David Blaine: Vertigo

"There is a fine line between life and death... truth and deceit... dreams an reality.  Magic blurs that line.  This is Vertigo."  - David Blaine: Vertigo Opening

What

After almost 35 hours, ten stories up, and with no water, food, sleep, or something to lean on, David Blaine leaped off a 105 feet tall, 22 inch wide, pillar into some card board boxes only twelve feet high.  There was no harness or safety net had he fallen off or jumped off before the predestined time.

"The pillar that I am standing on is about as wide as my shoulders at most... about as big as a flower pot.  Standing on it I feel a kind of weird piece.  I can't hear any words.  It's quiet up here.  It's as if the city is underwater."

When

He was pulled to the top of the pillars by a crane at Noon Tuesday, May 21.  His special was aired May 22, 2002 at 10/9c on ABC.  At the end of the special, not quite 35 hours, was when he jumped.  An hour before hand the boxes were assembled and some metal bar-handles were raised for him to hold onto to prepare him to jump and because of the pervasive wind.

Why

• "The idea for this challenge dates back to the 5th century.  There is a group of ascetics. called Stylites or pillar-hermits.  The most famous one was San Simeon.  The Stylites stood on pillars as an act of protests against the decadence of their time.  San Simeon believed this brought him closer to God."
• "This is my way of challenging every fear and using magic as performance."
• "The only way to overcome a fear is to challenge it strait on."
• On ABC's 20/20, David explains how his feat is based on San Simeon and the pole sitters of the 1920's.

Audience

10,000 people were actually at the pillar site, and millions more watched on ABC.  Celebrity Christopher Reeves visits and talks how David's stunt shows "mind over body."  It also shows David go alone on a street corner, and with nothing but his repertoire, a crowd adamantly builds up.

Uncanny Things David Did

Besides his weird gymnastic feats he learned from his training, the special shows David playing dead on New York sidewalk, jumping around in a puddle of mud, and riding a small tricycle in the middle of New York traffic.  That was crazy.

Tricks

• David holds hands with some spectator's at a dinner table, and a glass of wine explodes.
• David hammers a nail all the way through a board with his bare hand.
• A woman's watch is stolen by David and appears in a jewelry store window.  David then puts his hand through the glass and grabs the watch.
• Two girls cigarettes are lit with David's fingers and then he eats a cigarette.
• A stranger's empty crushed beer can is visually changed into a full beer.
• A young boy's fear is snakes is overcome by David eating a small snake and it reappearing in the boy's backpack.

Crew

• Bob Brown, the high fall expert, talks of how David has not done falls near the height of the boxes.
• Tom Bramlett, production designer, explains how the pillar is very secure.
• John Epstein, professional stuntman, describes the boxes as a 16/ x 28 foot box catcher.  Each layer is tied so that the layers will slowly de-accelerate his fall.
• William Kalush, co-executive producer and magician, tells about how worried they will be and how it is very dangerous.

Result

And David jumps into the boxes landing in the correct spot, a blanket with an X on it, without protection or padding, he gives the audience the perception he is ok.  After they lift him out of the boxes, he desperately tries to speak to the audience and thank them for their support; he is then rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.  "This is just the beginning," he said. "God bless us all," he added.

More

• Magic Directory: Vertigo