Death Defying Acts (2007)

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writers:

Tony Grisoni (writer)
Brian Ward (writer)

Release Date:

13 marzo 2008 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Frase comercial:

There is no escape.

Plot:

On a tour of Britain in 1926, Harry Houdini enters into a passionate affair with a psychic out to con the famous magician.

Plot Keywords:

Reward | Visions | Wedding Gown | Secret Chest | 1920s

Comentarios de los usuarios:

Nice but nothing amazing

Cast

Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Mary McGarvie
Guy Pearce	...	Harry Houdini
Timothy Spall	...	Sugarman
Saoirse Ronan	...	Benji McGarvie
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Jack Bailey	...	The Red Haired Pilot
Aaron Brown	...	Sugarman's Assistant
MacKay Crawford	...	Young Reporter
James Fiddy	...	American Assistant
Martin Fisher	...	Concierge
Tim Frost	...	Tap Dancer
Campbell Graham	...	Reporter
Emma Humphries	...	The Chambermaid
Miles Jupp	...	Ventriloquist
Silvia Lombardo	...	Usherette
Cloe Mackie	...	Psychic Twin One
Holly Mackie	...	Psychic Twin Two
Frankey Martyn	...	Rose
Aileen O'Gorman	...	Effie - Elderly Seamstress
Dodger Phillips	...	Voice Of The Press
Carol Robb	...	Young Woman
Chris Wilson	...	Reporter

Dirigida por
Gillian Armstrong

Créditos del guión (in alphabetical order)
Tony Grisoni		writer
Brian Ward		writer

Producida por
Linda Sophie Chiu	....	associate producer
Chris Curling	....	producer
Kirk D'Amico	....	executive producer
Lucas Foster	....	executive producer
Tony Grisoni	....	co-producer
Dan Lupovitz	....	executive producer
Marian Macgowan	....	producer
Marcia Nasatir	....	executive producer
Joe Oppenheimer	....	co-executive producer
Celia Richards	....	assistant producer
Guy Tannahill	....	line producer
David M. Thompson	....	executive producer
Brian Ward	....	co-producer

Música original por
Cezary Skubiszewski

Fotografía por
Haris Zambarloukos

Montaje por
Nicholas Beauman

Casting
Gail Stevens

Diseño de producción por
Gemma Jackson

Dirección artística
Paul Inglis		(supervising art director)
Anja Müller

Decorados
Anna Lynch-Robinson

Departamento de maquillaje
Tricia Cameron	....	hair stylist: Catherine Zeta Jones
Mandy Gold	....	crowd makeup supervisor
Suzanne Jansen	....	crowd hair stylist
Graham Johnston	....	makeup artist: Catherine Zeta Jones
Denise Kum	....	hair designer
Denise Kum	....	makeup designer
Fiona Leech	....	makeup artist
Loulia Sheppard	....	hair stylist

Dirección de producción
Ben Rimmer	....	production manager

Ayudante de dirección
Guy Heeley	....	first assistant director
Toby Hosking	....	second assistant director
Vicky Marks	....	third assistant director
John Martin	....	assistant director
Charlie Reed	....	crowd third assistant director
Jeff Taylor	....	assistant director

Art Department
Damian Butlin	....	dressing props
Tony Chance	....	storyboard artist
Carol Kupisz	....	graphic designer
Rob MacPherson	....	stand-by props
Campbell Mitchell	....	props
Steve Summersgill	....	stand-by art director
Howard Weaver	....	scenic artist
Catherine Whiting	....	art department assistant
Sarah Whittle	....	production buyer

Departamento de sonido
Mark Appleby	....	adr mixer
Antony Bayman	....	adr recordist
Mark Franken	....	sound effects editor
Phil Jeffers	....	foley recordist
Leah Katz	....	adr editor
Michael McMenomy	....	sound effects editor
Michael McMenomy	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bronwyn Murphy	....	dialogue editor
Andrew Plain	....	sound
Andy Thompson	....	adr mixer: London
Mario Vaccaro	....	foley artist
William Ward	....	assistant sound editor
Andy Wright	....	assistant re-recording mixer

Efectos especiales
Stuart Brisdon	....	special effects supervisor
Steve Knowles	....	senior special effects technician
David McGeary	....	special effects technician
Terry Palmer	....	special effects technician
Nigel Wilkinson	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects
Alicia Aguilera	....	digital compositor
Simon Alberry	....	i/o supervisor
Rebecca Dunn	....	digital supervisor
David Edwards	....	digital compositor
Jarrod Linton	....	visual effects producer
Demis Lyall-Wilson	....	digital compositor
Sarah McLauchlan	....	visual effects coordinator
Kurtis Richmond	....	lead matte artist
James Rogers	....	visual effects supervisor
Steve Shearston	....	visual effects technical director
Richard Van Den Bergh	....	visual effects supervisor
Kim Worrall	....	digital compositor

Especialistas
Richard Bradshaw	....	stunt double: Guy Pierce
Jim Dowdall	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Simon Baker	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Simon Baker	....	steadicam operator
Ashley Bond	....	first assistant camera
Wailoon Chung	....	electrician
Hamish Doyne-Ditmas	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Emma Edwards	....	central loader
Mark Hanlon	....	best boy
Alice Hobden	....	underwater assistant camera
Giles Keyte	....	still photographer
Andy Long	....	gaffer
Iain Mackay	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Bayard Duval Outerbridge	....	camera trainee
Nick Pearson	....	grip
Luke Redgrave	....	camera operator: "b" camera
David Sinfield	....	electrician
Martyn Welland	....	electrician
Jackson Pearce White	....	camera trainee
Tim Wooster	....	underwater camera operator

Casting Department
William Davies	....	casting associate
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Louise Egan	....	costume daily
Amanda Keable	....	costume supervisor
Caroline McCall	....	assistant costume designer
Faith Thomas	....	costume assistant
Wyn Vaughan-Humphreys	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Olivier Fontenay	....	film colorist
Jonathan Taylor	....	assistant editor: avid
Noelleen Westcombe	....	first assistant editor
Jamie Hediger	....	assistant film colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Matt Amy	....	music preparation
Liz Gallacher	....	music supervisor
Daryl McKenzie	....	conductor
Daryl McKenzie	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Christopher Russell	....	unit driver

Otros miembros del equipo
Joe Barlow	....	key floor runner
Suzie Batters	....	assistant to cast
Peter Boothby	....	production runner: dailies
Neil Cairns	....	production accountant
Jo Cameron Brown	....	adr voice
Luke Carey	....	assistant to producer
Emma Davie	....	unit publicist
Hollie Foster	....	assistant coordinator
Sam Haveland	....	set runner
Alexander Hodgson	....	assistant to director
Polly Jefferies	....	production coordinator
Matt Jones	....	assistant location manager: Scotland
Zoe Liang	....	daily floor runner
Jacqui McBride	....	key assistant production accountant
Scott Penrose	....	magic consultant
Martin Roberts	....	location assistant
Nathan Smith	....	lab liaison
Jane Soans	....	location manager
Jane Thurlow	....	tutor
Charlotte Wright	....	assistant location manager

Production Companies

• Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)
• Myriad Pictures
• BBC Films
• Zephyr Films
• Macgowan Films
• Cinemakers
• Film Finance
• Myriad Pictures

Distributors

• MG Film (2007) (Croatia) (all media)
• Audiovisual (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Becker Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Dendy Films (2008) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Eagle (2008) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Equinoxe (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Gussi Artecinema (2008) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Imagem Filmes (2008) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Korea Screen (2008) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• LNK Filmes (2008) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Ledafilms (2008) (Mexico) (TV)
• Lionsgate (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Nordisk Film (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Pyramid (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Shapira Films (2008) (Israel) (theatrical)
• Weinstein Company, The (2007) (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Arion Facilities  dailies telecine transfers
• Audiolink Radio Communications  walkie talkies
• Bank of Ireland  production financing provided by
• Guild of British Camera Technicians  
• Lee Lighting  lighting
• Panavision UK  camera equipment provided by
• Pinewood Studios  underwater sequences
• Soundfirm  sound re-recording

Duración:

Canada:97 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

País:

UK | Australia

Idioma:

English

Color:

Color

Clasificación:

Singapore:PG | Canada:PG | South Korea:15 | Ireland:PG

Filming Locations:

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Nice but nothing amazing

I went to see this movie yesterday - 17th march 2008 (must've been an advanced screening...?) based on the high rating on rotten tomatoes (80). Needless to say, after watching it, I think a 50 would fit the bill more accurately. I'm keeping my review simple, so here are some pros and cons:

Pros Good visuals Guy Pearce is likable and chemistry with CZJ seems to work OK, though is somewhat shallow in some regards Character development is good Unpredictable plot Some light-heated, amusing moments

Cons Plot meanders, and also takes a while to get to certain key moments - probably done in order to develop characters more but a little too slow for my liking Some strange imagery confuses the viewer

In summary, I probably would only go to see this at the movies for the great visuals of old towns and so forth (certainly not the story, plot, effects, etc). Otherwise, wait for it to come out on DVD (and just watch it on the 42" plasma!) if you want an interesting non-Hollywood-ised story with a bit of love and mystery.