Please don't spend money on this.

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Sometimes in life we need to believe in something beyond ourselves. Something that plays with our imagination and allows us venture into worlds that go beyond what we can reach out and touch easily. The line in the movie regarding what it's like to be grown up 'that it feels like being someone that isn't 'you'' is pretty accurate. This movie made me feel I'd reconnected with that 'anything is possible' aspect of myself, which is pretty magickal!! I Believe... what you believe is up to you.

Like others writing here, I felt a bit cheated that the movie did not focus on the real "true story", which is certainly a better one for an adult audience. Perhaps it would not have had such a general appeal, and would have been less commercial. The notion that it was all a hoax, and yet true at the same time, seemed disingenuous. The story of how grief and loss in the years after the First World War led many to become self-deluded and consequently vulnerable to "psychic" charlatans is a very adult one. Houdini was a hero in the cause of stamping this shoddy business out. He was a champion of reason. I have no problems with films that alter and compress historical events for dramatic reasons, but this film actually negated the essence of the true story and wasted an opportunity. And we were deprived of the delicious final twist, when the surviving girl (by then an old lady) confessed all in the 1980s. The film was an enjoyable fantasy, and could have been presented as being "inspired by, but not based on" actual events (as were Citizen Kane and Personal Services). There is always going to be a problem with films based on true events, and in this case it seemed like a good story trashed.

I LOVE this movie. I first learned of this story while studying the history of photography in college. The story is true, except... well- watch the movie. :) While by today's standards we would not be fooled by the photos, still the healing impact this news event had on society back then after the horrors of WWI and the peoples' willingness to believe it are certainly understandable and wonderful. The film is perfectly cast and perfectly acted and expertly edited. The girls are delightful. All characters are well expressed, including the parents, and the stories within the story are so very real, and touching. The is a lovely looking movie, with special effects that look convincingly real and made me wish they were. :-D Gather your loved ones around you and ENJOY this movie together!

I really enjoyed this film, I would highly recommend it as it ticked every box for me, it was a lovely calm movie and was easy to relax in front of. Performances from the child actress' especially Elizabeth Earl are the backbone of the picture. Harvey Keitel's performance as Houdini was convincing & entertaining and i was pleased to see Paul McGann cast. I have recently watched Pans Labyrinth and found the content quite similar (apart from PL's shocking, frequent doses of realism)it deals with fantasy, growing up and where the fantasy end and reality begin. Visual effects although outdated were charming and true to the original images. Lovely natural light and shots of nature make a very calm film for kids and as an adult i was left throughly entertained and have just ordered it on DVD! Hope you enjoy as much as I did