The Illusionist
Never ask a magician to reveal his tricks, for he’s not really a magician at all. All of what we know as magic is based on our own perception and a person’s slight of hand. At the same time, never ask an illusionist to reveal his illusions. The truth we really search for might actually be the truth. A good magician never reveals his tricks, but a good illusionist will make you wonder whether or not it’s really a trick.
Written and directed by newcomer Neil Burger, “The Illusionist” ignites the legendary set of questions. Is nothing what it seems, or is everything it seems to be?
There is, in fact, a line between an illusionist and a magician. A magician can find your card in a deck of 52, but an illusionist can find your card by making it float through the air. The ability to make objects disappear or become weightless seems to be the God given talent of Eisenheim (Edward Norton). This mysterious illusionist in Vienna during the early 1900’s begins using his talent to astound his audience, but catch the eye of a long lost childhood love named Sophie (Jessica Biel). Upheld by the social standings of the country, Sophie is forbidden to see Eisenheim and forced into a marriage with the crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When the young prince sees his beautiful love turning away, he calls upon his abiding Chief Inspector Uhl, an endlessly talented Paul Giamatti, to bring down Eisenheim’s scheme by any means possible.
As if he were a hypnotist, Edward Norton captures us with a simple look from his eyes. Speaking volumes with his piercing stare, his performance is a perfect example of how an actor’s job is to make the audience believe he is someone else. Even in the opening scene of the film, it’s as if a simple snap of the fingers and a motionless glare from Norton’s eyes has put our full attention on him throughout the rest of the film. We are constantly second guessing and left in a state of awe as if we are part of the illusion as well. In the beginning of the film, Norton uses his talents of voice and presence to establish credibility with his audiences. In the second half of the film, a troubled Eisenheim hinges on the emotions and expressions of Norton as his character becomes a man of few words and a mastermind of godlike power.
Also left in a state of awe is Chief Inspector Uhl. Since Paul Giamatti plays a man who is endlessly enthralled by Eisenheim’s powers, Norton and Giamatti are given many opportunities to play off their talents. As Uhl constantly uses his status to personally unlock the assumed secrets behind the illusions, Eisenheim remains distantly mysterious while only giving the slightest of clues. As it results, the banter between the two is humorously amusing. It’s the endless cat and mouse game that works like magic on the screen. Stuck in the middle is an equally talented Jessica Biel, whose somewhat immature roles of the past are erased by a sophisticated but tragic woman. Her role becomes less of the typical actress role, and more of a symbolic importance to the main themes of the film.
Visually, “The Illusionist” is designed to dazzle. Being set in early Vienna, viewers not only accept the magic behind Eisenheim’s endeavor, they get lost in it because of the simplicity of the setting. Within every scene, Burger creates an ordinary world and has his viewers anticipating each and every extraordinary feat. Darkly lit scenes ever so quietly resonate a mysterious and unsettling theme of death and the afterlife. When Eisenheim begins to bring back the spirits of the dead, it creates havoc for a certain political strategy.
In the end, film is all about creating an illusion. We see films to either escape reality or bask in its realism. We see films not only to be amazed, but to laugh and cry as well. A good film tricks us into believing the world it creates is actually real. Burger not only emphasizes these ideas, he extorts them with endless trickery. When it gets down to it, a film is either just a slight of hand, or a delicately crafted masterpiece.
The Illusionist
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and violence
Runtime: 110 min.
Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Beil and Rufus Sewell
Directed by Neil Burger
