Edinburgh scenes for a film starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Guy Pearce are to begin shooting this week.

Death Defying Acts, billed as a suernatural romatic thriller, tells the srory of Harry Houdini, the famous escapologist, and his relationship with a Scottish psychic, Mary McGregor. They meet while he is touring in the Scottish capital in the mid-1920s.

Zeta Jones, who plays McGregor, was due to film in Edinburgh this summer with Pearce as Houdini.

However, the producers puller out of location filming as Edinburgh's streets were too busy with tourists. Scenes due to be shot in Scotland were filmed on sound stages in London.

Now exterior scenes are to be shot in Edinburgh. A spokeswoman for the film confirmed that shooting would take place this week, using many of the city's architectural highlights, including the Scott monument.

It has not been confirmed that the stars will accompany the shoot.

In the movie the character of Zeta Jones lives in the "slums of Edinburgh", with her young daughter and stars in a burlesque act which, though partly a confidence trick, delves into the occult.

She comes to hear of Houdini's $10,000 reward for any psychic who can contact his beloved mother from beyond the grave, and makes contact with him. The pair fall in love.

The story is alleged to be based on events when Houdini visited the capital just before his death.

He performed in Scotland several times, appearing at the Gaiety Theatre in Leith and at the Empire Theatre, now the Festival Theatre.

Born in Hungary as Ehrich Weiss, Houdini died in 1926 after an extreme case of peritonitis brought on, it is believed, by being punched in the stomach by a fan who did not wait for Houdini to compose himself - he was known for being able to "take any punch".

In reality, Houdini had a less than favourable relationship with self-proclaimed psychis.

He spent much time, and even wrote a book, debunking what he though were fraudsters and confidence-tricksters.

These activities cost Houdini the friendship of Sit Arthur Conan Doyle. The Scottish creatoe of Sherlock Holms, a firm believer in spiritualism who refused to believe and of Houdini's exposes.

Conan Doyal came to believe that Houdini was a spiritualist medium himself, who performed many of his stunts thanks to his paranormal activities.

Phil Miller, Art Correspondence

The Scotsman.

So what is the connection with Freemasonry. Firstly, Houdini and Conan Doyle were Freemasons although both were Initiated into Freemasonry in countries not of their birth (the USA and England respectively). It is not known if McGregor was a 'Freemason' but it is considered to be extremely unlikely. Secondly, the Scott Monument, briefly referred to above, also has a strong Masonic connection - Sir Walter Scott was a Freemason in Edinburgh as was the designer of the monument: George Meikle Kemp. For a web cam view of the Scott Monument click here but remember you will leave this web site - use the back button! (Ed.)