Houdini (1953) - 7 stars out of 10
How could the life of an escape artist be anything but fascinating (even if it is mostly fictionalized)? "Houdini" is a great film but not a great biopic. This film should be followed by the reading of his biography (or at least a skim of his Wikipedia page) to avoid believing fictionalized moments from this film (particularly the way that Houdini died). That being said, Tony Curtis is awesome in the role of Houdini, aided by his real-life wife Janet Leigh as as his movie wife and assistant. Their chemistry is wonderful and drives this entire story along, from their first meeting to the final scene on stage. Curtis and Leigh were sworn to secrecy by magicians as they learned the secrets of the trade to bring many of these tricks to life. This film should not be treated as fact but still provides interesting insight into the man who was Harry Houdini.
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