The Illusionist

Last fall two seemingly similar movies came out around the same time and this fine film was overshadowed by the other, The Prestige, but since I haven’t seen that one yet I won’t opine on whether the reaction was justified. Certainly The Illusionist is a good, enjoyable entertainment, a creative success for writer/director Neil Burger in his first major studio production.

Edward (Edward Norton) and Sophie (Jessica Biel) are childhood friends and then sweethearts in fin de siecle Austria but since she’s a grand duchess and he the cabinetmaker’s son their elders force them apart. He takes off for parts unknown, travelling the world and learning magic, and she grows up to be the fiancee of Crown Prince Leopold, heir to the Austrian Empire’s throne, played by Rufus Sewell. Edward, having adopted the stagename Eisenheim the Illusionist, returns to Vienna and draws the cream of society to his performances.

Including the Crown Prince, who volunteers his fiancee when Eisenheim requests one from the audience. Unimpressed with the magic Leopold has the entertainer come to the palace so he can be shown up as a simple trickster. If the illusions could be so easily debunked the movie would immediately fall apart, so they can’t. Further, Eisenheim has recognized Sophie and still loves her; though she doesn’t recognize him he arranges to tell her. Letting us know Sophie’s passion also still burns, she has always worn a small charm he made for her as a teen.

Berger’s script reaches the ending one more or less expects, especially from a big budget studio movie, but the path is not at all direct and the illusions he conjures for Eisenheim to perform are outstanding. Further the magician’s travels seem to have taught him that no man has a right to command another simply because of birth, a sentiment not as widely held in the first years of the last century as now, and therefore he won’t restrain his affections just because his rival is a prince.

Enjoyable, intense, creative.

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