 |
| Billy Rose Theatre Division, The New York Public Library |
The year 2026 marks the centennial of legendary escapologist and magician Harry Houdini’s death. In recognition of his amazing life and the Library for the Performing Arts’ current exhibition Mystery & Wonder: a Legacy of Golden Age Magicians in New York, we will screen his 1919 silent film The Grim Game with live piano accompaniment by Makia Matsumura. Houdini plays an intrepid young journalist framed for murder after falling in love with a winsome ingénue played by Ann Forrest. Chases, dramatic escapes, and a real mid-air plane crash are only part of the fun. Following the screening, Dorothy Dietrich, magician and co-founder of the Houdini Museum, and magician and historian Richard Cohn will discuss the making of the film, its re-discovery and restoration, and Houdini’s legacy today.
Curiously, the film is advertised as being screened on 16mm film. The only 16mm print of The Grim Game I'm aware of is the original that was owned by Larry Weeks. I doubt this could be that print. So, at some point, a 16mm print must have been struck from the digital TCM restoration, or this could be a mistake, and this is the DCP. I suspect the latter.
Either way, The Grim Game hasn't been screened in a few years, and it is really fun to watch with an audience, so this is a must-see screening!
I don't think it's a 16mm print either.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason people think I am involved in this and will be part of the panel. Alas, I am not. Didn't even know about this until last week!
ReplyDeleteScott Wells mentioned in his podcast about this event that you would be one of the guest speakers. I thought: "That can't be."
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the second time I've heard that. Not sure where it's coming from.
DeleteThe screening tonight was really exciting and so much fun! It's the first time I'd seen "The Grim Game" with an audience, and the experience was quite electric. It was wonderful to hear spontaneous reactions as the film was shown, particularly the laughs it got from the many (intentionally) humorous moments. There was also palpable tension during the escapes, most notably during the flight scenes. The live piano accompaniment by Makia Matsumura added immeasurably to the screening. I was sitting a few feet away from her and seeing her improvise an incredible and dramatic score while watching the film along with all of us in the audience was both mesmerizing and astonishing. Just brilliant, and she richly deserved the standing ovation she received at the end of the movie (which also received thunderous applause). By chance, I happened to be sitting next to Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz, and it was such a delight to finally meet them. Dorothy was on the panel following the film, with magic historian Richard Cohn (who did mention this was a 16mm print) and they were truly entertaining, funny, and had so much fantastic knowledge to share. And the NYPL magic exhibition curator, Annemarie Van Roessel, led the discussion and as always had so much insight and curiosity and asked great questions. So grateful to all who were involved in making this extraordinary evening possible!
ReplyDeleteIt was a 16mm print!? Holy smokes. I'm so kicking myself for not being there. Somehow I didn't know about it until much too late. Sounded like a really special screening. So glad you got to experience it, Tom. Thank you for the review.
Delete