talkmagic.co.uk

Beeno - since Craig has said that no strings are used - and he knows the method - wouldn't it be safe to say that the Flying illusion actually DID fool you?

Craig Browning wrote:Last time I was in Vegas and went through the Museum Dave kept poking me in the ribs and saying, "Didn't that use to be yours?"

Sheesh Craig - you're such an incorrigible name dropper. Next your be telling us you knew Elvis Presley

I have never seen David Copperfield live, but I think it is fair to say he is one of the great showmen of our time.

Whether he uses strings matters not.
Forget the method, what is the end result?
Everyone thinks he's on strings. So he might as well be on strings.

But...but...he surely didn't use strings when he levitated over the Grand Canyon...did he

Exposure alert.... I have it on good authority that Dave is soooo rich he didn't need to use strings, he stayed still and just paid people to move the Grand Canyon around underneath him.

PRICELESS

Easily done. Just anchor yourself to a static point in space, and wait for the earth to revolve underneath you. (mods: sorry if this is too much exposure, delete if necessary)

I'm really not a fan of grandiose stage props, at least not the way Mr. Copperfield executes tricks with them. I can imagine being awed by the effects of slick and innovative apparatus but until then - meh.
The analogy of the close up coin trick and Copperfield's "flying" is a good one. Remember how amazed people were when Blaine busted out the old levitation trick? No props and ten times the impact, admittedly though you couldn't use that on stage.
If I could conjure money I think I'd opt for hologramatic effects for a large Vegas style show. I imagine you could get some very ethereal flying effects… then I’d close by conjuring a ton o’ cash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTS7PdkAwfc

beeno wrote:If you do a good coin routine, or card trick, or a mentalist routine, the audience say "I've no idea how he did that"

Al Schneider said exactly that

I am afraid that Mr Copperfield's career may be soon at an end from the rumblings I hear from a certain person in Las Vegas.

I am not sure if the news has yet spread to Britain but David Copperfield is in deep trouble.

I think I would agree with JD on this one.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8rb2xMUGYiQ

I don't care how big his ego is. People whose ego's get too big get crushed under the weight - usually in public. I think he's had his time on main stream television and should resign himself to TV specials or singing in terrible adverts for Heineken.

The flying illusion is a beautiful piece of theatre, as are several of his other illusions. How they work isn't really important.

But the effect from his TV shows that impressed me most was Crazy Man's Handcuffs. This was years ago and it was the first time that I had seen it. He used to do a number of close up effects in his early shows.

Barry

WHY OH WHY do LESSER magicians, usually RAW amateurs, insist on running down successful magicians, often in a vicious way.
You really should be ashamed of yourselves acting like spoilt little boys.
YOUR JOB is to bolster magic up not degrade it.
I've heard magicians do this in front of lay people often saying how THEY would have done it or how BETTER their version is.Rubbish & ***xxxx!!!
I am tempted to ask what Dante used to say to amateurs.
'How many shows do you do a week? How many people do you carry in your Act? How many theatres do you play to full capacity each week? How many thousands of dollars do you EARN a year? etc.
When I saw Copperfield, live, in a huge stadium in Sheffield a few years back, there was a standing ovation from a packed house of several thousands AND even magicians round me had tears in their eyes caused by the emotional presentation of his Snow effect.
CAN YOU , hand on heart, say any of your audiences have ever reacted in this way? Of course you can't. Stick to your silly pack of cards and some of the piffle( Dante's word) you use.
YOU IGNORANT DENIGRATORS of our Art, would best take the advice of Chung Ling Soo, given to magicians everywhere so many years ago.
'Respect the honest endeavors of your less fortunate as well as the highest brother conjuror. If you care not to speak well or in praise of another's work, then say nothing at all. Could we but see ourselves as others see us!'

So from me,
DO NOT confuse personal judgement & constructive criticism with your own personal rancour.
Respect the Art of magic & other magicians should be engraved on your hearts.
Allen Tipton
PS. His Flying Illusion is the Greatest piece of theatrical magic of all time!
My wife does not like illusions at all BUT when visitors come to us she insists I show them the tape of this brilliant feat of Magic!

Jealousy in entertainment is everywhere and those on the lower rungs always resent anyone who is sucessful. I was havng a similar conversation with two vile, studenty, stand-up comedians who were slagging off anyone they could think of such as Peter Kay, Ricky Gervais, Roy Chubby Brown etc saying they were crass and offensive. I told them that the thing that offended them the most was the fact that they are more sucessful than they would ever be.

David Copperfield has done some overblown things that I have not enjoyed, but he has also performed plenty of effects that were not only technically good but were also thoroughly entertaining. He is know worldwide and if you ask some from anywhere, India, Russia, Japan and ask them to name a world famous magician, Copperfield is the name that 99% of the time will come from peoples lips.

Paul Daniels was derided in the same way purely because he was sucessful and superb at what he does.

I'm with you on this one Mr Tipton!

I agree with the remarks about jealousy and his magic. However it seems obvious to me from this thread that British magicians haven't heard the news concerning Copperfield otherwise someone on this thread would have commented upon it.

He has been accused of rape and assault in the Bahamas and a grand jury is being convened in the United States to hear the accusations.

The word is that he is very liable to be charged soon with these accusations. He is innocent before being proved guilty of course but either way it doesn't bode well for his career.