Magic and Illusion in the Movies

From top hats to top secrets, this book is a celebration of illusion technology and mechanisms of trickery through a genre-crossing selection of films. Heroes, villains, spies, con-men, and madmen, magicians all, have utilized complex constructs and trickery in thrilling cinematic adventures from the earliest days of cinema to the present. Current blockbusters such as Spider-Man: Far from Home and the Mission: Impossible series feature amazing acts of deception, often appearing far-fetched, that are in fact surprisingly close to today’s technology. Along with the James Bond saga, classics such as The Wizard of Oz, Nightmare Alley, and The Sting are joined by a host of other movies superficially seeming to be very different, yet proving there is more than meets the eye.

George Higham has a background in sculpting and special effects, a degree in film from NYC’s School of Visual Arts and over 30 years’ experience x-raying corpses at the city morgue. He has created wax figures and puppets, the re-creation of 19th century illusion tech, machining mechanical contrivances and devising electrical trick-props.

George Higham
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 259
Bibliographic Info: 60 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8325-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5422-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface: The Opening Act 1

Introduction: A Greek Tragedy 5

One. The First Stage 13

Two. Staged Fright 35

Three. Fooling All of the People All of the Time 56

Four. Light the Fuse 77

Five. About Face 100

Six. Slippery as Sin 120

Seven. The Art of War 141

Eight. Trades of the Trick 164

Nine. The Men Behind the Curtain 186

Ten. Mysterio’s Magic Lantern 205

Chapter Notes 227

Bibliography 239

Index 245