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HOUDINI...talks Houdini

it's November 1st, 1926, the day after, Houdini's unexpected death, a radio announcer broadcasts a recent interview, of Houdini and flashes back on his amazing career.

You'll gasp at every death-defying feat..and thrill to every moment, it's all real, NOT a Hollywood actor, incredible escapes from the 1907 Weighlock bridge leap, to the 1914 Battery Park Box escape.

See the greatest magician of all time, America's first superhero, Houdini make a triumphant return.

HOUDINI notable quote:
"starting out, 30 years ago, as a magician, I have passed hundreds who did not know, that success, was just another name for hard work."

  • Adam Steinfeld
    Director
    Ask Madame Wonder?, Creezy, Magic Schmuck, 2nd Best Magician, Houdini Lives!, Magic Island, novel, Houdini Lives! Magic Live!
  • Adam Steinfeld
    Producer
  • Michael Huftile
    Houdini Voice Characterization
  • Kelly Cordes
    Voice Narration
  • Adam Steinfeld
    Editor
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    documentary, experimental, performing arts
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 29, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16X9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Coney Island Film Festival
    Coney Island
    United States
    September 16, 2016
Director Biography - Adam Steinfeld

Short Bio
South FLORIDA FILMMAKER:
Adam Steinfeld, a director and magician, under his banner Magic Live!®, studied to be a filmmaker at the Univ. of Miami, earning a BA in Film, other media projects; Houdini Lives!, Ask Madame Wonder? a twisted-tales series, Yo Houdini supernatural series and the micro-film thriller; CREEZY, Where are you?, and many more.

Main Bio
South FLORIDA FILMMAKER:
Adam Steinfeld studied to be a filmmaker, at the Univ. of Miami, directing, writing and creating mini-versions of the Tonight show, and his final senior thesis short film "the Box" on iconic Houdini, he went to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Film, all while performing as a skilled street-style magician that put himself through college.

Soon after graduation, Steinfeld's travels focused on his magic skills, presenting at; Comedy Clubs and Mega-Cruise Ship around the Caribbean and the World, to performing and producing in one of the longest running permanent Magic Illusion shows in, over 2,400 LIVE shows; MAGIC LIVE!...comedy on the beach, at two mega island casino resorts in Aruba, that ran over a decade at one location from 2001 to 2013, named Best International Magic show by Premious Magica in Buenos Aires.

Now back in South Florida, Adam Steinfeld, is mixing his talents of magic and grand Illusions with storytelling, from supernatural series; Ask Madame Wonder, horror, Yo Houdini, Houdini Lives! novel/filmscript a period story set in 1966 Miami Beach, and dramatic mico-film thriller; Creezy, Where are you?

No doubt, magicians played, an early key role, in the development of feature films, from Georges Méliès , to Harry Houdini , to Orson Welles, I'm still much involved in shooting, writing & editing my own self-produced projects.

On Aruba Island, "I shot many many shorts, said Steinfeld, working with my long time magic assistants, that doubled as star actors, and each time, I increased my directing and editing skills."

My short experimental film, 'Houdini, talks Houdini' screened at the 16th annual Coney Island film festival, and short deli-documentary; 'Hold the Schmaltz: the final hours of RASCAL HOUSE', premiered in 2017, at the 31st Annual Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival, and supernatural, Yo Houdini web series nominated for; Best Web Series and Editing by the 2018 Independent Horror Awards.

"You have to remember, I studied to be a filmmaker years ago, but this new digital film technology, has allowed me to experiment with various stories, on an ultra low, no budget projects.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Using recently released never-before-seen Houdini photos online, from the New York Public Library and film footage on the Library of Congress site, plus assorted images, I edited a short 3-min doc on Houdini, that brings together 3 important moments in his life;

A) why Houdini started in magic
B) Houdini's escape at the Battery, on July 15, 1914
C) Houdini's spectacular handcuffed jump, in Rochester, at the Weighlock bridge, May 7, 1907 at Noon, to be exact.

THIS is all told through experimental story-telling I edited, P.O.V of a person's hand channel flipping back and forth to several radio stations of that time period using, a real 1925 Grebe Radio, all running stories on Houdini's life.

While Houdini did appear on many radio shows in the 1920's, and as far as Houdini historians know, none of have survived, this is a recreation, using Houdini's real words, THE VOICE narration in first segment you hear, is actually, Wisconsin character actor, Michael Huftile, who voiced Houdini's unusual accent, a mix of mid-Atlantic or Transatlantic accent, with a bit of Magyar (Hungarian) dialect, Houdini grew up, in Appleton, WI, and his family from Bucharest, Hungary, although the household language was German.

The words Houdini speaks are actually, Houdini's real words, I discovered in an old November 1, 1926 New York Times newspaper article many years ago, on microfilm back in college.

All of the sounds from the narrations, contemporary music tracks and Foley sound effects, of splashing waters etc., I edited in, of course, the films back then all silent.

I decided to use modern music of today, similar to a Batman or Superman theme rather then music of 20's, it just fits his character better, after-all many consider Houdini to be America's first real-life superhero.

So, there you have it, enjoy the short...

I edited this up to give the internet 'Generation Z' and 'Millennials', a quick immersion into Houdini's fascinating life, it's only been around 100 years ago, one or two generations away, that Houdini escaped in a locked box, to a crowd of; 15,000 people, at Battery Park, near the aquarium, in Manhattan.