classicalsteve In the wake of the Enlightenment of the late 17th and 18th centuries, the 19th century saw a rise in interest in the occult, mysticism and magic. Séance ceremonies, fortune-telling, occult literature, and magic acts became widespread in popularity, and much of this interest in matters supernatural and the inexplicable have survived into the 21st century. However, from circa 1845 until the death of Houdini in 1926, magic and illusion were some of the most popular theatrical acts in Europe and America. (Previously performing magicians were often among traveling shows, and today only a handful of magic performers have national and international fame.) "The Illusionist", starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel, is a throw-back to the 19th century's obsession with mysticism and magic.Edward Norton, in a compelling atypical performance, plays Eduard Abramovich, an Austrian provincial, who has made a name for himself as Eisenheim the Illusionist. The film begins in 1889 with the last of a series of controversial theatrical illusions in which apparitions of dead people appear on stage at Eisenbeim's bidding and speak to the audience. Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Giamatti) stops the performance and arrests the illusionist on the grounds of disturbing the peace. He was sent to arrest both Eisenheim and the performances by Crown Prince Leopold of Austria (Rufus Sewell). Giamatti then meets with Prince Leopold later the same evening and recounts the story of Eduard Abramovich and his rise from lowly peasant to magic superstar who has a following similar to Harry Houdini.Most of the film is a flash-back from a young Abramovich meeting an elderly magician and then befriending a girl betrothed to the crown prince, Duchess Sophie von Teschen. The two are caught spending time together, and are separated not only because of class but because the duchess is already promised to the crown prince. Fast-forward 15 years, and Abramovich, now known as Eisenheim, is wowing audiences with incredible tricks. The crown prince and duchess, intrigued with rumors about the magician, attend one of his performances, and the duchess is selected to participate in one of the spectacles.Intrigued, the crown prince invites the magician for a private performance. Then Eisenheim inadvertently humiliates the crown prince in a trick involving the prince's sword, and the love between the duchess and the performer is rekindled. Sensing the magician is not only challenging his political power in the eyes of his subjects but may have designs on his fiancé, the crown prince orders the arrest of Eisenheim. His lust for power and control ends in an unexpected fatality.This is just a really entertaining movie, somewhat similar to fantasies in the earliest days of Hollywood entertainment. Transitions between scenes sometimes use the old-style kaleidoscopic/tunnel wipes often associated with silent movies. Certainly, Norton's character is the center of attention, but equally good are the supporting characters played by Giamatti, Biel, and Sewell. Giamatti does a fine job of straddling between the inspector of Vienna pledged to uphold the law while doing the bidding of the power-hungry crown prince. Biel is convincing as the duchess not quite enamored with the power of Austrian royalty. I also thought Sewell's performance was superb as the crown prince who seems at first very sure of his existing political power but then finds himself gradually losing its grip. A nice twist at the end makes for a very satisfying cinematic experience. Maybe not quite "The Prestige", one of the best films on a similar subject, "The Illusionist" still uphold very well on its own.

William Reid There was a period (2006) when there were a lot of movies about magicians (okay two). 'The Illusionist' was one of them. At the time I figured, 'you've seen one...' and you know the rest. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I watched it the other night. A great cast of interesting characters that draw you into a story that otherwise is the standard fare. The movies tries to deliver on two levels: as a romance and a 'bro'mance - which left me wanting a little more of both frankly. The plot carries enough intrigue that you'll want to know what happens at the end but it's less impressive then the movie deserves. Stand out performances from the major players make this worth watching.

sharky_55 Why are the two leads of The Illusionist, Eisenheim and Sophie, so drawn to each other throughout their lives? We are apparently shown in a long flashback sequence. Anyone would recognise this as a flashback even without the words - the softening bloom of the edges, the saturation of the yellows, the slight vignette effect, the ornate shallow focus. This is all very pretty, but it doesn't shed much light on their relationship, other then the fact that it is the classic rich girl drawn to the street tramp and his tricks. And later in the painfully slow, clichéd and draw out love scene, they silently stare into each other's eyes, and the camera keeps it all nice and PG, presenting only vague spots of skin in the flickering candlelight. Perhaps they are silent because after years apart they still have nothing to say. The film gives no indication of any kind that would justify the pair being the soul-mates they are; their characterisation is lazily empty (as are their atrociously inept accents, a result of the unnecessary decision to set the film in some vague, anachronistic period). But of course this type of film is not about the characters - it holds the same tension and mystery as a heist, or a detective story. It relies the audience, similar to the one at Eisenheim's magic shows, to not think too hard or pay complete attention...to be distracted by the obvious distractions that the magician holds up, or in this case, the director. There are a few clever moments; one is when Eisenheim greets Sophie after years apart with the conventional magician's test that proves she is not one of his plants, but in the case the words are laced with heartbreak and regret. But of course we are not made to care and hope for these two - the flashback has already established that they will be together by the end of the film (because no script would ever tear a pair apart like that and have them simply never see each other again), so where is the tension? At the end, Uhl pulls together all the pieces in our minds, and this is where usually we have our fingers ready at the pause button, to map all the subtle clues and eagerly flick back through the film to spot them. But this film doesn't even grant us that little joy. It shows us flickers of events we have not previously seen, and congratulates itself on being so clever for revealing something that was inevitable. We see the same problem with the main villain, Leopold. He comes with evil twirling moustache and all and as always, is completely convinced that his actions are necessary and for the greater good. This would actually mean something if we saw anything of this world besides a few peasant audiences, beggar boys and faceless policemen. They haven't even cast the Emperor, so who cares about a baddie trying to overthrow him?

SnoopyStyle It's late 19th century Vienna. Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Paul Giamatti) is arresting illusionist Eisenheim (Edward Norton) for Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Uhl recounts Eisenheim's life story to the Prince. Young poor Eisenheim was in love with high born Duchess Sophie but they were separated by force. He wanders the world learning illusions and returns to find Sophie (Jessica Biel) engaged to arrogant Prince Leopold. The prince dislikes Eisenheim and is also scheming to overthrow his father, King Leopold of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.The film looks beautiful with great looking sets. The acting is generally good. Giamatti is playing a conflicted character. Biel is better than her usual self. Norton is a compelling lead. Sewell is suitably villainy. I like this film although I would like a bit more intensity. There is mostly a brooding tension. Also the final twist is not surprising but it is fitting.