When a dazzled audience watches a magician at work, the one question that goes through everyone's mind is, "How did he do that?" It's interesting such a question would be raised at all, considering most of us really don't want to know; we mentally examine the methodology behind the illusions, yet we understand that if the secrets are revealed, the greatness of the moment is lost. It's a good thing most professional magicians refuse to be so open; giving away an illusion's secret reduces entertainment to a mere technicality. The same can be said for movies, specifically movies about magic. The television ads for "The Illusionist" tell the viewers to not give away the film's secret. True to its word, it does have more than a couple of tricks up its sleeve. And much like a magic trick, each sequence builds on another until a rather elaborate twist ending is reached. At that point, the audience is completely wowed.
I say this in spite of the fact that it's not the most original of twist endings. The story is also a bit formulaic, relying on well-established characterizations and assumable outcomes for advancement. However, I found that I could look past these shortcomings; it's quite an entertaining film, effectively mixing mystery with a solid romance. There are also some very good performances, no small feat considering all three leads had to fake believable European accents. It was especially surprising in terms of Edward Norton; his role called for a suave, sophisticated demeanor, pretty much to the point of seeming emotionless. I initially had my doubts that he could pull it off. But as with many of his other roles, he's proven himself capable of rising to the occasion.
Based on Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist," the film's components are loosely like those of a fable. Fables are often basic, using shorter formats and simpler language as a way of conveying a moral to a wide audience. While "The Illusionist" has no moral, it does make use of tried and true storytelling methods to get its point across. We have the forbidden love between two classes of people and what they endure in an attempt to live happily ever after. We have the villain who will stop at nothing to keep the incurable lovebirds apart. We have the clever, handsome, enigmatic hero. We have the skeptical side characters. Most importantly, we have entertaining acts of illusion that deceive us just as much as they deceive the characters.
The plot in and of itself is constructed less like a fable and more like a mystery novel. Set in early twentieth century Vienna, the story centers on the mysterious stage magician Eisenheim (Edward Norton), a man whose grace and charm can bewitch an audience the moment he steps on stage. He was first introduced to magic as a teenager (played by Aaron Johnson). Back then, he was nothing more than the peasant son of a cabinet maker. Then one day, he meets a wandering magician sitting under a tree. From then on, he's a completely different person, devoting all his free time to perfecting the art and craft of magic tricks. And what a time to learn; his skills attract the attention of Sophie von Teschen (played as a teenager by Eleanor Tomlinson), a wealthy young girl of high social stature. As you can probably imagine, the inevitable romance is strictly forbidden. Ultimately, the two are forcefully separated. |
