The Illusionist
The Illusionist has defied review since I saw it July 24. It had the good fortune to come out before The Prestige, another 19th century magician movie/mystery, because as a story, it is much more obscure and difficult to pin down. Edward Norton is the titular prestidigitator, whose story is told in a non-linear way ultimately to show him as a central figure in the life and death of Sophie (Jessica Beal). Paul Giamatti is hired by the jealous Duke Leopold (Rufus Sewell, apparently having the time of his life) to watch Norton and keep order in the city, but instead he becomes the all-important witness to the events which propel the story forward. It is convoluted and it is interesting, but too easy to spoil. We see something and are sure of what it is, but then we are wrong. And then we are wrong again. What seems like a frustrating simple plot line proves to be more complex and delicious, while another proves to be less so.
Norton is excellent, smoldering and mysterious but also real and vulnerable, as if his spooky magician persona were forced upon him rather than carefully cultivated. Giamatti, of course, draws you into his experience effortlessly. His amateur conjurer side recognizes the immense talent of the professional Norton, while also giving him unique tools to uncover the story. The mood of the film is foggy and dim and mysterious. It’s a surprising effect, really, if you think about it, after so many movies have codified so many cinematic tricks to create specific mood, you would think that the feeling would either come off as hackneyed or totally misfire, but instead it’s like watching a movie plucked from the Golden Age of Hollywood, where all those tricks were new and exciting and really worked. (Don’t believe me? Watch 1931’s Dracula.) This one is in color with all the new language of cinematography added to the mix and it makes the movie more of a visceral experience than an intellectual one. It holds its cards too deceptively to really be an intellectual experience.
All that gooey praise aside, I also found this movie utterly forgettable. An article I read some time ago (sorry for all the highly technical research, folks!) said that the original story (Eisenheim the Illusionist by Steven Mill Hauser) was so complex as to be all but unfilmable. I would be interested in reading that version of the story because this adaptation seemed so simple and ended up being so complex, it was kind of over before it had begun. A lovely affectation I enjoyed was shooting the flashback scenes in a sort of hazy, rimmed sepia, as if they had been shot with period cameras. The whole look and feel of the film compels me to read the story, though hopefully knowing the ending won’t spoil the deliciousness of the read.
MPAA Rating PG-13
Release date 8/18/06
Time in minutes 110
Director Neil Burger
Studio Yari Film Group
