RUTHERFORD ON FILM: ‘The Illusionist’: A Turn of the 20th Century Shakepeare or Sherlock with Fascinating Story
By Tony RutherfordHuntington News Network Critic
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Borrowing a style not unlike Shakespeare or Sherlock Holmes, "The Illusionist" wraps a bit of "Romeo & Juliet" and "Hamlet" with a chief inspector probing for the truth. The film tips into an arena from which Hollywood has recoiled -- Originality.
At the turn of the 20th Century in Vienna, a young Eisenheim meets a beautiful girl enchanted by his interest in magic. However, the childhood friends are separated -- she is an aristocrat with ties to royalty; he a lowly peasant. Although they continue meeting in secret, palace authorities discover the two as both vow unending love.
Eisenheim (Edward Norton) travels to the Orient in search of greater magic, while Sophie (Jessica Biel) is groomed to marry the crown prince.
During a theatrical tour in which Eisenheim awes audiences with David Copperfield styled tricks, the two meet by chance when she volunteers to assist in one of the illusions. After a couple of would-be discreet rendezvous, they find themselves tripping on the status barrier for their love connection.
Through 'forbidden love' has been thematically explored in many forms, "The Illusionist" takes a crafty, cerebral approach to overcoming obstacles. The puzzles fall into place like a carefully orchestrated dance. From a small theatre, the magician also turns 'entertainment' into thought provoking political commentary. Since it is set at the turn of the 20th Century, the audience starts doubting the upright intentions of the regime, as Eisenheim literally plants seeds of individual thought in the form of his tricks.
(No 24/7 news so theatrical performances, public gatherings and tavern discussions were the ways in which news and public opinions were spread. )
The Prince, meanwhile, envies the performer's popularity, so much that he obsesses about the magician's secrets. Seeing his own approval ratings as in real or imagined opposition to the prince's plans, the sleights of hand lift the veil of life and death as the skillfully mounted mind games strain the mind of a police inspector all the while allowing moviegoers enjoy the "how did he do it" mysticism.
Director Neil (“Interview with the Assassin”) Burger displays masterful skill in depicting the tie-up-loose-ends conclusion with a sequence of fast flashbacks within the already sepia toned photography. To avoid a spoiler, I'll simply say that everyone anticipates a "trick," but you likely will enjoy the deftness of its revelation.
Unlike many films, "The Illusionist,” adapted from Steven Millhauser's short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist,’ has a well developed, multilayered story in which the actors and scenario take first place, rather than gimmicks or gadgetry