Houdini (miniseries)

Houdini
Genre Historical drama
Distributed by History
Directed by Uli Edel
Produced by Gerald W. Abrams
Andras Hamori
Ildiko Kemeny
Written by Nicholas Meyer
Based on Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D.
Starring
Music by John Debney
Cinematography Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Editing by Sabrina Plisco
David Beatty
Production company
  • Lions Gate Television
  • A&E Television Networks
  • Cypress Point Productions
Country United States
Language English
Original channel History
Original run September 1 – September 2, 2014
No. of episodes 2
Official website

Houdini is a two-part, four-hour History channel event miniseries written by Nicholas Meyer and directed by Uli Edel. It premiered on September 1, 2014, at 9 pm EDT. The series stars Adrien Brody as Harry Houdini and features the life of the legendary illusionist and escape artist from poverty to worldwide fame.

Plot

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the miniseries follows the man behind the magic as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era. The drama will chronicle the life of a man who can defy death through his stunts, his visions and his mastery of illusion.

Tagline:

“ He knew no limits ”

Cast

Production

Development

History first announced the development of a Houdini biopic miniseries with Adrien Brody attached to star on April 10, 2013.[1] The series was officially green-lit on August 19, 2013, with Kristen Connolly announced as Brody's co-star and Uli Edel as director.[2] The screenplay was to be penned by veteran author and filmmaker Nicholas Meyer, based on the 1976 book Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by his father, Bernard C. Meyer.[3] Patrizia von Brandenstein and Karl Walter Lindenlaub were also announced as production designer and cinematographer, respectively.[2] On September 17, 2013, it was announced that actor Evan Jones had been added to the cast as Houdini's assistant Jim Collins.[4]

Filming

Filming on the miniseries began on September 30, 2013. It was shot entirely in Budapest, Hungary (coincidentally the real Harry Houdini's birthplace), which executive producer Gerald W. Abrams described as having "more turn-of-the-century architecture—that's the 19th century—than almost any city in Western culture."[5] Brody, who had studied magic as a child, performed many of the show's stunts himself, including the suspended strait jacket escape and the famous Chinese Water Torture Cell.[5][6]

Music

The score to Houdini was written by veteran film composer John Debney. A lifelong fan of Harry Houdini, Debney joined the project at the behest of a producer with whom he had previously collaborated on the A&E miniseries Bonnie & Clyde.[7] Rather than compose a period score for the series, Debney instead elected to write an "electronic/contemporary" score, with "instruments from the period that would give you the flavor of the times and give you the feeling of who this guy was."[7] A two volume soundtrack was released for digital download by Lakeshore Records on August 26, 2014[8] and later on CD September 23, 2014.

Promotion

A trailer for Houdini was released online in early August 2014.[9]

Episodes

No. Title Directed by Written by Original Airdate U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Part 1"Uli EdelNicholas MeyerSeptember 1, 20143.7[10]
Part one focuses on the humble beginnings of Harry Houdini as a young boy named Erich Weiss, who enlists his brother Dash to help him practice magic after seeing his very first magician in his hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin. He changes his name to "Harry Houdini" after his favorite magician Robert Houdin and starts out performing card tricks at sideshows in a traveling circus with his wife Bess as a "two-bit" act. His career soon takes off on the American vaudeville circuit as a master illusionist before achieving international fame as an escape artist, performing for the likes of royalty and celebrities. He becomes the world-famous master magician "The Great Houdini". But through his fame, Harry is recruited by MI5 to run espionage missions with William Melville to spy on the Kaiser in Berlin while balancing his death-defying acts in front of massive audiences.
2"Part 2"Uli EdelNicholas MeyerSeptember 2, 20142.66[11]
Part two examines how Harry Houdini must adapt to the constantly changing modern world as the industrial age comes to an end. As the invention of moving pictures threatens to steal Harry's spotlight in 1914, he has to come up with bigger and better escapes to get his audience back, and decides to bring the show to them. When his mother dies, Harry is determined to communicate with her through mediums and clairvoyants, however, they prove to be unsuccessful. He then dedicates his life exposing and debunking these fake spiritualists, including Arthur Conan Doyle's wife, Lady Doyle. In the final years of his life, Harry promises Bess no more death-dying feats and goes back to stage magic before succumbing to a succession of fatal blows to the abdomen from a disgruntled fan while backstage in his dressing room after performing his last act in Detroit.

Reception

Ratings

Part 1 of the series was watched by 3.7 million viewers, averaging 1.2 million among adults 18–49 and 1.5 million in 25–54.[10] Despite debuting much lower than History's previous series' Hatfields & McCoys and Bonnie & Clyde, Houdini was nevertheless cable television's top miniseries debut of 2014 to date.[12]

Critical response

Houdini received a mixed response from critics. The series currently holds a 44% "Rotten" rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus "Houdini's cast is talented, but given the decades of fascination surrounding its subject, the show is oddly lacking in intrigue."[13]

Allison Keene of The Hollywood Reporter praised Brody's Houdini as possessing "infectious zest" and commented that "... the miniseries nails the most important thing: spectacle. Edel's refreshingly dynamic direction and Brody’s buoyant performance allow Houdini's tricks to retain their wonder, even for the jaded modern viewer. That's a magical feat indeed."[3] Despite referring to some aspects of the series as "a bit heavy-handed," Mark Perigard of the Boston Herald gave Houdini a positive "B" rating and opined, "You’ll almost believe in magic—the magic of a miniseries to capture the tics and tricks of a complicated, driven man."[14]

Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called Brody "a treat to watch," but criticized the screenplay and direction. He added, "A better version of this amazing life will surely be made in one genre or another, but this one's at least diverting."[15] Brian Lowry of Variety, however, spoke less favorably of the series, describing Brody's performance as being "ultimately overwhelmed" by Meyer's "misbegotten, heavy-handed, narrated-ad-nauseam script (...) and Uli Edel's equally obtrusive direction."[16]

Meyer addressed the voiceovers in a subsequent interview with StarTrek.com, stating "Well, they – you know, sort of re-cut the movie, and tore a lot of it out, and put in a lot of voiceovers and stuff that I just wasn't crazy about. And [it] wasn't our intention. It hadn’t been written."[17]

International broadcast

References

  1. ↑ Hibberd, James (April 10, 2013). "History developing Houdini miniseries starring Adrien Brody -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Goldberg, Lesley (August 19, 2013). "'Houdini' Miniseries With Adrien Brody Gets Green Light at History". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Keene, Allison (August 25, 2014). "'Houdini': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (September 17, 2013). "'Houdini' Miniseries Adds Evan Jones (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rorke, Robert (August 28, 2014). "Adrien Brody is a lock star in 'Houdini' miniseries". New York Post. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Patrick (August 27, 2014). "Adrien Brody's love of Houdini is no illusion". USA Today. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Niles, Jon (September 2, 2014). "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Oscar-Nominated Composer John Debney Talks Music For 'Houdini' Miniseries On History Channel - Scores For Film, TV & More!". Music Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Houdini Soundtrack Out Now on Lakeshore Records Score by John Debney". Film Music Daily. Lakeshore Records. August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  9. ↑ Stedman, Alex (August 10, 2014). "Watch: ‘Houdini’ Miniseries Trailer Starring Adrien Brody". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Kissell, Rick (September 2, 2014). "History’s ‘Houdini’ Unlocks 3.7 Million Viewers on First Night". Variety. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  11. ↑ Bibel, Sara (September 4, 2014). "Tuesday Cable Ratings: '19 Kids and Counting' Wins Night, 'Rizzoli & Isles', 'Tosh.0', 'Bad Girls Club', 'Royal Pains' & More". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  12. ↑ Ng, Philiana (September 2, 2014). "Adrien Brody plays the great illusionist in the two-night event". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Houdini (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ Perigard, Mark (August 29, 2014). "History's 'Houdini' has its share of magic moments". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  15. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (August 31, 2014). "Driven to Break Free From an Ordinary Life: 'Houdini,' With Adrien Brody, on the History Channel". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  16. ↑ Lowry, Brian (August 28, 2014). "TV Review: ‘Houdini’". Variety. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  17. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Nicholas Meyer on DST3 and Beyond". StarTrek.com. September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  18. ↑ "The latest additions to Netflix UK". NewOnNetflix UK. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  19. ↑ Knox, David (29 October 2014). "Seven 2015 highlights: House Rules x 2, Restaurant Revolution, Gibney / Thomson dramas". TV Tonight. Retrieved 21 December 2014.

External links