An Escape Artist With Daddy Issues
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
It’s a bit presumptuous of me to suggest that the History cable network scheduled its two-part “Houdini” mini-series over Labor Day weekend on the theory that most folks will be away from their television. But, if by some chance, that turned out actually to be the network’s strategy, kudos to them.
Houdini is played by Adrien Brody, but not even the Academy Award winner can drum up a performance magical enough to make his character seem real.
He is burdened by Nicholas Meyer’s script, which paints a one-dimensional portrait of a man with daddy issues and who seems to talk exclusively in aphorisms. What could even the greatest thespian do with dialogue like this:
“I love my father. But he was a nobody. I’m not going to be like him.”
And:
“Fear is how I know I’m alive. Not like other people. I don’t escape life. I escape death.”
And:
“The only way to beat death is to put your life on the line. Why was I so compelled to beat death? What was I trying to escape?”
Houdini was born Erik Weisz, later Americanized to Ehrich Weiss. He had a distant relationship with his father but was extremely close to his supportive mom.
The film swiftly touches on all the expected plot points: his marriage to wife Bess (Kristen Connolly), his rise from carnival attraction to international star, his increasingly difficult escapes, his time spent debunking psychics and mediums.
But despite the fact that the special is four hours long, it never delves deeply, instead moving from one Houdini trick to another, without giving us a real idea of who he was.
In an effort to add a little zing to the story, Meyer relies on “The Secret Life of Houdini,” a book which suggests that the illusionist served as a spy for Britain and was murdered by a spiritualist in revenge for his attacks on mediums. Neither of these points seems to be included in any other biography, though that doesn’t mean the book’s authors are wrong.
Meyer — or director Uli Edel — does something else I found disturbing. In the second part of the series, Houdini’s mother, Cecilia Weiss (Eszter Onodi) plants lingering (and not very motherly) kisses on her son’s lips. It made me quite uncomfortable.
In summary, then, enjoy Labor Day weekend. Don’t worry about TV.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
