What do you get when you combine romance, magic, a murder mystery with a supernatural element, and a dash of turn-of-the-century Austrian politics? Toss in Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell and Jessica Biel, and you have Neil Burger's fanciful tale The Illusionist, based on a short story called Eisenheim the Illusionist by Steven Millhauser. The film is about two young lovers of differing social rank, whose youthful romance is torn asunder by the constraints of class and duty, leaving young Sophie with nothing but a fond memory of the love of her youth and a remarkable locket with a secret.

Years later, Sophie's childhood friend and first love has grown to be Eisenheim the Illusionist (Edward Norton), a handsome, darkly brooding young man not unlike the kind of young men one can find sitting around internet cafes today: Nattily dressed in black, doodling in sketch books or writing frantically in poetry journals; serious, intellectual young men, with an air of tragedy or loss (or perhaps just chronic depression) hovering around them like an impenetrable cloud. Eisenheim is a late 19th century version of the ever-romantic brooding artist figure, and Norton seems to feel at home in the "glowering moodily-from-under-the-brows" look. Eisenheim interacts with others primarily through the magical illusions he performs on stage, keeping himself an arm's length from humanity. One of these illusions, "The Orange Tree," in which the illusionist seemingly grows an orange tree in a pot from a seed right before the audiences's eyes, captures the fancy of Vienna's Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti).

Eisenheim has come to Vienna as a part of his tour; he sets up shop there, as he would in any other town. But Vienna is the territory of Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a man of science who longs to bring logic and reason to his people. Crown Prince Leopold is convinced he can outsmart this upstart of an illusionist, and sets out to do so. Eisenheim, for his part, is not willing to be upstaged by a crown prince, even if it means putting himself at personal risk as he politely withstands the prince's passively hostile intellectual queries. When Eisenheim realizes that the Duchess Sophie (Jessica Biel), the prince's soon-to-be fiancee, is his own long-lost love -- and she figures out who he is -- you just know trouble is bubbling beneath the surface.

The Crown Prince fancies himself something of a lady's man -- at least in the sense that he thinks he has the right to abuse and control the ladies in his presence -- and he is not about to let go of the beautiful young duchess. Leopold orders Chief Inspector Uhl, a man of lower social class who aspires to the higher realms, to tail Eisenheim and determine how Eisenheim performs his illusions, so that the prince can discredit the man as a magician. It never seriously occurs to him that Sophie would prefer a magician to a prince, he merely wishes to put this little nothing in his place. When Sophie turns up dead after refusing the Crown Prince, though, Eisenheim turns the tables on Inspector Uhl, pressuring him to find the evidence that will label the Crown Prince a murderer. Uhl must choose between his own aspirations to rise in power, and his gut feeling that the illusionist, whom he has come increasingly to admire, is right.

The Illusionist is a fairy tale at heart, taking a story essentially about class politics and science versus spiritualism, and rendering it interesting to the audience through the appeal of its romance -- and there's nothing more romantic than star-crossed lovers, especially those kept apart by class boundaries. We love to believe in the power of love to usurp social status and duty, and Eisenheim and Sophie are appealing and idyllic characters that we can wrap our minds and hearts around. Burger shoots the film with a softness that lends to the fantasy-feel of his story. Every element of the visual design and editing reminds us that we are essentially within the pages of a fairy tale; this is smart on Burger's part, because it allows us to willingly suspend our disbelief, which is paramount to this tale. We need to believe, as Eisenheim's audience does, that his illusions are very real, because it is this magic that drives the entire second act of the film. We need to believe that the power of love is strong enough to reach beyond the grave, and that one passionate man, deeply devoted to his lost love, might just have enough passion to cross the boundaries between life and death.

While the design elements certainly help achieve this, it is the actors themselves who bring the characters to life. Norton, as Eisenheim, turns in perhaps his best performance since American History X as the brooding, lovelorn magician. Norton brings to Eisenheim a crackling intensity, especially in the scenes when he is matching wits against the equally intelligent Crown Prince. He is a charismatic actor, with an uncanny ability to almost hypnotize through the screen, a skill he uses to good effect here in playing a man who makes his living manipulating reality.Giamatti, playing against type as the troubled inspector, brings all the potency to his role that we've come to expect from the powerhouse actor of the moment. His Uhl is a conflicted man: He admires Eisenheim, yet must bring him down for the sake of his job and a desired promotion; he seeks to elevate himself in a society heavily rooted in class distinction, yet loathes the moral compromises he must make in order to do so.

Every fairy tale needs a villain. Thankfully, Sewell makes Crown Prince Leopold a multi-dimensional character; the facets of Leopold's personality often contradict each other. This is a man who believes passionately in the intellect and in science, who wants to see an end to his people believing in magic, illusions, or spirituality. Perhaps he understands on some level that the people believe in Eisenheim's magic because it takes them outside their lackaday lives to a world where anything can happen; perhaps he simply thinks them gullible fools and wants to enlighten them with reason. Whatever his motivation, Leopold clearly believes strongly in the power of reason and rationality to the extent that he will destroy anything that contradicts his views. In spite of his intellectual abilities, on a personal level Leopold is something of a misanthrope; he gives little indication that he sees other people as anything other than pawns to be manipulated. Particularly, Leopold's attitude toward women bespeaks an underlying contempt for the fairer sex; the more drawn Sophie is to Eisenheim, the more Leopold seeks to own her and control her. One has the sense, as well, that his intellectual sensibilities are somewhat wounded by Sophie's attraction to this traveling magician, a man clearly beneath a crown prince on the social ladder, in spite of Eisenheim's snappy attire and impeccable manners.

Biel isn't given a great deal to do here, besides look luminously lovely, which she does very well. Minimal makeup and period costumes suit the lovely actress, and it's easy to believe that both these intellectual men are drawn to her beauty. Nonetheless, I would have liked to have seen the character of Sophie display more intellectual spark and passion; too often in the film, events happen to her, at the hands of either Eisenheim, the Crown Prince, or other people in control of her life. She does ultimately display some spunk, but never really drives the plot. Perhaps that too, though, is part of the illusion Burger creates for the story. Leopold is so convinced of his own superiority that he would never believe a woman capable of betraying and deceiving him; his ego is far too great to accept that he might be usurped by anyone, much less a woman or a roadshow illusionist.

There is a certain allure to a tale about magic that draws people into it, and Burger certainly creates here a tale intriguing enough to draw in most viewers. Eisenheim's illusions are fascinating, and Norton so completely becomes his character that it's easy to forget, while watching, that you're watching an actor playing the part of an illusionist -- essentially, an illusion within an illusion. Like a fun house mirror, Burger's story is never quite what you think it is; just when you think you have things figured out, you don't, and the story has a nifty twist that will probably surprise most, at least in how it is executed. The Illusionist sweeps us into its world, where we are left to figure out what is real and what isn't; ultimately our own belief in magic and love will shape what we take from the film. Those who enjoy seeking out the whys and wherefores will be intrigued by both the illusions and the mystery of the Sophie's death; those who lean toward a fanciful view of the world will be entranced by the tale's tragic romance and its melancholy hero.

The Illusionist
PG-13
Washington Square News
http://www.nyunews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/08/22/44eb2b242d4fc
by Simon Abrams
Staff Writer

August 22, 2006
Neil Burger’s sophomore outing is not high art. Like the magic act of its main character, the story dabbles in themes that are far beyond its station. Only briefly touching upon the suicide of the Crown Prince of Vienna to the politics behind it, “Illusionist” never loses sight of what it is: high entertainment. Though very easy on the eye, the film is populated by comic book characters in an equally melodramatic tale of fantasy, forbidden love and murder most foul. A delicate house of cards, “Illusionist” fittingly transcends its stock plot only because of its performers, leaving Burger the challenge of keeping up with the talented Ed Norton and Paul Giamatti.

Set in the early 1900s, Norton plays Eisenheim, a magician whose story is told in large part by Inspector Uhl (Giamatti) after Eisenheim’s arrest. As a boy, Eisenheim shared a forbidden love with Duchess Von Taschen (Jessica Biel), but his dreams of being with Von Taschen are quashed by the fact that he is a peasant and she an aristocrat.

Influenced by an encounter with a wandering magician, Eisenheim travels around with world for 15 years, returning to Vienna with a seemingly bottomless bag of tricks. Attracting the attention of the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), Eisenheim’s act draws the Duchess to him and despite her engagement to the Prince the childhood sweethearts’ romance almost instantly rekindles.

From here the story become a tedious match of wits between Eisenheim and the jilted Prince with Inspector Uhl running interference between the two. A commoner like Eisenheim, Uhl carries out the Prince’s orders in hopes that once the Prince overthrows the Emperor that he will remember his friends. Luckily the triumvirate of male leads elevates the otherwise routine plot to an entrancing level. Continuing to show their established reputations as two of the finest character actors, Norton and Giamatti are unmistakably the best part of the film. Sewell is however the most remarkable of the three, maintaining a quiet air of menace about him that is shattered by the occasional explosion of emotion. Hopefully the role of the Prince will be a springboard for larger parts, as Sewell has been stuck performing too many memorable, but minor characters such as John Murdoch (“Dark City”) or Count Adhemar (“A Knight’s Tale.”) After a not-so-unexpected death leaves blood on the hands of the Prince, Eisenheim begins to resurrect the spirits of the dead in an attempt to unveil the Prince’s crime. Switching over to Uhl’s point of view, the plot thankfully thickens but not enough to add sufficient depth to the characters. Like the protagonist of Burger’s first film, “Interview with the Assassin,” Uhl embarks on a quest to discover how real Eisenheim’s claims to power are. “Assassin,” the story of an out-of-luck journalist that stumbles upon the man who killed JFK, similarly unveils some of its characters’ secrets while making others a matter of opinion. Belief and reality are after all two different things, but in such a slight fairy tale/period piece, one false step is fatal.

Burger has nothing up his sleeve because of his blind faith in the audience’s desire for a happy ending. Love conquers all in Burger’s book, and what’s a bigger illusion than love? The final twist and the way that it unfolds completely undermine what Burger spent so long establishing. If Eisenheim is only an illusionist, and nothing he does is real, then what’s so great about magic? I can’t honestly say I know the answer, but for a while not knowing the question was the best illusion of all.

The power of illusion: A review of The Illusionist
8 out of 10

San Diego City Beat
http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=1107&atype=Film
By Anders Wright
August 23, 2006

Goes Well With: The Usual Suspects, The Sting, Houdini

David Blaine has nothing on Eisenheim the Illusionist, the character played by Edward Norton in Neil Burger’s adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winner Steven Milhauser’s short story. Set in Vienna at the turn of the 19th century, The Illusionist is a visual treat, offering up terrifically conflicted roles for both Norton and Paul Giamatti, whose Chief Inspector Uhl is caught between his duty to his ambitious employer, the Prince (Rufus Sewell), and his sense of right and wrong. Eisenheim has the power of illusion at his disposal—not to mention the power of CGI—and his performances dazzle the Austrians, nobles and commoners alike, giving them courage to speak out against their leaders once Eisenheim runs afoul of royalty.

Although Norton plays Eisenheim with a detached, humorless air, it’s great to see the talented actor continuing to seek out and promote interesting projects. His character may not be having a great deal of fun, but he commands the screen, while Jessica Biel does some of her best work yet as Eisenheim’s childhood sweetheart. But though Norton is the star of the show, the heart and soul of it is Giamatti, who brings warmth and humor to what could be a very overlooked and unrefined role, and who, in his dual roles of cop and amateur illusionist, is trying to work out the film’s mystery along with the audience. Rufus Sewell’s dark eyes have forever made him a villain, but here he delivers a dark and menacing performance that is equally intelligent and logical. He would not seem an easy mark, but he makes the mistake of asking the magician to reveal his secrets.

Above all, The Illusionist is a complex movie, a romantic thriller period-piece for grown-ups, with an ending that twists in ways that you may think you see coming—or perhaps it’s just sleight of hand. Just remember, the lead is a magician, and not everything you see is to be believed.

8/23/06

Eisenheim the Magician

http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-22-voa69.cfm
By Penelope Poulou
Washington, D.C.

22 August 2006
   
Eisenheim is more than just a magician in a new movie that recreates Vienna of 100 years ago. Eisenheim is a magician who captivates the nobles and high society of Vienna. The theater manager announces to his audience, "From the furthest corners of the world where the dark arts still hold sway, I present to you a man that has unlocked these mysteries. Tonight, ….I give you Eisenheim!!!"

Eisenheim is a mind-bending magician who takes early 20th-century Vienna by storm.

Prince Leopold is the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. He not only questions Eisenheim's gifts. He also is threatened by the magician's growing fame. Rufus Sewell plays the role of Prince Leopold. 
"Eisenheim, as far as he's concerned, represents everything that is old-fashioned and wrong about the way his countrymen think," says actor Rufus Sewell who interprets the authoritarian Prince Leopold. "And as Eisenheim gets more and more popular, he sees him striking a chord with the country and the more a chord that strikes with the country, the further he [Leopold] becomes from actually gaining power."

The growing antagonism between the two men transcends politics. Both are fiercely intelligent and charismatic. They vie for the same woman -- Leopold through rank and social status, Eisenheim out of love.

Eisenheim, played by Ed Norton, competes with the Prince for the love of Duchess Sophie von Teschen.
She is Duchess Sophie von Teschen, played by actress Jessica Biel. "Sophie and Eisenheim were childhood friends. Then we get separated, and we don't see each other for a long time. And when you see me again in the film for the first time, we're just kind of getting to know each other again. Seeing each other for the first time in ten years or so."

With her classic beauty, intricate costumes, and memorable performance, Jessica Biel is transformed into a larger-than-life Hungarian aristocrat.

But the film's driving forces are actors Ed Norton and Paul Giamatti. Norton is commanding in his role as the enigmatic magician. Giamatti interprets police inspector Uhl, a clever and wiry man torn between his allegiance to Prince Leopold and his fascination with the gifted illusionist.

"The effect he has on most people in this kind of fascistic world is that he kind of frees them up,” says Giamatti. “There is something about him that sparks these people's imaginations and for that reason is threatening to the people in power. Something about that makes my character sympathetic to him."

"Eisenheim, I don't want to arrest you,” says the inspector. “I am a cynical man, God knows. But, If your manifestations are somehow real, and even I am willing to admit that you are a very special person, and if it's a trick, then it's equally impressive. Either way, you have a gift. So, don't make me put you in jail. Promise me you won't do it again."

Eisenheim replies, "I promise you will enjoy this next show."

This is a luxurious period film, complete with genuine turn-of-the-century illusions and a captivating soundtrack. Director Neil Berger offers a rich visual experience without losing sight of the riveting plot and complex characters. Add to that the movie's unexpected twists and you have sheer magic.
Thanks, Nadine and Rai!