How does copperfield make the statue of liberty disappear

David Copperfield's disappearing Statue of Liberty, without a doubt. When Copperfield pulled off this vanishing act -- live -- in April , millions of Americans tuned in to see an improbable feat that had been hyped endlessly with commercials.

And yet, the young illusionist Copperfield was then just 26 years old seemed to accomplish the impossible. The massive statue was gone, or so the live audience of regular people who'd participated in the show believed.

For more than 30 years, Copperfield guarded the secret of how he'd done the trick, then in he spilled the beans. Source: Her Moments. He performed illusions in between the previews of the upcoming shows. CBS, seeing the possibilities with his talent then gave him his own show, also called The Magic of David Copperfield , just like his original show in Hawaii. The Magic of David Copperfield became an annual event which audiences anticipated, and for which he is known.

It was akin to a variety show , moving between each distinct magic act, and the acts did vary significantly, transitioning from a spectacle involving lighting effects, smoke machines, and dramatic music, to a more subtle chatty trick, which may have even included corny jokes. During the show in , Copperfield made a Learjet disappear, which was the largest illusion to date, prior to making the Statue of Liberty disappear. Source: IMDb.

The special was filmed in September In the special, the actress Michelle Lee explains that this is the largest disappearance performed by an illusionist, which is confirmed by the Guinness World Records. As much as the audiences are thrilled by the illusions, according to Copperfield, there is more to it than just the trick itself. When he creates an illusion, he puts it in a narrative context, and he performs it with theatrical flair. Magician David Copperfield, 61, was forced to reveal the secret of his signature "Lucky 13" vanishing trick in court, after a negligence lawsuit was filed against him by an audience member.

British chef Gavin Cox, 58, was among the 13 random people chosen from the audience to participate in the illusion at a show at the MGM Grand Las Vegas on Nov 12, Cox claimed in his lawsuit that he was injured during the act, after he got onto the stage and "disappeared" behind a giant curtain. He claimed that he was made to walk through hidden passageways that were filled with dust and debris, before he emerged at the back of the theatre.

The lawsuit forced the Copperfield to reveal the mechanics of the trick, which he has performed for at least a decade. Among Copperfield's best-known tricks is making the Statue of Liberty in New York City disappear in front of a live television audience in To pull off the trick, he raised a giant sheet to hide the statue, before lowering it to reveal that it has vanished.

A helicopter camera crew even passes through the space to show that it is truly empty. He then makes Lady Liberty reappear. Copperfield reportedly said that the illusion was meant to emphasise the importance of freedom and "how precious liberty is and how easily it can be lost".

Even the seemingly impenetrable Great Wall of China would not get in the way of Copperfield's illusion. In a television special, he appears to walk through the Great Wall and emerges on the other side a few minutes later. Audience members sitting on each side and above the wall keep their eyes on a lighted box showing only Copperfield's silhouette, as he gradually disappears.

A device monitoring his heartbeat supposedly becomes flat, before he reappears from the other side of the wall unharmed. Now, however, we finally know. While Copperfield said he was doing it to show " how precious liberty is and how easily it can be lost," adding, "I can show with magic how we take our freedom for granted," not surprisingly, he didn't actually make the statue disappear.

So how did he do it? It's all in the set up. In the trick, Copperfield raised a sheet in front of the statue and when he dropped it, Lady Liberty was gone.

However, she was actually just hidden behind one of the towers that held the sheet up.