David Copperfield: the first illusionist to fly and walk through walls

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The other day marks the 60th anniversary of the American illusionist and magician David Copperfield … In the 1980s and 90s, viewers from many countries sat at blue screens with open mouths, admiring spectacular stunts that resembled magic.

David Seth Kotkin (David Seth Kotkin - the real name of the illusionist) was born in the small town of Metachen (New Jersey, USA) into a Jewish family. As a child, he stuttered, which made him very shy. In addition, the boy's appearance was not the most attractive. But at the same time, as a child, David learned the Torah by ear and had an amazing memory. When the boy was four years old, his grandfather showed him a card trick, David was able to immediately repeat it.

After the first trick with cards, little David became interested and repeated, and then came up with his own tricks. At the age of seven, the boy amazed the parishioners of the synagogue with his skill, and at 12 - the inhabitants of the entire city. Then the young magician joined the "American Society of Illusionists" and taught tricks to university students, even before reaching adulthood.

Initially, David Seth Kotkin was known under the pseudonym "Davino", but then he took the name of the character in the novel by Charles Dickens "David Copperfield". In 1978, the illusionist got on television, where he hosted a program, demonstrating his tricks.

Copperfield later came up with the idea of tackling large-scale illusions. The first was the disappearance of the plane. In 1983, millions of viewers gasped when David made the Statue of Liberty "disappear" from his plinth and from radar screens. Later, skeptics bet that the recording was edited, the image on the radar was fake, and the eyewitnesses were hired actors. And those who expose the tricks claimed that the audience was real. The trick itself Copperfield managed to turn by playing with light. At the right moment, the illumination of the statue was turned off, and the spectators were blinded by specially directed searchlights.

The most spectacular performances of Copperfield were flights. And the magician did not just soar into the air, while he also flew through the glass cube, hoops, thereby demonstrating the wonders of magic to people. One of the trick whistleblowers managed to repeat the illusionist's tricks, having obtained the necessary equipment. He used very thin cables (less than 1 mm in diameter) capable of supporting up to 100 kg.

David Copperfield also had such tricks that even the most inveterate debunkers cannot solve. For example, going through the Great Wall of China.

The incredible artistry of David Copperfield does not even cause the audience to think that something might go wrong. In 1984, David, shackled and submerged in water, rehearsed the "Escape from Death" trick. Unfortunately, he became entangled in chains and drowned. This was realized only after 1 minute 20 seconds. In addition to the shock, the artist also earned a sprain on the tendons on his arms and legs, so for a week after the incident he moved in a wheelchair.

The magician's talent helps David not only on stage, but also in real life. Once, when the illusionist was returning from a concert, they put a pistol to his temple and demanded to give money. When David turned out his pockets, they were empty. Later, Copperfield admitted that it took him a lot of work to do this trick, losing his composure.

Despite the fact that the peak of David Copperfield's popularity came in the 1990s, he still successfully gives 500 performances a year. No less famous illusionist Harry Houdini shocked the audience even 100 years ago, but until now, the whistleblowers have not been able to reveal all of its secrets.