<p> From top hats to top secrets, this book is a celebration of illusion technology and mechanisms of trickery through a genre-crossing selection of films. Heroes, villains, spies, con-men, and madmen, magicians all, have utilized complex constructs and trickery in thrilling cinematic adventures from the earliest days of cinema to the present. Current blockbusters such as <I>Spider-Man: Far from Home</I> and the <I>Mission: Impossible</I> series feature amazing acts of deception, often appearing far-fetched, that are in fact surprisingly close to today's technology. Along with the <I>James Bond</I> saga, classics such as <I>The Wizard of Oz, Nightmare Alley</I>, and <I>The Sting</I> are joined by a host of other movies superficially seeming to be very different, yet proving there is more than meets the eye.</p>