David Blaine - Showman DVD

The real magic of David Blaine is in his command of an all-walks-of-life audience, but featured here is the "Frozen in Time" show that follows the preparation and aftermath of his three days and nights entombed in a six-ton block of ice. The footage is often quite alarming, as is a narration explaining his state of mind at the end. Visited by his girlfriend, Kevin Spacey and Michael J Fox (in subtler fashion than Leo DiCaprio on the Mystifier show), it's all about re-affirming the reality of the situation. Intercut with the Times Square footage is plenty of the street... magic Blaine excels at. Confounding the NY Knicks and increasingly eccentric passers-by, you'll see him resurrect dead animals, cry the diamond from a woman's ring and bafflingly show off a tattoo of a complete stranger's girlfriend. Fans are treated to his very first video footage test of the show format as well as the dearly departed (!) Tarko the Great. On the DVD: Get ready for abject frustration as you spend ages working out how to access the disc's "beautiful secrets". Once you do, there are lots of little surprises to enjoy--such as Blaine being told off by the Memphis police, a mini photo gallery, levitating money in Haiti and five minutes of making the DVD, where you see a very bored crew at his commentary recording. The main feature commentary is quite sporadic in how much he has to say, but is actually very revealing. Don't expect any giveaway explanations, but it is a genuinely fascinating insight into the mind responsible for some truly spectacular feats of magic. --Paul Tonks [show more]

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