Film Review: The Illusionist is More Than Meets the Eye
This quietly rich fantasy is a sophisticated and stylish antidote to the usual bombastic summer film releases. It is a love story wrapped in an adventure surrounded by an enigma. The screenplay is inspired by a short story written by Steven Millhauser called “Eisenheim the Illusionist.” The film is told in the manner you might tell a bedtime story to a precocious child. Like that child, the audience finds itself periodically asking, “And then what happened?”
The tale is set in 19th century Vienna with two young lovers who are kept apart by the barrier of class distinction. The young woman, charmingly played by Jessica Biel, grows into a desirable aristocratic pawn in the Austrian-Hungarian political alliance. The young man, handled with laser intensity by Edward Norton, reinvents himself as Eisenheim, an amazing magician. Thwarting them is Crown Prince Leopold, a role that Rufus Sewell sinks his teeth into. As in so many films, the villain steals the show and Sewell is the master thief here. He is riveting as the megalomaniac prince who is not too tightly wrapped to begin with and who may or may not be a murderer. Navigating all the deceit while trying to maintain his own moral compass is Paul Giamatti as the Chief Inspector. Giamatti is rapidly evolving into one of the most engaging actors to watch on the screen today. He can play with total abandon or with understated control. He goes with sly subtlety here. A flick of the eyebrows or a tilt of the head is all he needs to convey a multitude of thoughts. At the end of this film, a woman in the row behind me was heard to say, “I’m really becoming a Paul Giamatti fan.”
“The Illusionist” is made by the producers of “Crash” and “Sideways,” so they know their way around modestly budgeted independent films. According to producer Michael London, this movie cost in the vicinity of $17 million. The primary means of stretching the production dollar was to shoot on location in Prague in the Czech Republic. The atmosphere captured in both the interiors and exteriors is lush and authentic. Producer London said they were not striving for a Merchant Ivory art house look and feel. One of the ways they rebuff that is by using a music score by Philip Glass. The modern curves of the distinctive music heighten the suspense, emphasize the sensual and give the film a sense of timelessness.
Actor Edward Norton prepared for the role of Eisenheim with his trademark seriousness. He trained with famed magician Rickey Jay to master fluidity of hand motions and legerdemain. Norton as Eisenheim is the ultimate thinking man’s prestidigitator. No rabbits out of a hat here. Apparently Norton was influential in the casting of “The Illusionist” as well. He wanted fellow thinking man Giamatti. They are old friends and met when both were attending Yale University. Jessica Biel was cast relatively late in the production, but she nailed the part when she arrived for her audition fully regaled in a 19th century costume she assembled from a vintage boutique in Santa Monica. Biel even had her accent prepared for her reading. It must be said that each cast member stays true to the accents they have selected for their roles. The intonations sound more British than Austrian, but at least everyone remains consistent with their chosen accents for the duration of the movie.
“The Illusionist” has a running time of 110 minutes and is rated PG-13.
