Movie Review: The Illusionist

A terrifically engaging, even riveting story, stellar performances and splendid art direction raise this above the summer fray.

Set in fin-de-siecle Austria, it opens in a rural home next to the Royal Palace where a young carpenter’s apprentice lives. Fable has it that while walking down a country lane, the boy met a traveling magician. The old man made items float and disappear. In the blink of an eye, the man and the tree he was resting under, vanish.The boy teaches himself magic, the art of illusion. While walking through the town streets balancing an egg on a stick, the young Princess Sophie happens by and is so taken by his trick that she strikes up a friendship. Social structures of the day forbid their friendship so they meet in secret as he hones his magic skills for her.They‘re separated when he fails to make the palace guards search party ‘disappear’.Fifteen years later, the now professional magician (Edward Norton) returns to the city. He is back from a sojourn through Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia, where he studied alchemy and exotic magic never before seen in Austria. He is now ‘Eisenheim the Illusionist’.His act is so marvelous that he attracts the attention of the Crown Prince (Rupert Sewell). Eisenheim calls the Prince’s fiancée, Princess Sophie, onstage to be his stooge, when he recognizes her as his childhood love. The Prince notices an intimacy between them, and in pure jealous megalomania, challenges Eisenheim to perform under scrutiny. The prince will then try to reveal him as a fraud. The challenge only convinces Eisenheim to ramp up show and subversively embarrass the prince. His dangerous need to make statement concludes with a series of stunning new tricks. The Prince orders his no-nonsense chief of police (Paul Giamatti) to arrest the illusionist on grounds of ‘fraud’. He’s placed under constant surveillance, and his affair with Sophie is revealed.The Illusionist is shut down, but returns with a more shocking and profound show. It sets the stage for Eisenheim’s personal “Grand Illusion.” The film has a gorgeous ‘end of the century’ look, with gold- tinted formality, pinhole edits, detailed reproductions of homes from humble hut to palace, and street scenes from a hundred years ago. It was shot in Prague, which is a popular shooting location because it hasn’t changed in appearance much in 400 years. The film’s storybook look is seductive and warm in contrast to the world of illusion, a frightening place where the dead come back to life. The Victorian fascination with the supernatural, séances and spooks had taken hold by the tie of the story, and as in the film, eat it up. The Illusionist was the rock star of the day.Norton transfixes us with a searing performance; a character so strong he can hypnotize with a look and an outstretched hand, and withstand anything mere mortals can give him. He has an unnerving quietude that is part of his mastery.Is it real? It’s hard to imagine anyone but Norton as Eisenheim.‘The Illusionist’ is a thrilling and unusual film, you will feel like a member of Eisenheim’s audience, transported and mystified by his sleight of hand.Opens wide August 18th. MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and violence.

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Denis Bloodnok (Major)Dec 24th, 2007 - 07:11:26

A very neat sleight hand from director Neil Burger, all major players and of course the producers: I place my money with the dvd rental company and in return I get a load of schlock!

Presumably, the illusion being that Edward Norton buys a few more houses for his part in this pile of nonsense, and my really really hard earned money goes down the gurgler. Nice con!

Atmospheric? Don't make me laugh - an unflushed toilet bowl has more atmosphere than this film; funny thing, when I was watching the dvd at home all I could think of was the contents of a toilet bowl.

Mr Norton, et al, give me my money back.....please????

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