Truth and illusion
Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on a movie marvel — a small-budget,
big-talent romantic thriller where all the tricks are real
PETER HOWELL
MOVIE CRITIC

The hand is faster than the eye in The Illusionist, just as you’d expect in a movie about conjuring.

But it’s also mightier than the computer, and that’s the real magic here.

This terrific romantic thriller, set in 1900 Vienna, is an outstanding example of frugality in the service of art. Writer/director Neil Burger wanted the sleight-of-hand practised by Edward Norton’s title character to look true to the period, without the assistance of silicon chips.

Norton was thus obliged to learn and master the points of prestidigitation, with master magician Ricky Jay showing him the ropes.

Such attention to detail is all over The Illusionist, which also boasts a remarkable cast (are you ready for Paul Giamatti as a villain?), a stirring score by Philip Glass and a sepia-tinted colour scheme that gives the picture a classical sheen.

It looks like a Hollywood studio film costing $100 million or more, and let’s hope that Hollywood remembers it when awards time comes around. Yet Burger says he made this Sundance sensation for less than $16 million (U.S.), by shooting it in low-cost Prague over 46 days. It’s only Burger’s second feature — he has also done commercials for MTV, MasterCard, IBM and Amnesty International — but clearly he’s a filmmaker to watch.

The Illusionist comes as a balm in a summer of overpriced blockbusters where the PCs and Macs have had bigger starring roles than the human talent. It’s a welcome indication that “indie” no longer has to be considered synonymous with “amateurish,” as has so often been the case.

Norton is Eisenheim the Illusionist, a mysterious gent blessed with uncanny powers that seem beyond the ken of mere mortals, especially for the son of a humble cabinetmaker.

He has been dazzling 1900 Vienna with feats of magic so astounding, they have attracted the attention of Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), the scheming heir to the Austrian throne.

Leopold distrusts Eisenheim, all the more so because the prince’s fiancée, Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel), seems enchanted with the artist for more than just his stagecraft.

“He tries to trick you,” Leopold scolds. “I try to enlighten you. Which one is the more noble pursuit?”

And yet Leopold is himself so mesmerized by Eisenheim, he insists that Sophie participate on stage in one of the conjurer’s tricks. Looks shared between Eisenheim and Sophie — along with a flashback that reveals a previous encounter between the two — suggest that the prince’s jealousy is not unfounded.

Leopold also fears that Eisenheim might be on the verge of starting a people’s revolution, which could threaten the authority of the crown. The magic man is rapidly becoming a folk hero.

The prince conscripts his shifty head of police, Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti), to find out what Eisenheim is really up to.

Leopold may be justified in his suspicions, but all other assumptions about this movie are upended by Burger’s clever screenplay, which he adapted from the short story Eisenheim the Illusionist by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser.

You may want to see the movie twice just to figure out the final reel.

Biel looks smashing in her various gowns, far removed from the bikinis and bimbo wear that have become her designer statement recently. Norton excels in a role that makes good use of his intense focus and air of mystery and Sewell makes for an effective and regal nemesis.

The real scene-grabber, though, is Giamatti, who normally plays the nerd. He invests Uhl with a good deal of sinister charm, and a hint that like the movie, there’s more here than meets the eye.

When a frustrated Eisenheim asks of the relentless Uhl, “Are you completely corrupt?” Uhl replies, “Not completely, no.”

It’s a tribute to the work of Burger, his crew and his cast that even when The Illusionist strains credulity, as it does in the second half when ghosts appear with Shakespearean fervour, we can easily and
willingly go along for the mystery trip. No computer could ever con us so well.

The Illusionist
Starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel and Rufus Sewell. Written and directed by Neil Burger. 104 minutes. 3 1/2 stars out of 4. PG

© Copyright 2006
Torstar Syndication Services