman Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce) quietens the enthusiastic audience with a gesture before talking about the stunt he is about to perform. He is handcuffed and, feet held fast in stocks, lowered upside down into water. Once out of sight behind a curtain, he removes the key to the handcuffs from his mouth. But visions cause him to lose his focus. Mr Sugarman (Timothy Spall) grows concerned, as does the crowd. There is much applause when Houdini finally frees himself.

Curator’s notes

by Sandy George

Guy Pearce was born in the UK but grew up in Australia and came to the public’s attention as a young actor in Neighbours (1985-current). He made it onto the world film stage as a result of his part in the highly successful The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). Since then, his chiselled features have appeared in more non-Australian than Australian films such as LA Confidential (1997) and Memento (2000). He also appeared in The Proposition (2005), another UK-Australian co-production.

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australianscreen is produced by the National Film and Sound Archive. By using the website you agree to comply with the terms and conditions described elsewhere on this site. The NFSA may amend the 'Conditions of Use’ from time to time without notice.

All materials on the site, including but not limited to text, video clips, audio clips, designs, logos, illustrations and still images, are protected by the Copyright Laws of Australia and international conventions.

When you access australianscreen you agree that:

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  • You may download materials for your personal use or for non-commercial educational purposes, but you must not publish them elsewhere or redistribute clips in any way.
  • You may embed the clip for non-commercial educational purposes including for use on a school intranet site or a school resource catalogue.
  • The National Film and Sound Archive’s permission must be sought to amend any information in the materials, unless otherwise stated in notices throughout the Site.

All other rights reserved.

ANY UNAUTHORISED USE OF MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY RESULT IN CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY.

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