...
The Plot
Eisenhiem was only a young boy when his first love was taken from him because of their different social classes. Eisenheim has a passion for magic, and years later he rediscovers his childhood sweetheart Sophie while he is touring only to find she is now engaged to Prince Leopold. ... Read review
The Illusionistoffers welcome proof that "arthouse" quality needn't be limited to the ... more
arthouses. Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, this stately, elegant period film benefited from a crossover release in mainstream cinemas, and showed considerable box-...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Illusionistoffers welcome proof that "arthouse" quality needn't be limited to the ... more
arthouses. Set in turn-of-the-century Vienna, this stately, elegant period film benefited from a crossover release in mainstream cinemas, and showed considerable box-...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Vienna, 1900: Eisenheim (Norton) is a brilliant stage magician, the greatest illusionist ... more
Vienna has ever seen. When his childhood friendship with Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Biel), now betrothed to the power-hungry Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell), is rek...
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Great script, actors etc. Disadvantages: Nout Much
...mesmerised.
The Plot
Eisenhiem was only a young boy when his first love was taken from him because of their different social classes. Eisenheim has a passion for magic, and years later he rediscovers his childhood sweetheart Sophie while he is touring only to find she is now engaged to Prince Leopold.
Leopold shows a dislike to Eisenhiem because of the fact he won't deflate his illusions and the chemistry ... ...Eisenhiem.
The Charecters
Edward Norton plays Eisenhiem, the young magician who is all about the trick of illusion. Ed Norton is a truly mesmerising actor. Each role he plays, he plays a completely different character. For those of you that have seen his work, I assume you know what I mean.
Jessica Biel plays Sophie. The Princess the Eisenhiem falls for when they are young and finds her years later. ... more
This film pretty much started my love for Edward Norton. I had never really heard of him as an actor before, never really paid much attention to his work, but after seeing him in this film and then American History X and couple of days later, I was mesmerised.
The Plot
Eisenhiem was only a young boy when his first love was taken from him because of their different social classes. Eisenheim has a passion for magic, and years later he rediscovers his childhood sweetheart Sophie while he is touring only to find she is now engaged to Prince Leopold.
Leopold shows a dislike to Eisenhiem because of the fact he won't deflate his illusions and the chemistry between Eisenhiem and Sophie. Prince Leopold gets Chief Inspector Uhl to handle Eisenhiem.
The Charecters
Edward Norton plays Eisenhiem, the young magician who is all about the trick of illusion. Ed Norton is a truly mesmerising actor. Each role he plays, he plays a completely different character. For those of you that have seen his work, I assume you know what I mean.
Jessica Biel plays Sophie. The Princess the Eisenhiem falls for when they are young and finds her years later. I was surprised at how good Biel was, I had seen her in other films and just found she was quite bland. I thought she would remind me of Johansson in The Prestige, but she really made you like her which added to the film.
Paul Giamatti plays a Inspector Uhl a very important part in the movie, he plays a man who is unsure of whom he serves. He's one of those actors that seems to be in everything, but you never remember his name. I think this film really defined what a great actor he is for me.
Rufus Sewell plays the Prince, pretty much plays the part he played in A Knights Tale again. Nothing different there but he's still a brilliant actor.
The Good
The film is just brilliant, it's full of twist and turns that will have you guessing. Unlike The Prestige, the film is very light. The magic seems a lot more believable and you do really believe that everything you see is an Illusion.
The basis of the story is boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy finds girl, but there's a problem etc etc, however the aspect of magic or I should say illusion in the film, just makes it that much better.
The film is adapted from a short story, so the dialogue is kept to a minimal. This is where the fantastic casting came in with Edward Norton; he's able to do more brilliant acting through his eyes than through his mouth. The film is full of mystery, the fact that it pretty much tells you that everything you see could be an illusion just makes you keep guessing everything.
The performances are just brilliant, you can't really expect any more from them.
The Bad
The twist is simple and the story line has been done hundreds of times before, but the magic/illusion side of things is what brings it out.
I think the film was kept back with the rating. I think if they had gone for a 12A the film would have excelled a lot more than it's competitor The Prestige, because of this however, it became quite a simple, light magic film which made it just that little bit inferior to The Prestige.
Should You Watch It
I would say yes, it's a great film, not very dark so you can defitneytly watch it with the kids, but still enjoy it yourself. If your looking for a light film about magic, this is for you, if your looking for a dark film about magic, choose The Prestige. Edward Norton's performance really sold this film for me, so if you're not a fan already, I'm sure you will be after this film.
Advantages: Strong performances, assured direction and writing. Disadvantages: The twist is fairly easy to spot.
The most brilliant and imaginative stage magician in Vienna is the enigmatic Eisenheim. When he renews a childhood friendship with Duchess Sophie, he finds himself subject to the unwelcome attentions of the vindictive Crown Prince Leopold, who would marry her to increase his power. Leopold orders the determined Inspector Uhl of the secret police to find out all he can about the illusionist, close down the theatre and make the magician vanish for ... ...Neil Burger’s second foray behind the camera, so assured is his direction. He has a distinct and accomplished visual style. He draws the viewer into the period of the film by adopting sepia-toned cinematography that chimes in with the recreation of early film footage that opens the film. It feels appropriate to the nineteenth-century period despite the heyday of cinema coming much later. He also uses the kind of iris fades you find in silent movies, ...
afy9mab 02.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Illusionist (DVD)
Advantages: Superb setting, plot line, acting, just incredibly enjoyable Disadvantages: That it is forever compared to The Prestige
...this film through comparisons to The Prestige, a film also about magic. Reviews I had read on this film made me think I was not going to enjoy it as much as I had enjoyed the Prestige, but I went into it hoping I would like it, and not having any preconceptions about how the film was going to be. So my partner and I sat down last night and watched the film, and we were more than pleasantly surprised by this gem of a movie!
The Illusionist is set ... ...is perfect within the film, but I will go into more detail about this later on in the review. The main character of the film is called Eisenheim The Illusionist, and it is the character the film is named after. Eisenheim is a highly talented Magician who performs seemingly impossible illusions to his audiences, and holds them captivated in his hands. When Eisenheim was a child, he befriended a young lady named Sophie, who was revealed to be a Duchess. ...
mummy2harry 17.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Illusionist (DVD)
Advantages: Compelling, brilliant set/props, good(ish) cast Disadvantages: Paul Giamatti could have been a bit better...
...else. I must mention that the crystal ball that Edward Norton is holding is nothing but a misguiding object. As no crystal ball actually appears in the film.
* * * * * * * * *
Long being a fan of mystery films, and a fan of Sherlock Holmes and the like, I've wanted to watch this film for awhile but never got the chance to, and tonight, finally, I had! And it was definitely worth the wait.
The award winning movie is loosely based on the short story ... ...by Neil Burger.
Setting the scene...(Synopsis)
-------------------------
It begins with Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) recalling the history of the life of Eisenheim the Illusionist (Edward Norton) for the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) after Eisenheim was arrested for summoning spirits (i think this is called Necromancy) / fraud. (to be honest, there wasn't a specific reason that Uhl stated on stage when attempting to arrest him).
...
daftks 29.08.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Illusionist (DVD)
Advantages: exceptional cinematography, super acting from Giamatti and Sewell Disadvantages: the story doesn't quite hold up
The Illusionist is an enchanting film (no pun intended), a gorgeous period piece with some incredibly enjoyable acting. It is loosely based on a short story called "Eisenheim the Illusionist" by Stephen Millhauser. I saw it several times in December on various long-haul flights, and now it's out in the UK so I can finally watch it on a big screen, although I'd rather watch it on a small screen in a quiet cinema. In a way it's quite an old-fashioned ... ...because the film relies heavily on the characters and storytelling. It's come in from some snotty remarks from critics, particularly about the 'guessable' storyline, but I absolutely adored it - it isn't perfect, but it is beautiful to watch. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------
The Story
The story is set in late nineteenth century Vienna, and begins in media res with Inspector ...
natalka57 02.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Illusionist (DVD)
Advantages: Interesting story, captures the era in which it is set Disadvantages: Slow paced, drawn out in places
I was tricked into watching The Illusionist, if you pardon the pun. A friend had recently acquired it on DVD and I had been subjected to his enthusiastic raves regarding how good this film was. As someone who is not particularly up to speed on films I hadn't actually heard anything about this film before, but I agreed to borrow it and last night I finally got the chance to sit down and watch it.
The film is set in Vienna during the 19th century ... ...the name of Eisenheim. During the opening scene of the film we see Eisenheim on a theatre stage, in an almost trance like state. Suddenly there is chaos and dozens of policemen storm the stage, uttering the words; "Eisenheim, we are arresting you for outraging public decency". This opening scene is actually a snippet from the latter part of the film as from here the story flashes back to Eisenhower's childhood. These opening shots were however enough ...
micksheff 18.01.2008 (19.01.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Illusionist (DVD)
Contains infrequent moderate violence, mild sex and language
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Plot
In 1900 Vienna, a magician named Eisenheim the Illusionist is mystifying audiences with his sleight of hand. However, not everyone is so impressed by his act, namely the Crown Prince Leopold, who feels threatened by Eisenheim’s remarkable prowess. A battle of wills ensues, leading to deception and murder.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
MOMENTUM PICTURES; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, MOMENTUM PICTURES
Release date
09/07/2007, 25/06/2007
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
MP 715D
Barcode
5060116722000
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Director's commentary, Making of The Illusionist, Easter egg
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
With opulent presentation and confident storytelling, The Illusionist has the power to keep an audience rapt like a good old-fashioned card trick (Empire, 30/04/2007)
What THE ILLUSIONIST does well is create a compelling atmosphere, abetted by Dick Pope's nicely judged cinematography (Sight And Sound, 23/04/2007)
Edward Norton brings pensive intensity to the role (Total Film, 23/04/2007)
Wonderfully staged, with Norton on fine form as the weirdly charismatic Eisenheim and Giamatti as the perfect foil (Uncut, 23/04/2007)
DVD Description
In 1900 Vienna, a magician named Eisenheim the Illusionist is mystifying audiences with a remarkable magic act that is seemingly too good to believe. Chief Inspector Uhl, who is in the pocket of Crown Prince Leopold--and considers himself somewhat of an amateur conjurer--becomes obsessed with Eisenheim; Uhl is not only desperate to find out the secrets behind Eisenheim's tricks but also worried that the master magician might pose a threat to the crown prince's nefarious plans. In addition, Eisenheim is quickly growing close to Duchess Sophie von Teschen, his childhood love, who is engaged to Leopold. As Eisenheim's act becomes even more amazing--including apparently raising the spirits of the dead--he enrages the crown prince even further, leading to deception and murder. Edward Norton (FIGHT CLUB), who studied magic with Ricky Jay (THE SPANISH PRISONER) in preparing for the role, is terrific as Eisenheim, an enigmatic showman hiding a dark side. The excellent supporting cast features fine performances by Rufus Sewell (A KNIGHT'S TALE) as the evil, conniving Leopold; Jessica Biel (7TH HEAVEN) as the beautiful Sophie; and Paul Giamatti (SIDEWAYS) as the perceptive but bumbling Uhl. Written and directed by Neil Burger (INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSASSIN), THE ILLUSIONIST, which is based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize-winner Steven Millhauser, is a complex tale filled with mystery and awe. The compelling score was composed by minimalist musician Philip Glass and conducted by Michael Reisman.
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