Not as It Seems - The Illusionist

Taking a break from foreign films for a moment, I saw The Illusionist this past weekend. It boasts a stellar cast - Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, and Rufus Sewell. Based on the short story by Steven Millhauser, it is a story of Eisenheim (Ed Norton) and Sophie (Jessica Biel), once childhood sweethearts, who were separated by the late 19th/early 20th century class differences -- he was the son of a furniture maker, and she of aristocracy. Fifteen years later, they meet by chance, as he becomes a magician, and she ends up being a volunteer for one of his stage tricks. Sophie is currently engaged to the Crown Prince Leopold (rufus Sewell), who is plotting to ascend to Emperor of Austria. Leopold is not a good man, as he is known for his short temper and his backhand swing. Paul Giamatti plays Chief Inspector Uhl, who is at first intrigued by Eisenheim's trickery, then later has to investigate him for suspician of having an affair with the Duchess Sophie. And he is. There is a tense scene as the Prince invites Eisenheim for a private show with members of the aristocracy, and then tries to undermine him by pointing out his tricks, which he fails. Uhl, under Prince Leopold's command, shuts down the magic show. Sophie, no longer wanting to marry the Prince, tells him that she is leaving, and is apparently killed while trying to leave the palace. Her body is found floating in the river by Eisenheim. Uhl leads an investigation where he is forced by the Prince to come up with a suspect, and a random man is found, tried and convicted. Uhl had growing inease about his position in relation to the Prince, as he suspects him of murder. Eisenheim buys an abandoned building and starts another show, a seance where he conjures images of ghosts and dead people, leaving the audience to fill in the details. This brings about a wave of religious fervor in the country, a confirmation of the afterlife. The Prince sees this as a political threat, and Uhl is ordered to shut him down once and for all. But Uhl is outwitted at every turn. Even when Eisenheim is arrested for his actions, he goes to the screaming mob outside the police station and explains that it was all a hoax, and that he was just an entertainer, not a conjurer. He is released. But when he conjured Sophie from the dead, the Prince takes action, and has Uhl and everyone in the theater arrested. But upon apprehension, Eisenheim proves to be a ghost as well, and vanished. Uhl on the side has been investigating Sophie's murder further, and finds more evidence that points to the Prince. He confronts him, and has told him that he has sent his findings to the Emperor, and that his bid for rule is over. As the Emperor's troops descend on the palace, Leopold kills himself. Uhl puts all the pieces together as he finds Eisenheim in disguise leaving by train. Sophie is alive and waiting for him in the country, and then they live happily ever after. Until WOrld War One begins......

This was a decent movie until the end. The visuals referred to the old European camerawork of the German Expressionist filmmakers of the 1920's; there were a lot of old style sweeps and fade outs throughout. The colors were deliberately washed out -- a Photoshop effect? -- giving a real Old World feel. The acting by everyone was good, however, the Viennese accents by Norton and Giamatti seemed forced. Doesn't really matter. Biel is lovely to look at, and has several fine moments, especially when confronting the Crown Prince, but literally disappears and is not seen till the final moments of the film. The effects for the magic tricks - none of which are explained -- are eerie and well done. You do get a feeling that Eisenheim at some point in his life made a pact with someone who gave him supernatural powers. His role as the outsider in relationship to the Austrian aristocracy provide much of the tension of the film. But Eisenheim's plot for revenge against the Crown Prince is too obvious, and spoils the movie. Giamatti's realization of what went on at the end of the film is contrived and convenient, especially since he spends most of the movie in the dark or trying to do his job. And it undermines the film by revealing the one magic trick of what Eisenheim did to fool everyone. Silly.