Happy anniversary, my dear.
It delights me to see you enjoying this.
- H e is widely regarded. - Deservedly. This entire evening...
my mind has been magically free of our country's grievous woes.
And now, may it please your h ighnesses,
and members of the court,
i shall endeavour to defy the laws of nature...
by levitating in this very room.
First, i must enter the trance, to render my body as light as air.
Young man, are you alright?
Your h ighnesses, forgive me. Something so unexpected.
Whilst i was in my trance,
i was approached... visited...
by a being... from the spirit world.
She called herself sophie.
Empress sophie? Your dead mother.
She had a message... urgent... for your h ighnesses.
What sort of message?
The royal sceptre of h ungary is cursed.
It has been the sole cause of h ungary's troubles. And so...
in order to protect you and the country from further harm, she has removed it.
How do you do that?
Where do they... i mean,
how do they... there's so little space in there, but you keep...
magic, Nigel.
I mean, it would have to be, really, wouldn't it?
Claudia, these need to be filed under last names, not first names...
rex?
No matter how many times i see that trick, it's still amazing to me.
H ello, sydney.
The dove.
Just like the first time we met in marrakech.
You've come a long way from doing coin tricks for tourists outside my hotel.
A dirham. Don't tell me that...
the same one you tossed into my hat that day.
I was ready to give up my dream and you convinced me not to.
Ah, it was just lunch and a pep talk, as i recall.
It changed my life, sydney. I've never forgotten it.
That's strange, there's something moving around in here. What is this?
Something valuable coming out of there? Now that's magic.
- What are you doing here, rex? - Well, i need your help again.
An expert at making things disappear needs an expert at making things reappear.
The great brodsky. Does that mean anything to you?
A magician? H ad something to do with h ungary's cursed sceptre?
That's right. The sceptre vanished during a magic show hoax for the royal family.
H e fenced it somewhere in europe.
So the world has always assumed. But i have reason to believe differently.
- John curtain's case book. - The famous scotland yard detective?
I found that at an auction in san francisco.
What's in it?
The usual. Interviews with palace guards, theories about the trick.
There's something else. Something that no one has ever paid much attention to.
Pick a page, any page.
A dove.
The dove was brodsky's insignia. But look at the number.
20446.
Everyone's always thought it was a phone number.
And it was, by some bizarre coincidence, the number of a pub in london...
which is why no one ever thought twice about it.
But it stands for something else as well?
After the hoax, brodsky came back to atlantic city.
There he bought a small house, tore it down, and built a new one.
The new house was so big, it spilled over onto the next street.
That next became the new address,
but the original address of that smaller house...
20446.
You think he brought the sceptre back to america?
Yes. And hid it somewhere in that house.
If we find it...
n etwork special for me, and you return the sceptre to the people of h ungary.
This magic mansion had to have been explored a million times.
Yes, but never by an expert with a specific object in mind.
But how do you know that he didn't just sell the sceptre's gems?
They must have been worth a fortune.
Nigel, please.
Because rich men don't default on their house payments and then flee the country.
Is that when the international brotherhood of magicians took over...
and turned it into a private club?
That's right. They rescued it from the bank sixty-five years ago.
Amazing.
The world's largest illusion.
More hidden rooms and secret passageways than a rabbit warren.
Well, let's make like bunnies.
Ah, there is something i've been meaning to mention.
Yes?
I was afraid to tell you earlier, in case you backed out.
Yes?
No one's actually allowed in the magic mansion unless they're...
- a magician? - Or a magician's assistant, of course.
- Of course. - Which you both are, now.
Your memberships to the magic mansion.
I don't know about this, rex.
You don't have to do a thing. Just act like you know what you're doing.
We don't know the first thing about magic.
Just smile a lot, and look paranoid.
Paranoid?
Nowhere does a magician have to be more careful about guarding his secrets...
than when surrounded by other magicians. You'll be fine, i promise.
Depends what he means by fine, i suppose.
Well, if you'd pulled them out of my pants, that've been special.
Ah, why don't we just...
we'll get our keys from malcolm. H e manages the mansion.
Where do we find this malcolm?
Rex!
H ey. I thought that was you on my monitor. Welcome back.
Malcolm.
Oh, welcome to you.
So, you're doing a show? No one told me.
No, no, just rehearsing and illusion. My new assistants, sydney and Nigel.
I don't recognise them.
- Canadian. - Oh. What part?
- Vancouver. - Toronto.
- Vancouver.
I'm from toronto, he's from vancouver.
Yeah. We met in the middle. Calgary. It's not much of a magic city, calgary.
It's too cold. H ands get stiff, the bunnies freeze up, and the wand, well...
so, you're a husband and wife team?
No, we just bicker like one. It's part of the act.
I'm very, very much single.
Oh. Oh, then maybe we could have a drink sometime.
You know, pull something out of the hat.
I'd like that.
Yeah, good. Okay, then. Enjoy your stay.
Erica the erotic, the house magician. Quite entertaining.
The erotic? I don't understand. Why would she bill herself as erica the erotic?
I mean, i don't mean to be unkind, but there's nothing in particular that's very...
- How'd she do that? - Do what?
That.
You got the best two-bedroom suite in the club.
Now you two get comfortable, and we'll meet in the bar in an hour.
Right.
And don't get caught off-guard by this place, sydney.
- Things aren't quite what they seem. - They never are.
Where are you going?
I'm going to poke around. See you in the bar.
One hour?
It's not a mirror.
Ah!
Whoa!
I think i'll go round.
It took me six visits to locate that passageway. Bravo.
Erica. We passed in the hallway.
Sydney. Thanks for...
oh, don't mention it. I remember what it's like to be new around here.
Sometimes they take their club a little too seriously. So, you're assisting rex?
That's right.
Malcolm likes to try and wave his magic wand a lot.
Got to watch his sleight of hand.
I get that feeling. Thanks for the warning.
Well, i got a show. Maybe we can get together some time.
I'd like that.
You enjoy yourself. Let me know if you need anything.
That was a close call.
I'm sure the knife was just a mechanical malfunction.
Yeah, maybe. Thankfully erica was in the member's dining room...
otherwise i'd be getting the third degree from malcolm right now.
I warned you about this place.
You know, brodsky used to love to play tricks on his guests.
But it was nothing compared to his final exit.
During his last performance, he vanished from the stage, never to be seen again.
Trap door?
And a getaway car out back, no doubt. But nobody knows what happened to him.
Some think it was the curse of the sceptre that got him.
Do you know where brodsky's bed chamber was?
U nfortunately, yes. It's now malcolm's office.
Check the knob. See if it's unlocked.
It is unlocked, but the door won't open. Must be dead bolted from the inside.
U gh... i can't see anything.
Wait a minute, there's movement.
There's someone coming... there's someone coming towards us!
It... it looks like a...
- what are you doing? - Sydney.
I'll catch you later.
H ide.
- Where? - Anywhere.
I'd almost given up on you.
Given up?
I've been waiting to see you, so that i could...
apologise for my behaviour earlier.
The wall was unlocked.
Look at me. I'm here to apologise, and all i'm doing is rambling.
Well...
you're probably still, you know, suffering from your ordeal.
I knew you'd be understanding.
- Would you like a drink? - I'd love one.
Ex cellent.
Is that the time?
That's not the time, is it?
Tell me it's a trick. It's not a trick.
No.
Rolands is going to kill me. I've completely lost track of the time.
Rain check?
H mm.
Aah! Aah!
Thank god. Ex cuse me. I'm afraid i've been completely turned around.
Aah! U gh!
Smashing!
- Sydney? - I'm in the shower.
There are definitely bad things going on here. I practically got killed.
- someone's trying to scare us away. - Well, it's working. I'm scared.
- i have to talk to rex about the stage. - Right.
From malcolm's window overlooking the stage...
i could see a design painted on the floor.
What kind of design?
A dove and a hat. Matches the sketch in the detective's case book.
Great.
- Oh my god, what did i do? - what?
Nothing.
See the mirror in here?
- The design is really cool. - Very cool. Very cool.
It's a little foggy.
No, no!
- What? - Nothing, nothing.
You know what? I can't hear a word you're saying. I'll be out in a sec.
No. I mean, there's no rush.
Aah!
Are you okay?
Sydney, this is not what it seems.
Of course, nothing... here... is.
Put yourself in my place. But not naked.
I would be naked. I mean, why would i be taking a shower with my clothes on?
What are you talking about?
Oh!
I... babble sometimes.
I don't know why.
This place makes me nervous.
- How did it go with malcolm? - H e seemed pretty good, i think.
- Don't encourage him, sydney. - How's erica's act?
Great.
Erica...
your act is sensational.
- Do you really think so? - Magnificent.
I believe you ran into sydney at dinner.
- H ello again. - H ello.
- And this is? - Nigel... bailey.
Oh, right. I believe we ran into each other in the hallway.
Yeah.
Well, i really must be going.
Mm...
this is the room i was talking about. Let's get a closer look.
- Shhh! - Sorry.
Remember we were talking about how brodsky must have...
used the trap door in the stage?
- Yeah? - Do you know for sure that there is one?
Of course. It's used all the time in performances.
Where does the passage that's connected to it lead?
There is no passage.
- Are you sure? - Yes. It's just a space.
The only way in or out is through the stage floor. Why?
Well, the picture of the dove, that the detective had sketched in his book,
the one you said was brodsky's logo? I think it's more than that.
- I think it's another clue. - How do you mean?
Well, from malcolm's office i could see the top of the stage.
That same image is inlaid on the floor, right where the trap door would be.
I think that detective curtain thought that's where the sceptre is hidden.
I'm going to take a closer look.
The stage is used practically around the clock for rehearsals and performances...
and when it's not it's well secured.
- Magician's paranoia again? - That's right.
- There has to be another way. - Well, there is one way...
malcolm!
Ah. H ello there. Did you enjoy the late show?
Malcolm, i was wondering. I know i didn't book the stage...
but i was hoping to do a test run for a live audience.
Are there any slots available?
Oh, it's a little tight, rex...
but... i might be able to find you an hour tomorrow.
You're one-of-a-kind, malcolm. I appreciate it.
I don't know exactly how you did that, sydney, but thanks.
What exactly did i do?
Well, you just cleared the way for you and Nigel to become my assistants...
for real.
No. I am not wearing this.
It's the only way to get you on that stage, sydney.
The only way.
- What are you looking at? - Nothing.
Why do i have to wear the costume for rehearsal?
Because i want you to get the feel for it.
You have to look comfortable on that stage.
You know, like you've worn it before.
Okay, i guess. Where's his?
The one the costume house sent over didn't fit. They're working on something else.
Are we ready?
- Ready. - Ready.
Right. Now, the object is to get you two into the pit under the stage...
long enough to have a good look around.
Now, this illusion here should do the trick.
One more time, just the finale.
Ready?
Yes! Ex cellent. Now you look like assistants.
I thought they were assistants?
Diamonds in the rough. They just needed a little polishing.
Is that right?
Well, i'm sure you wouldn't have hired them unless they were qualified.
Thanks again for the stage time, malcolm. I really appreciate it.
- You can thank erica. It's her slot. - Erica?
Yes.
Yes, she seems to have taken a liking to you.
And we all know how likeable you can be, right?
Well, good luck.
Thanks.
I'll be watching.
Nigel, where are you? C ome on, we have to be downstairs soon.
Not a word. It's all they had left in my size.
Well, the important thing is, you can pull it off.
Elton john couldn't pull this off.
The second we find that sceptre, i'm taking it off.
I know what you mean.
- Malcolm doesn't want us here, does he? - I don't think so.
H e'd have intimate knowledge...
of the corridors and the secret spaces, wouldn't he?
Yes.
How to program that mechanical man, and other assorted tricks.
Yes.
H e'd also have access to the props, wouldn't he?
The props that we're going to be going on stage with in just a few minutes.
- Yes. - Well, that's a lot of yeses.
Yes. Just be careful, Nigel. You know, that hat's kind of cute on you.
There you are. I thought you'd changed your mind.
- No, no, can't wait to get out there. - Raring to go.
C ome on. Let's go.
You're too kind. You're way to kind. And now, ladies and gentlemen...
the magic mansion is proud to welcome back one of its most talented members.
Now, give it up for the amazing rex rolands.
You know, it's so hard to find good help these days.
You give them everything and then you turn your back, and they stick it to you.
Back-stabbers, all of them.
U gh!
- What's going on? - H e's still in there.
You see what i mean? Grand-standing.
What's the matter, honey? You got an itch you can't reach?
H yah!
U gh!
- Ah. Ooh, Nigel. - Right here.
Okay, what happened?
The catch on the bottom of the bo x got stuck.
It must have been tampered with since this afternoon.
Somebody's definitely on to us.
You think now more than ever that the sceptre is here?
Absolutely.
Why would anyone go to so much trouble to stop us?
- You catch on quick, Nige. - Thanks.
There's got to be another passageway out of here.
Well, we better move quickly. We haven't got that much time till the end of the act.
- Wait a minute. - What?
U gh!
Bingo.
I need a lift.
H idden in plain sight. C ome on.
O- o-oh...
- ah. We can jump it. - Sydney, i'm not exactly in track shoes.
- H ere, give me a hand. - What are you doing?
You'll see. Just give me a hand.
You can't be serious?
Okay, come on.
- I can't. - I know you're afraid.
Of course i'm afraid! Afraid of having every bone in my body...
crushed on impact by this unmeasurable fall!
You won't fall.
How do you know i won't fall? I fall a lot. I'm a chronic faller!
Nigel, it's at least a half-mile wide!
Come on...
that's it. That's good.
You're all right. Just the few short feet.
Okay. Keep coming.
- Just don't look down. - H uh?
O- o-ohh...
i said don't look down!
Ooh!
Nigel!
- I think i just aged... fifty years. - Mirrors.
Nigel.
It's a recreation of the hungarian throne room brodsky took the sceptre from.
Why would he do something like that?
That... that's not brodsky, is it?
A dummy.
Must be the one brodsky used to fool everyone during the hoax.
Sydney.
The sceptre.
At last. The audience this place was always missing.
- Erica. - That's right. Erica brodsky.
Brodsky's great grand-daughter?
I don't like to advertise that.
My great grandfather's name doesn't exactly open doors in this business.
It was you who rigged the mechanical man.
I was hoping that you would go away, but you didn't. You've come to rob his grave.
We're not robbing a grave, erica.
We're retrieving something your great-grandfather stole.
My great grandfather was a master illusionist...
and he should have been celebrated.
H e took advantage of people. That's why he suffered. You can repair his memory.
I will remember my great grandfather the way he wanted to be remembered.
And you? You will both be forgotten.
Scream your lungs out. No one will hear.
What are you going to do when rex comes looking?
H e's not going to come looking. H e is going to go looking.
Mexico, bahamas, spain.
Wherever he thinks the two double-crossing thieves have run off to.
It's no use. We're going to need something sharp to pick the locks.
C ould your teeth find a bone in a bustier?
Pass it back.
- Aah. - Good.
This should come in handy for the cage lock, too.
After all we've gone through, i'm not going to leave this behind.
- Bravo! - Bravo!
She's found the sceptre.
Bravo! Bravo!
- Well done! - Bravo!
Encore.
Bravo!
Bravo! Bravo!
So brodsky was buried with the sceptre after all.
In a way, only he could have conceived a memorial to his greatest feat.
A memorial we almost became a part of.
But it was all worth it, wasn't it?
The real sceptre now back in its rightful place?
Not to mention your tv special.
There is that.
You know, you and Nigel weren't half bad on stage.
I could use a couple of assistants for the special.
Thanks, but i seem to have my hands full with my own assistant here.
I still can't believe you haven't caught that thing.
Well, i did, but then i lost it again... working on my act.
Your act?
Yeah. Well, i was so amazed by those tricks that i decided i'd give it a shot.
- H ere. Pick a card. - Claudia, i really don't think...
No, no. I can do this. Just pick one.
Now, look at it, and don't show me.
Put it back.
Okay.
- It was a black card, right? - Red.
- Face card? - N umbered.
- Between five and ten. - Between ace and four.
- Diamond? - H eart.
- Four. - Lower.
- Two. - H igher.
This isn't working.
Well, that's okay. I'll just try the next trick.
You like it?
Very fitting. You certainly amaze me.
Yeah? Well, wait until you see this.
En glish
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