Stories, conjuring tricks and romance all flirt with illusion and possibilities. According to writer/director Neil Burger, ‘The role of any magician is to remind us of the mystery of existence and inspire awe and wonder at that mystery. Seeking a great magical trick or illusion gives you a kind of chill and makes you think that perhaps there are powers greater than those of man, regardless of whether the magician possesses them or not.’
Set in Vienna at the end of the 19th century, The Illusionist features four inter-related characters that all possess their version of power. The story is told from the point of view of Police Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti), who is instructed by Crown Prince Leopold (Ruwfus Sewell) to convict the mysterious and reticent magician Eisenheim (Edward Norton) of fraud. Apparently there still lingers something of a romantic nature that began between a younger Eisenheim and Prince Leopold’s fiancee Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel) many years previously.
In the late 19th century the Lumiere brothers were responsible for creating all sorts of cinematic effects that challenged the laws of nature and of the universe. While modern audiences know all about how special effects can make an orange tree grow from a seed in seconds, the film is not about how the tricks are done. Infused with magic and romance, this very clever film lures its audience with the possibility that everything is an illusion.
