Saturday, September 15, 2007

Death Defying Acts

The night before the end of the festival, my friend Jeri asked me if I'd seen any love stories. I checked my list and found told her, no, I hadn't seen any. Then on this last day I saw two. Both she would like.

This one was the story of Harry Houdini, played by the fabulous-looking Guy Pearce, and his possible affair with a psychic, played with a proper Scottish accent by Catherine Zeta-Jones. But the star of the movie is the psychic's daughter, played by a young Saoirse Ronan.

She tells the story of Houdini's visit to Edinburgh and what happens there. Stunning visuals, scenery, and acting. A real period piece.

It was introduced by the director who told us she knew more about Harry Houdini than she would ever be able to use in the movie. It was not a true story but based upon what might have happened.

Harry's fatal visit to Montreal is thrown in at the end for good measure and a melodramatic twist.

Details
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Country: United Kingdom/Australia
Year: 2007
Language: English
Runtime: 97 minutes
Principal Cast: Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Timothy Spall, Saoirse Ronan
TIFF07 Link