The Man from Beyond (1922)

A man who has been frozen in the Arctic ice for 100 years returns to civilization to find his lost love.

Director:

Burton L. King

Writers:

Harry Houdini (story), Coolidge Streeter (adaptation)

Stars:

Harry Houdini, Arthur Maude, Albert Tavernier

Cast

Cast overview:
Harry Houdini	...	Howard Hillary / The Man From Beyond
Arthur Maude	...	Dr. Gilbert Trent
Albert Tavernier	...	Dr. Crawford Strange
Erwin Connelly	...	Dr. Gregory Sinclair
Frank Montgomery	...	François Duval
Luis Alberni	...	Captain of the Barkentine
Yale Benner	...	Milt Norcross
Jane Connelly	...	Felice Strange / Felice Norcross
Nita Naldi	...	Marie Le Grande

Storyline

The body of a man, Howard Hillary, frozen for a hundred years, is found in the Arctic ice. Thawed out and awakened, Hillary insists that a young woman, Felice, is his fiancée from a century before. Hillary is interned in a mental institution but escapes and realizes the truth of where he is and that Felice is actually the descendant of his own Felice from long ago. Hillary joins her in searching for her father, who has been abducted by someone known to them both.

---

Plot Keywords:

frozen alive | sled dog | wedding | chess | asylum | 

---

Taglines:

A man frozen solidly in a casket of ice in the Arctic, is rescued after a hundred years and upon being hewn out of his tomb, picks up the thread of life where it was broken off a century before. (Print Ad-Flushing Daily Times, ((Flushing NY)) 29 January 1923)

---

Genres:

Mystery

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Imponderable (2016)

User Reviews

Schmaltzy Melodrama but worth a look! On DVD

I've been a Houdini fan since I was a kid, so when I ran across this movie on VHS I bought it. This is the story of a man frozen in time and coming to life to find himself finding his soul-mate about to marry a man after her money. He must convince her that she's making a mistake and show the fiancé up for the villain he is. During the course of the movie, Houdini shows us some of the escapes he was famous for.

While I agree with the comments that this movie is overly melodramatic, most of the silents of that era were. Yes, it's got all the overly-exaggerated gestures and wide-eyed looks.

In spite of this, I watched with fascination as Houdini, the man who help audiences in the palm of his hand, hammed it up through this movie. A great actor, he's not. But for most of us, it's the only chance we'll ever have to see the Great Houdini. Most magicians can out-perform him now, but in his heyday, he was the one and only.

As Houdini's only appearance on DVD, you can find this rare gem at Amazon, or Deep Discount DVD.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 April 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Mann aus dem Jenseits

Filming Locations:

Tilford Studio - 165 West 31st Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Houdini Picture Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

74 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1