Escape Artist

Watch Movie

Escape Artist

2026

0h 1m

0.0(0 votes)

Documentary

Overview

Director Robert Kolodny draws parallels between the Harry Houdini's conjuring power of sleight of hand and the creative process of hand crafting works of film. Commissioned for the 2026 True/False Film Festival.

Links & Resources

IMDbView

Social & External

IMDb

Cast & Crew

3 members

Acting

Ruby Wolf

Self

Camera

Robert Kolodny

Self

No Image

Acting

Harry Houdini

Self

Similar Movies

2006

Magic & Me

Magic & Me is a Hong Kong Documentary starring Jackie Chan

Movie

2025

CRONOPIO

An intimate portrait of Mariano "Cronopio" Gedwillo, an Argentinian clown in Riga, as he transforms ordinary life into wonder through the magic of the circus — and teaches others to do the same, all while battling his own loneliness.

Movie

7.2

1996

Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Sleight of hand magician Ricky Jay blends light comedy and close-up magic to entertain a live audience. He discusses everything from the birth of the classic cup and balls trick to 14th century poetry.

Movie

1999

International Magic Presents The Derren Brown Lecture

International Magic Presents: The Derren Brown Lecture is an 80-minute lecture DVD of close-up mentalism and subsequent discussion of various aspects of Brown's performance. Again, this product is not intended for general consumption but is directed at magicians and mentalists only.

Movie

7.4

1973

F for Fake

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.

Movie

10.0

2026

Spectacular by Comparison

In Park City, Utah a group of independent filmmakers attend a shoestring film festival and experience the oft-regular disillusionment of the low budget film world. However, they enter the orbit of the one man running the show and decide to come back the following year to help and change what was a beautiful disaster the year before.

Movie

6.3

2000

The Sea That Thinks

Incredible optical illusions in a story in a story in a story helps the surprised viewer finally to find out that he has been watching himself all along.

Movie

6.0

2019

Going to Hell

A documentary film exposing the truth about psychics and fortune-tellers. All the ins and outs of magical TV shows and services of the most famous psychics with evidence, names and prices.

Movie

2025

Simplicity

When the artist loses inspiration, she turns towards the overlooked things that tend to fuel us the most

Movie

6.5

2009

The Enochian System of John Dee

Introduces the historical background necessary for understanding the progenation of John Dee's Enochian system of Theurgy into the world. This video covers the social context of Elizabethan-era England during the lifetime of Dr. Dee. compares the Sigilum Dei Aemeth, as it was used by John Dee, to the Alberti cipher disk, a poly-alphabetic encoder. Dee's version of the Sigilum incorporated both letters and numbers as a means of describing rotation of the disk (or of its elementary components) either clockwise or counter-clockwise. Examines the method of skrying Dee used, a form of crystal-ball gazing, to create his more complex system of Enochian magic.

Movie

4.5

2004

Secrets of Alchemy - The Great Cross and the End of Time

In this visually compelling and thought-provoking documentary, author, scholar and modern-day Indiana Jones, Jay Weidner uncovers some of the deepest secrets of the ancient western tradition of Alchemy - the knowledge of the fatal season of the apocalypse, the end of time and the great and imminent transformation of humanity. Using the work of the mysterious twentieth century French Alchemist, Fulcanelli, as his foundation, and his discovery of a three hundred fifty year old Alchemical Cross in the South of France, Jay Weidner describes the experiences, insights and powerful evidence that opens the door to a new view of the intimate relationship between myth, history, science and the true destiny of humanity. In doing so, he reveals the ultimate meaning underlying the resurrection of Christ, the message of the Book of the Revelations, the vision of Ezekiel and the Kabbalistic concept of the "Restoration of the World."

Movie

7.6

2020

Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself

Storyteller and Conceptual Magician Derek DelGaudio attempts to understand the illusory nature of identity and answer the deceptively simple question 'Who am I?'

Movie

5.4

2013

Box

Box explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera. Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.

Movie

6.0

2004

David Copperfield: Illusion

David Copperfield - the performer the NYT calls "Our Era's Giant of Magic" brings you two decades of his spellbinding career. The Master of Illusion takes you on a guided tour of his magic and his mind. Witness the epic illusions that redefined his art; The Disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, Walking Through the Great Wall of China, The Imploding Building, The Vanishing Airplane, and much more. Included are illusions featured in his Broadway show "Dreams and Nightmares" and Flying, the signature effect that took him seven years to develop.

Movie

7.1

2014

An Honest Liar

An Honest Liar tells the incredible story of the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru named Carlos.

Movie

2024

Splatterfest Exhumed

A documentary which covers Splatterfest ’90, the notorious all-night horror festival held at London’s legendary Scala Cinema.

Movie

2017

The Belgian Road to Cannes

A cheerful road movie all about Belgian films at Cannes over the past 70 years. Filmmakers from the past converse with those from the present to paint the portrait of a cinema that is both diverse and free. An account of Belgium’s participation in the greatest film festival in the world.

Movie

The Expert at the Card Table: Looking for Erdnase

9.0

2022

The Expert at the Card Table: Looking for Erdnase

The best magicians of the 21st century set out on a journey to search for the lost author of the most legendary book about the art of sleight of hand.

Movie

Rudy Coby: The Coolest Magician on Earth

7.0

1995

Rudy Coby: The Coolest Magician on Earth

High-tech magician Rudy Coby aka (Labman) and his sidekick Atom serve up a strange brand of Magical science, as they cut off their limbs with a chain saw, shrink themselves, and fix their robot girl.

Movie

10.0

2001

Paul Daniels: in a Black Hole

One-off documentary in which Britain's best-known magician tries to hit the big time in the United States. Beginning in Illinois, Daniels must rely on the skills acquired during 30 years of performing to build a new career in just four weeks. Narrated by Graham Norton.

Movie

Recommended Movies

6.0

1894

Caicedo (with Pole)

King of the slack wire. His daring feats of balancing as he performs his thrilling feats in midair show that he is perfectly at home.

Movie

7.0

2010

Capturing Avatar

Capturing Avatar is a feature length behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Avatar. It uses footage from the film's development, as well as stock footage from as far back as the production of Titanic in 1995. Also included are numerous interviews with cast, artists, and other crew members. The documentary was released as a bonus feature on the extended collector's edition of Avatar.

Movie

7.2

2004

In the Realms of the Unreal

In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along with hundreds of paintings depicting The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glodeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Cased by the Child Slave Rebellion.

Movie

6.8

2022

Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return

This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.

Movie

8.3

1984

Stop Making Sense

A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.

Movie

6.5

1888

Roundhay Garden Scene

The earliest surviving motion-picture film, and believed to be one of the very first moving images ever created, was shot by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince using the LPCCP Type-1 MkII single-lens camera. It was taken on paper-based photographic film in the garden of Oakwood Grange, the Whitley family house in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire (UK), on 14 October 1888. The film shows Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince’s son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince’s mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around in circles, laughing to themselves, and staying within the area framed by the camera. Roundhay Garden Scene is often associated with a recording speed of around 12 frames per second and runs for about 2 to 3 seconds.

Movie

Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home

6.8

2022

Spider-Man: All Roads Lead to No Way Home

JB Smoove and Martin Starr host a celebration of 20 years of "Spider-Man" movies, from the Sam Raimi trilogy to Marc Webb's movies and the trio from Jon Watts.

Movie

6.2

2019

Aquaman: Heroines of Atlantis

Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman discuss their characters Mera and Atlanna.

Movie

7.1

2016

David Blaine: Beyond Magic

In his most revealing performance yet, the one-hour special features an exploration into Blaine’s trademark style of street magic as he once again stuns his audience.

Movie

7.8

2021

Being James Bond

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Movie

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

7.5

2017

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

An intimate portrait of Hollywood royalty featuring Debbie Reynolds, Todd Fisher, and Carrie Fisher.

Movie

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story

6.2

2025

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story

Unravel the case of Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose child abuse arrest with parenting YouTuber Ruby Franke exposed a twisted tale of manipulation.

Movie

7.8

2014

Interstellar: Nolan's Odyssey

A look behind the lens of Christopher Nolan's space epic.

Movie

6.4

2015

X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time

The evolution of adult cinema through the most influential films in history, a journey that begins in the 1970s and ends nowadays. An in-depth analysis of the success of the most prestigious erotic films, their impact on industry and society, and their influence on cinema and contemporary culture.

Movie

7.2

2015

Hitchcock/Truffaut

Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and published in 1966.

Movie

7.0

2009

The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button

A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.

Movie

6.1

2015

Quay

In 2015, Christopher Nolan curated a selection of short films by the surrealist animators the Quay Brothers to be distributed as a touring 35mm presentation. The three films—"In Absentia" (2000), "The Comb" (1991) and "Street of Crocodiles" (1986)—were accompanied by this brief portrait of the brothers at work in their London studio.

Movie

6.2

2013

Seduced and Abandoned

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director to financier to star actor, the two players provide us with a unique look behind the curtain at the world's biggest and most glamourous film festival, shining a light on the bitter-sweet relationship filmmakers have with Cannes and the film business. Featuring insights from directors Martin Scorsese, 'Bernando Bertolucci' and Roman Polanski; actors Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain and a host of film distribution luminaries.

Movie

7.6

2019

Our Planet: Behind the Scenes

Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.

Movie

8.1

2010

Avatar Spirits

Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creators of the hit television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, reflect on the creation of the masterful series.

Movie