Measom og Weinstein: An Honest Liar
DR2 Dokumania skriver ægte begejstret: ”Glæd dig til i morgen tirsdag, når Dokumania viser den stærkt underholdende dokumentarfilm ” En ærlig løgner” om den amerikanske tryllekunstner James ’The Amazing’ Randi. Han har gennem de seneste 50 år underholdt millioner af mennesker, men også afsløret og udstillet alverdens svindlere og fupmagere.”
Nu er han ”svindleren, der udstiller andre svindlere” og Dokumania-redaktionen fortsætter: ”James ’The Amazing’ Randi har haft en lang og glorværdig karriere, hvor han har underholdt med magi, flugtforsøg og tusindvis af tricks. Da Randi opdagede, hvordan de samme teknikker blev misbrugt af healere, clairvoyante og spiritister til at lokke penge ud af godtroende mennesker, viede han sit liv til at afsløre dem som de charlataner, han opfattede dem som. Randi forvandlede blandt andet sin partner Jose Alvarez til den falske guru ‘Carlos’ for at vise, hvor let folk lader sig narre. Men for et menneske, hvor magi, snyd og bedrag er hverdag, kan sandheden hurtigt blive gradbøjet. En uventet afsløring om Randi får potentielt en ødelæggende effekt, og der bliver stillet spørgsmålstegn ved, om Randi måske selv er blevet bedraget. Du kan se den underholdende dokumentar i morgen tirsdag kl. 20.45 på DR2! Rigtig god fornøjelse…” slutter redaktionen sit nyhedsbrev.
USA 2014, 83 min.
SYNOPSIS
For the last half-century, James “The Amazing” Randi has entertained millions of people around the world with his remarkable feats of magic, escape and trickery.
Schooled in the techniques of deception, Randi saw his beloved magician’s tricks being used by faith healers, fortune-tellers, and psychics — not for entertainment, but to steal money from innocent people and destroy lives. Enraged by this, he dedicated his life to exposing those frauds, and would do so with the wit and style of the great showman that he is.
A self-described liar, cheat, and charlatan, Randi embarked on a mission for truth by perpetrating a series of unparalleled investigations and elaborate hoaxes. These grand schemes fooled scientists, the media, and a gullible public, but always with a deeper goal of demonstrating the importance of evidence and the dangers of magical thinking. In one of these acts, he transformed his partner, Jose Alvarez, into a fake guru named “Carlos” to show how easily people can be fooled. His work exposing faith healers won him the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Award in 1987.
But when dealing with a master deceiver, the truth can often be hard to find. A sudden and shocking truth in Randi’s personal life is brought to light when the tale of multiple identities takes an unexpected and potentially devastating turn. And Randi – who spent his life exposing deception – may have perpetrated another grand hoax or become the victim of a very personal one.
”An Honest Liar” is a film about deception, told through Randi’s life and acts using never-before-seen historical footage and many of the original people involved. The film also follows Randi and his partner through this latest dramatic – and potentially devastating – twist in their lives. (”An Honest Liar” site)
