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Sawing A Lady in Half Illusion
Beneath the Blade
One of the most famous stage magic tricks is sawing a woman in half. Of course, the trick isn’t really in the sawn in half bit. With the right tools, anyone can saw in half a lady.
The trick is in putting the two halves back together (magicians call this part the “restoration”).
Uncover the secrets behind magic's greatest illusions with Hiding The Elephant.
Discover how magicians made the impossible possible and mastered sawing a woman in half and other fantastic illusions.
The Classic Illusion Begins
This illusion is a classic and one of the most well known in all of magic. In this illusion, a woman is apparently sawed into two halves.
The magician displays her body, then covers it with a box before sawing the box in half.
After pulling the halves apart proving that his lovely assistant was indeed sawn in half, the illusionist rolls the two halves back together. Finally, the lovely assistant frolics herself out of the box and it seems as if her body is restored back to its original form.
Split Decision: Dividing audiences and assistants for decades
If you get the saw in half trick wrong, then it’s not healthy for the assistant. Few audiences will be pleased when they see a magician sawing away only to fail at restoring the lady back into one piece.
Saw in Half Trick
How do magicians cut people in half?
Sawing a person in half is a well-choreographed illusion involving mirrors, cleverly designed boxes, and highly cooperative assistants. Magicians don't actually cut people in half.
The real magic trick isn't the slicing and dicing. It's the reassembling.
It's all fun and games until you have to return your lovely assistant in the same condition you borrowed her.
Once you've turned someone into a human jigsaw puzzle, it's only polite to put them back together again!
There are as many ways to saw in half somebody as there are teeth on a saw.
The stage magician will usually put the lady into a box before sawing her in half (it would be rude not to).
Did Houdini saw a woman in half?
No, Harry Houdini never sawed a woman in half.
Sawing A Woman in Half Gone Wrong
As the audience eagerly watches the stage, the magician confidently strides out, accompanied by his lovely assistant. The assistant, wearing a glittering, sequined outfit, steps into a large wooden box slightly longer than her height.
The magician then secures the box with several metal latches, ensuring the assistant cannot move or escape.
The lovely assistant safely locked inside, the magician theatrically raises a large, menacing-looking saw. With a flourish, the magician begins sawing through the box. The audience can hear the sound of the saw cutting through the wood, creating an atmosphere of tension and anticipation.
As the magician continues to saw, something seems amiss. The audience begins to notice that the woman’s muffled cries from within the box are growing more distressed. The magician, seemingly oblivious, maintains a wide grin and continues sawing with fervor.
Suddenly, the magician halts, and a look of genuine shock and horror replaces his smile. The audience gasps as the magician frantically tries to undo the latches on the box.
It becomes apparent that the trick has gone horribly wrong.
As the magician finally manages to open the box, the assistant emerges, pale and visibly shaken. The audience can now see a deep cut on her midriff, with blood dripping down and staining her sparkling outfit.
The magician, panicked, attempts to reassure the girl and the audience, but it’s evident the illusion has failed disastrously.
The performance comes to an abrupt halt as the magician rushes the injured assistant offstage. The audience is left stunned, whispering amongst themselves, trying to process the horrifying turn of events they’ve witnessed.
Sawing A Woman in Half without A Box
When seen live, Peruvian magician Richiardi's displays a particularly horrifying method of sawing. Richiardi, stage name of magician Aldo Izquierdo, used no box around his lovely assistant.
The performer used a buzz saw with additional entrails and real blood sprayed over the stage. Audiences were shocked because it looked like he sawed into his slender, beautiful wife.
It looked like the real thing.
And the best part?
Richiardi never put her back together.
The Final Cut
The Saw is Sheathed
No magician should ever saw anyone in half for real.
Not even himself. Sawing people in half sets a bad example for younger magicians. According to Teller (magician), even if you could do it for real, “Sawing a woman in half is a sexist thing to do.”
The idea is that the stage magician can restore a broken, torn in half woman.
One could argue, sawing a woman in half is the least sexist thing a magician can do—as long as you remember to put her back together.
