L'Illusionniste

I just saw this wonderful film at the San Francisco Film Festival as a surprise entry. Beautifully shot and realized, it keeps you guessing until the end as to the true outcome. It was throughly entertaining and innovative. This movie has it all: romance, suspense, star crossed lovers and supernatural illusions. Edward Norton is perfectly cast as Eisenheim The Illusionist. His accent flowed seamlessly and he simply disappeared into the role. The real revelation to me was none other than Paul Giamatti. Paul's richly accented role was not altogether unlike Tommy Lee Jones' role in The Fugitive. I found his scenes with Norton full of respect and begrudging admiration. It was an absolute joy to see these two pros at work. I will definitely be paying to see this one again when it's released theatrically.

I am a long time fan of the old theatre magicians and have been fascinated by the wave of spiritualism that swept both continents around the turn of the last century. This movie plays off those real life happenings, with the added twist of court and political intrigue. The movie is lush - as a period piece should be - with terrific performances from a true ensemble cast. Edward Norton has the charismatic gaze that makes you believe in every thing he does. Jennifer Biel is tragic and compelling as a woman trapped by society and dubious duty. Paul Giamatti - who seems to be in every other movie these days - is wonderful as a conflicted man unsure of whom he serves. Rufus Sewell, as the Crown Prince Leopold, is that man, and he embodies the boo-hiss villain. Vain and driven, he is larger than life and not one to cross, as the illusionist comes to find out. The music of Philip Glass fits the scenes and add just the right amount of tension. Plus the horses are very old world with large hooves and a heck of a lot of presence. A compelling and beautiful film.

The Illusionist is a very entertaining movie. The beginning of the movie sets an awesome foundation for the rest of the film to work with, without making the rest of the movie predictable and pointless. Although the basic story of boy gets girl, boy loses girl may not be original, the way the plot is presented with the excellent magical imagery keeps one interested in Edward Norton's character. My only complaint would be that the movie needs a little editing towards the end as the creators seem to show basically the same scene over and over in an attempt to drive home Norton's character's emotional distress. Unfortunately, this gets a little monotonous for viewers. Still, Norton, Sewell, Giamatti (and surprisingly Biel) provide excellent performances that, along with the beautiful cinematography, make a great movie.

Imaginative and intriguing flick set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, where takes place a crash of wits between a famous magician , a price and and a Police Inspector . This enjoyable and fresh story about intense rivalry among an ambitious , easy-going magician named Eisenheim (Edward Norton who did many of his own magic tricks, with the coaching of James Freedman) who becomes a prestigious illusionist and get mutual envy , a Police chief (Paul Giamatti) and the heir prince (Rufus Sewel) ; being set in turn-of-the last century , Vienna (although the film is set in Austria, it was filmed mostly in the Czech Republic) . Their escalating cat and mouse feud is played out in palaces , theaters and Vienna streets . Eisenheim (his character is closely based on the magician and supposed clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen, who was famous in Vienna in the early part of the 20th century and was murdered by Nazi soldiers in 1933) delivers the most spectacular version of a teleportation trick that calls for something like real magic . The stage illusionist falls in love with a woman well above his social standing . He will use his abilities to secure the love of a gorgeous girl (Jessica Biel replaced Liv Tyler, who dropped out of the film just as filming was about to begin) far above his social standing as the magician use his powers to combat his enemies . The Duchess Von Teschen is soon to be wed to the Crown Prince Leopold in what would be for him a marriage solely in pursuit of power : overthrowing his father, the Emperor Leopold , as well as overtaking the Hungarian side of the empire .

This splendid movie is stunning in many aspects and blends appropriately various genres : the lush romantic period piece during nineteenth century Victorian Era , mystery thriller and fantasy . The picture gets it all : suspense , mystery drama , star crossed lovers , plot twists , murders ,tragedy , exquisite costumes and supernatural illusions . It inhabits a world between reality and illusion as when Inspector's investigation develops , it's amazingly unclear whether the illusionist is the performer of unbelievably excellent tricks or genuine supernatural acts . Explicitly modelled on the pattern of a magic trick , it's also bound by the rules of the mystery thriller genre . And in devoting so much room to romantic subplot , the picture ends up breaking the magician's cardinal rules . Featuring an excellent casting, as main actors, Edward Norton , Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti as well as eclectic secondaries , Rufus Sewel , Jake Wood and Eddie Marsan .Although the story is fictional, some of the details are based on the life of Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf, only son of Emperor Franz Josef. The painting of the emperor which Eisenheim creates is an actual portrait of Franz Josef ; the bodies of Rudolf and his mistress, the Baroness Mary Vetsera, were found at his hunting lodge Mayerling on January 30, 1889 in what is now known as the "Mayerling Incident". This was initially covered up by the Imperial Family, creating controversy and mystery. Luxurious attention to period detail in brilliant costumes and spectacular production design . Beautifully and mesmerizing cinematography by Dick Pope ; too marvelously photographed in a red sepia palette flashed with colorful images . Intriguing as well as evocative musical score by Philip Glass . The motion picture was perfectly directed by innovator director Neal Burger , a filmmaker who has filmed notorious movies such as ¨The lucky ones¨ , ¨Interview with the assassin¨ and his most successful , ¨Limitless¨ . At the same time was made another film (2006) with similar theme about magicians titled ¨The prestige¨ (2006) by Christopher Nolan with Hugh Jackman , Christian Bale and Michael Caine . 'The illusionist' results to be a magnificent picture which achieved much success . Rating : Above average, it was throughly amusing and exciting , and no as predictable as you would think . The film turns out to be a complete pleasure to watch these actors at this work , it's highly recommended and keep you guessing until final

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And Edward Norton is absolutely right. Nothing in this movie is what it seems. I was floored by the end of this movie. This was a wonderful job by everyone, actors and director. I couldn't believe how it ended, I wanted to stand up and clap at the end because of how beautifully it was done. This movie really grows on you. In the beginning I wasn't really impressed, but by the end I was completely convinced that this was a real work of art. The acting was great. Norton, Biel, and Giamatti all did tremendous jobs in my opinion. This is the best fictional biography I have ever seen. This Eisenheim character seems like a real person and not someone based on a short story. Norton is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors, the guy has more range than I've seen from anyone in a while. He's always playing different characters and he always does a very good job. I think everyone should go and see this movie, it won't let you down.