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Cut in half magic trick gone wrong4/11/2023 ![]() ![]() When people heard I was completing a PhD on Victorian magicians, it became very common for them to gasp: “Oh! Just like in The Prestige?”. This year is the 15th anniversary of The Prestige’s release, a film which continues to epitomise magic in the Victorian period for many fans. And as with any good tale of magic, all is not as it seems – although I don’t want to reveal the secret just yet. But the dispute described isn’t between Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman’s onscreen characters it is one that actually happened in France in the early 19th century. You could be forgiven for thinking these were scenes from Christopher Nolan’s classic film, The Prestige, released in 2006 and the recipient of two Academy Awards. One monologues to himself about how “exquisite” his vengeance will be, then announces publicly that his sole purpose in life is to “challenge” the other to “mortal combat”. The enemies talk of a “battlefield” where they can settle all the imagined slights, and perhaps even obtain the revenge they have longed for over the course of their professional rivalry – at one point going so far as to involve the pope in their competitive European tours. The subsequent change in his act begins to gain traction with audiences. One, bitter over the loss of his son after a bullet-catch gone wrong at his own hand, steals the other’s programme of tricks. ![]() “If I did something wrong, it would be my fault.”Īsked whether construction dust could cause an injury, the magician said: “I would agree with you, but there wasn’t construction dust in the way.”Ĭopperfield’ is expected to take the stand again next week as his civil trial continues.Warning: containers spoilers for The PrestigeĪfter years of a cat and mouse chase across Europe, two magicians are ready to declare war on one another. It would depend on what happened,” Copperfield said. “I can’t answer that as a yes-or-no question. “If somebody participated in the 13 illusion, and they were injured, it’s their fault, not yours, yes or no?” Morelli shot back. “I don’t agree with that,” Copperfield replied. “Do you agree that certain things during the route can be dangerous?” Morelli said. The lawyer grilled Copperfield about the trick in court, and at one point asked if he felt the MGM passageways were safe. ![]() “There was a duty by the defendants to provide a safe environment to the audience participants,” his attorney, Benedict Morelli, said in opening statements last week. He alleges that the hallways were filled with construction dust and other debris, which made them difficult to navigate.Ĭox, a former chef for the British Royal Family, claims his medical bills totaled more than $400,000 - and that his injuries will likely plague him for the rest of his life. ![]() The man who was injured, Gavin Cox, claims he fell while being guided through the passageways and suffered brain and body injuries. The participants are then led through MGM’s secret tunnels with the help of flashlights and eventually brought back into the theater through the back. The vanishing act is simple and is performed with help from stagehands, who guide the audience members off the stage and through hidden passageways once the curtains go up, concealing them from view. Moments later, he points to the back of the room and tells the audience to turn around - revealing the 13 people who took part in the illusion. “This is like going on vacation, only hotter, with more familiar faces.”Ĭopperfield then covers them with curtains, banters with the crowd and eventually makes the group disappear. “We’re going to send you all to hell,” he tells the participants. Revealing it from start to finish, he described how Copperfield chooses 13 audience members at random and then brings them on stage to sit on a platform. His executive producer, Chris Kenner, took the stand Tuesday in Las Vegas and disclosed how the trick in question - dubbed “Lucky #13” - is done. The 61-year-old illusionist is being sued for negligence by a British man who claims to have been injured while taking part in one of his shows at the MGM Grand Hotel in 2013. Magician David Copperfield was forced to reveal the secret behind one of his most famous tricks in court this week. ![]()
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