After spending the night deep in the Mesopotamian and
Egyptian myths and legends of creation, I needed some down time. To help ease
my mind, I decided to venture into miniseries mode, by watching the History
Channel biopic Houdini.
Plot/ Follow the man behind the magic as he finds fame,
engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names
of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori
Rasputin.
Biopic miniseries are always tough. On one hand, they must
have an entertainment value that keep fans interested; on the other hand, they
often accomplish this by embellishing on reality. That was definitely the case
with this one, as it is takes a modern approach to a man that has always
fascinated society. Harry Houdini was and is larger than life, but this series
embellished his legend more than any other attempt at telling his story. Yes,
the performances (especially Adrien Brody) were outstanding, the effects were
solid, and the overall feel is entertaining. Unfortunately, this miniseries did
not capture the true sadness that permeated through Houdini and his life, and did
a disservice to the true story of greatness. In the end, this one would be a
great flick to introduce Houdini into ones life, and create a fascination for
one to do further research into the legend. It is worth watching for
entertainment purposes, but not for a true biographical picture.
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