Contents: The Master Mystery (1919), The Grim Game (1919) [surviving footage], Terror Island (1920), The Man from Beyond (1922) and Haldane of the Secret Service (1923), with Slippery Jim (1910).

Famous illusionist Harry Houdini is the focus of this collection of his surviving films, made before his premature 31 October 1926 death.

This edition collects the serial The Master Mystery (1919), an incomplete but reconstructed version from 35mm footage held by Douris UK Ltd.; the surviving 35mm footage from The Grim Game (1919) held by George Eastman House (5 minutes); Terror Island (1920) from an excellent but incomplete 35mm print (missing reels three and four) held by the Library of Congress; the best available edition (of several) of The Man from Beyond (1922), having been mastered from the Library of Congress preservation version prepared from surviving 16mm print materials; and Haldane of the Secret Service (1923) from a very-good 35mm print held by Cinema Arts.

The films are accompanied by music scores performed by Jon C. Mirsalis, Ben Model, Stuart Oderman and Clark Wilson.

The supplemental material includes documentary footage of Houdini escapes (circa 1907 through 1923), an audio recording of Houdini introducing his “Water Torture Cell” (1914), Slippery Jim (1910) a Houdini-inspired comedy, an examination of film scenes censored by the New York State Censor Board with correspondence, Houdini’s illusion “Metamorphosis” performed by Houdini’s brother Hardeen (4 minutes), image galleries, and film notes.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com.
Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca.

Other SHORT COMEDY FILMS of the silent era available on home video.