The Grim Game

The Grim Game (1919)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Reporter Harvey Hanford (Harry Houdini), wanting to save his newspaper as well as show how corrupt "circumstancial evidence" can be, stages a murder where the victim is actually alive but what little evidence there is shows that he's dead and that the reporter committed the crime. The plan is for the "dead" man to come back after the reporter is in jail and show how you can't always go by evidence. The problem is that once the reporter is in jail the man really is murdered so the reporter must break out of prison and search for the real killer.

This same story would be redone decades later by Fritz Lang in BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT so it's interesting to see it done here first. For the most part this is an entertaining movie, although it certainly falls a bit short of actually being a good one. With that said, if you're a fan of the legendary magician then you'll certainly want to check this out since he does perform some nice tricks plus there's just not enough footage of him around so getting to see him in the few movies he made is nice.

With that said, obviously the main reason to watch this are for the Houdini tricks, which includes him escaping several times throughout. The famous straight-jacket routine is performed here as well as other chains that the magician is strapped into. There are some nice action/stunts throughout including one where the magician (or his double) are hanging on a flag pole. The highlight of the film comes at the end when there are two planes flying and Houdini (or his double) are on a rope going from one plane to the other. I won't ruin what happens but the scene is terrific.

The story itself is interesting but very little is done with it because people weren't really coming to this film for a story. People wanted to see Houdini in action so obviously that's what the producers gave them.

I was skeptical of this film and prepared not to like it, However, I was pleasantly surprised by the TCM 'television premier' last Sunday of a nicely completed full-length restoration. I find most films from the 1916-1920 era to be horribly dated with that era's overdone style of acting. There are notable exceptions like Pickford, Chaplin, and Fairbanks, of course, but these older silents are sometimes hard to watch and even absurdly clumsy. The Grim Game has some of that chewed-scenery aspect, but overall it is well done. The story is a bit far fetched, but nonetheless entertaining. And many of our later favorites - Tully Marshall, Mae Busch, and Arthur Hoyt - appear. As for Houdini, he performs as expected in several escape scenes which naturally is what one expects. I had never seen him before and considering that his name is still legendary after 100 years, the film is worth a look if only for that. The Grim Game also has some really interesting 'snapshots' of the era including an incredible (in the sense of 'not believable') aeroplane (sic) chase. All of that having been said, kudos to preservationists and restorers for their tedious and painstaking work on films like these. It is greatly appreciated by me and legions of movie buffs.

Harry Houdini reminds me of Jackie Chan. Both of them starred in action movies with implausible plotlines which were basically excuses to string together a series of stunts designed to showcase the star's particular talents: in Houdini's case, his incredible physical stamina and his ability to escape from all sorts of restraints. The plot of "The Grim Game" is basically a long string of stunts, but Houdini performs them with panache, and modern audiences will enjoy this film. The story is written primarily by Arthur B. Reeve, creator of the scientific detective Craig Kennedy (who was parodied by Douglas Fairbanks as "Coke Ennyday").

Harry Houdini stars as Harvey Hanford (same initials) who is engaged to marry Mary Cameron (Ann Forest). When Mary's guardian is murdered, Houdini is framed for the crime and sent to prison. He escapes (of course!) and then goes after the villains, but they keep chaining him up or imprisoning them, and of course Houdini keeps right on escaping. At one point they leave him hanging upside-down in a straitjacket off the roof of a skyscraper. No problem, and Houdini is home free before the villains can take the elevator back to street level.

At the film's climax, the boss villain abducts Mary (of course) and flies away with her in a rickety biplane, which was a state-of-the-art aircraft when this film was made in 1919. Houdini jumps into another aeroplane and takes off in pursuit. The two 'planes crash in midair (nice photography here), but Houdini and his girlfriend get back to the ground in one piece... or rather, in one piece apiece.

The entire film is thrilling but largely implausible. Houdini's feats are genuine, but the stunts are clearly designed to play to Houdini's strengths rather than realistic situations. The airborne climax takes advantage of the fact that, in real life, Houdini was a skilled aviator. (He was the first person ever to fly an aircraft in Australia.)

"The Grim Game" is enjoyable, and parts of it are fast-moving, but don't look for a logical storyline. (The villains have no qualms about committing murder, so why don't they just kill Houdini instead of always chaining him up?) In the best sense of the term, this movie is escapist entertainment.

Originally made in 1919 and long thought lost, this recently-restored full-length movie features the legendary Harry Houdini, performing the sort of escapes for which he was celebrated in his own time and is still famous even today. For that reason alone, this film deserves 10- out-of-10. Since his death in 1924 many magicians and escape artists have striven to replicate the incredible things Houdini did, and many of his feats have still not been done. Those expecting subtle characterization or modern production values need to look elsewhere. However, for those with an appreciation of something absolutely unique, something that simply cannot be duplicated today, this film is truly priceless.

FGM has fun reviewing lost films, which is apt to be confusing to some.

A five minute excerpt from this film is all that survives, in the George Eastman collection, which is included as an extra on the disc with Haldane of the Secret Service in the recent Kino DVD collection of his films.

There are explanatory titles on it that suggest the clip would be exhibited by itself without the rest of the film. Houdini goes up in an airplane and does a mid-air transfer to the other airplane, after which the two crash. Houdini and the female passenger survive. The closeups of Houdini on the airplane appear to have been done on the ground, and the crash landing must have been staged somehow, or else how would they have happened to have had the camera in the right place? Likewise, one can't imagine they would have put their star and leading lady in danger. It's a nice little clip and certainly more exciting than any single moment from the tedious Haldane film.