Review: The Illusionist
Sad and beautiful, that's The Illusionist in a nutshell. This animated movie is not geared toward small children -- it's from the same filmmaker who brought us The Triplets of Belleville, Sylvain Chomet. But where his previous film was riotous and joyful and just plain insane at times, The Illusionist is quieter, more structured and not afraid to venture into melodrama. It may not be upbeat, but that doesn't mean it was disappointing, at all.
The Illusionist originates from a script by the late French actor/filmmaker Jacques Tati. If you've seen The Triplets of Belleville, you know Chomet is a big fan of Tati -- there are a few Tati references sprinkled throughout the film, and the humor matches some of Tati's more chaotic comedy. But Tati's standard "M. Hulot" character also had a more dramatic side, which prevails in this movie.
Dialogue is minimal, the characters barely have names, and the storyline is uncomplicated. The title character (Jean-Claude Donda) is a French magician whose illusions are no longer in fashion by the late 1950s. Music halls in Europe prefer Beatles-like boy bands that draw crowds of groupies. He lands a gig in a remote Scottish village, where he delights crowds in a small pub ... including young Alice (Eilidh Rankin), the hotel maid. He's kind to Alice, so she follows him when he leaves the village and tries to make his living in Edinburgh.
Like The Triplets of Belleville, recounting the story doesn't tell you much about the movie itself. While the primary tale is simple and poignant, The Illusionist is a movie full of delightful moments and colorful minor characters, such as the fiesty rabbit, the depressed ventriloquist and the trio of acrobat. My favorite scene was one where Alice is backstage at the Edinburgh music hall, proud of her brand-new high heels ... and suddenly a troupe of fancy dancers all sweep out of a dressing room, with the sparkliest heels you have ever seen onscreen. A brief moment, but beautiful. The Illusionist is full of small, lovely moments, some funny and some almost tragic. (And some both at once.) I also loved a scene in which the title character is working with some acrobats to touch up a painted billboard.
The animation is hand-drawn in a way that reminded me a little of watercolors, with some exquisite backgrounds. It is a treat to watch, especially on a large movie screen. My one carp with the film was the character of Alice, whom I believe is supposed to be naive, holding faith that the title character is a real magician who can produce whatever she wants from thin air. But she seemed less naive and more self-centered, and at times I wanted to give her a good shake.
The end of The Illusionist was not what I wanted. I hate it when movies make me want to cry (not that I ever actually cry during movies -- nope, not me). But it is a very Jacques Tati-esque movie, and gave me a desire to see some of his films again, especially Mon Oncle, a clip of which appears in this movie. I read Don's Gnomeo & Juliet review before finishing this one, and it strikes me that the movies are almost polar opposites. Of the two films, The Illusionist is the one for grown-ups who don't need their escapism to be relentlessly cheerful and one-dimensional. Enjoy. Bring Kleenex.