The Illusionist (2010) User Reviews

melancholy with sparks of light comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 31 December 2015]

In 1959 Paris, Tatischeff's old magic tricks with his vicious chubby white rabbit are not exciting the crowds anymore. He is slowly losing jobs and working in worst venues. Performing in London, he accepts an invitation to a remote Scottish island. He befriends Alice. He moves on to Edinburgh and is followed by Alice who thinks he possesses real magic.

There is a melancholy feel throughout this movie punctuated by moments of charming light comedy. The magician's world is slowly fading away. It does take something out of you. The animation is old fashion. It is very touching and full of lost. This is a sad poignant movie.

a different experience

[thisissubtitledmovies · 8/10 · 3 September 2010]

Sylvain Choment's latest film adapts a script by Jacques Tati. The film's unique style is only being shown in forty cinemas across the UK, its box office status falling behind the animated Pixar hit Toy Story 3.

Those who are followers of Tati's work or loved Belleville Rendez-vous will inevitably be drawn to such as personal piece. As will those seeking out a different experience from Disney, Pixar and even Studio Ghibli animation. This film, however, may confuse or bore those who are looking for the usual Hollywood narrative. It is a shame the detail of this touching story will be overlooked by so many. KH

Charm over content.

[markgorman · 7/10 · 18 July 2010]

It was my great privilege to be invited to the world premiere of Sylvain Chomet's follow up to Belleville Rendez-Vous.

Set in Edinburgh and produced by an old pal of mine, Bob Last, I had very high expectations indeed. Not least because it is not every day that one of the world's most beautiful cities (my own) would be caught in artful majesty for years to come. And indeed it was. Edinburgh is a real star of this charming but very slight movie.

The city shimmers throughout, but the story sadly does not. It reminded me of a novel by Irish writer, William Trevor, called Felicia's Journey in which a young girl is taken into the trust of an older man. In that book (and subsequent film starring Bob Hoskins) and this, there is a slight air of seediness. (That's maybe going too far in the case of The Illusionist but the comparison was palpable for me.) Why the protection? What are the man's motives? I found it mildly uncomfortable. The fact is, in neither case are the intentions, apparently, anything more than protective; but somehow the feeling persists in both that all may not be as it seems.

Belleville Rendez-Vous arrived on the film scene like a bolt from the blue. This, sadly, suffers from that difficult second film syndrome. It oozes class and charm from every pore. It looks sublime. But the story (a Jaques Tati cast off) fails to deliver. It simply does not have the muscle to sustain 90 minutes of screen time.

A real shame because it has a great deal of merit.

Heart? 8/10.

Head? 6/10

Animated Simplicity

[jonnyhavey · 10/10 · 6 February 2011]

Simplicity is a very interesting word that is defined in many ways. "The Illusionist" is a film that is synonymous with this word and is a visual representation of the art of simplicity. Nominated for every major best Animated Feature Film award including a 2011 Oscar Nomination birth, "The Illusionist" is more than just one of the best-animated films of the year. Will it win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film? Probably not just because "Toy Story 3" went on a record breaking spree within the animation genre, however, "The Illusionist" is just as good as "Toy Story 3" if not a little better. The film is based off of a script written in the late 1950s by a French, mime, actor, and director named Jacques Tati, but was forgotten about until Director Syvain Chomet picked up the script and ran with it producing an 80 minute animated masterpiece. The film follows the travels of a French Illusionist from town to town looking for work while performing his artistic magician craft in small shows. However, his profession is lost within the changing entertainment era causing him to lose hope, until one day while traveling in Scotland he met a young girl named Alice. Alice changes his life with her belief that he is actually a real magician seeing through the illusion of magic and personifying it into being. The Illusionist becomes a father or grandfather figure to her as they grow together down very separate paths.

The simplicity of the film goes hand in hand with the authenticity and depth of the very easy to watch story. The animation is 2D brilliance with every image on the screen having deeper meaning of some sort. The film uses its filmatic space avoiding lulls and capturing the viewer's attention with its very short run time. This is achieved by the craft of Director Chomet who has created a picture that is so well done it does not even feel like its animated. This can be attributed to cinematography used with the animation. A camera seems as if it is filming the film almost as an alternative reality in a medium that would not of been as effective if it had not been animated. Authenticity is evident even with the minimal dialogue acting a throwback to a simpler era; silent film. It does not rely on its dialogue at all spreading it few and far between, however, when there is dialogue it is true to the setting and the nature of the film. It is in French and guess what? There aren't any annoying subtitles.

For some viewers the fact that the film is in French and that there aren't subtitles (I bet the DVD/Blu-Ray will have the option) it may be very frustrating. Also, this is not necessarily a kids movie. Kids will enjoy the magic behind "The Illusionist", but will not appreciate it as much as adults because of the immense amount of symbolism in the film.

Contemporary film seems to be all about glamor, special effects, and money leading to the creation of hit or miss films. However, film as an art is much simpler than that, which is a metaphor that resonates within the must see film "The Illusionist". Remember simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.

Artistic animation laced with subtle sadness

[FatMan-QaTFM · 24 August 2011]

This is the great L'illusionniste, not the Neil Burger/Jessica Biel/Ed Norton version. While I thought the ill-timed The Prestige competitor was entertaining, it's not even in the same film-making universe. For those of you who are not familiar with Sylvain Chomet's work with The Triplets of Bellville, he showed his live action skill directing that bizarre segment of Paris Je T'Aime involving mimes and the Eiffel Tower.

The story is quite simple: a traveling magician finds himself in Scotland performing in a small town. A girl sees his magic and believes it is real. She follows him to Edinburgh all the while believing that the gifts, money, and food he provides for the both of them are fabricated out of thin air. The original story was written by Jacques Tati, a French mime, director, and actor from the mid 1900s. It is a love letter from him to one of his children, but it is unclear whether the story is written to his first child abandoned in infancy or to his other child with whom he never spent enough time. Either way, there is evident a sense of melancholy and guilt in the magician's care of the girl. He sneaks out to a night job to afford to buy her the coat, dress, and shoes she desires; he always produces her spending money with a magical flourish; and he never tells her to her face that she shouldn't believe everything she sees.

On one hand, you want to hate the girl – she latches on to the magician and seems so naive and even greedy at some points. On the other hand, the magician chose to keep up the illusion (ooooooh!) and never exposes her to the harshness of the world. It's not until he believes she has someone to care for her that he

SPOILER ALERT HERE

disappears and leaves a note that simply says "Magicians don't exist."

I first saw this film in January at a fairly crowded art theater. Young, old, artistic, and not were all there. When the film's last scene closed, and the credits began to roll, there wasn't a sound in the theater. Nobody spoke, nobody got up to rush out like they normally do. We all just sat there in silence, unsure of how to feel. I was sad, inspired, resentful, and had a lump in my throat. Few films have that impact on me and fewer make me run out to see the movie again. I think the biggest problem (only in that it leaves you a bit confused emotionally) is a lack of closure. Nothing really changes – we don't get to see how the girl reacts to the truth. The magician moves on with his life and career, seemingly untouched by the brief time with the girl. We want a happy ending, a kiss, a death, anything to leave us without an open end to wonder about on the way home.

I have not even begun to talk about the beauty of the film. Character design was excellent, from the Brit-pop band to the angry little bunny that makes me laugh every time. More than ever, it makes me long to visit Scotland, the homeland, so I can see Edinburgh firsthand. The artistry of the film is only outdone by the subtle sadness of the story told without any real dialog.

This film is instantly one of my favorites. See it in theaters, see it on DVD. See it.

Masterpiece

[zetes · 10/10 · 22 May 2011]

Sylvain Chomet's long-awaited follow-up to The Triplets of Belleville adapts an unfilmed screenplay by French master Jacques Tati. Chomet's film doesn't feel much like a Tati film, though - it's very much a Chomet film. But that's okay. I wouldn't want some poor director to feel he has to ape another filmmaker's style. The Illusionist follows a vaudeville magician, modelled after Tati (and called Tatischeff, which was Tati's real last name). He's old, and his world is starting to fade. He leaves France for an extended tour of Britain. Eventually he finds his way to a remote Scottish island, where he meets up with a young woman, Alice. When Tatischeff leaves the island, the girl coyly follows him, and he pretty much adopts her. The two go to Edinburgh (or a fictionalized, Edinburgh-like city) and Tatischeff gets a regular job at a theater (and another at a gas station, secretly, at night) so he can provide the girl with the beautiful clothes she desires (having existed in squalor on the island, she has never seen dresses as beautiful as she does in the city).

The biggest resemblance that it bears to Tati's films, besides the Tati caricature at its center, is the fleeting, impossible romance between the man and the girl. All four of the M. Hulot films contain this element to one degree or another. In The Illusionist, the relationship falls somewhere between the analogous romances in M. Hulot's Holiday and Mon Oncle. In Mon Oncle, there is a teenage girl who has a crush on M. Hulot, but he knows he's far too old for her and treats her in an avuncular fashion. In M. Hulot's Holiday, he is quite a bit older than the blonde, who is frequently bothered by boys her own age, but at least he has a chance. In The Illusionist, Tatischeff is an old man. He does love the girl. He can keep her, but can never have her. She essentially isn't any different than his rabbit - living its life in a cage. When it's free, it's only going to bite his finger when he gets too close.

The film does not contain much in the way of the grotesque oddities that fueled The Triplets of Belleville. It is much subtler, gentler, and more beautiful. It has a grace all its own. It can be very funny when it wishes. Chomet has obviously spent years on this film, and it looks spectacular. Even if he had made only The Triplets of Belleville, his reputation amongst cinematic animators would be secure, but The Illusionist puts him very near the top of the list of the greatest who ever lived.

Visual feast or tourism commercial?

[Miakmynov · 6/10 · 17 June 2010]

Silent-ish - albeit with the odd, annoyingly generic multi-lingual aside (think that irritating 'Nichole? Papa? Citroen advert) - animated film about a 1950's magician's voyage from Paris to Edinburgh via the Scottish Islands and Highlands. The struggle to find and retain work in a dying craft is beautifully depicted, especially in the final moving sequences when he leaves his rabbit on Salisbury Crags, and a poignant note for his young hanger-on saying 'there are no magicians'. It looks great - as other reviews have said, a real love-letter to Edinburgh in particular, although it veered into 'tourism TV advert' territory rather too much for my liking. The strength is in the beautifully-nuanced period detail. However, some of the farcical vignettes were clichéd and rather dull, and the lack of dialogue meant that the limited storyline failed to hold my attention at times. But I can see why it was chosen to open EIFF this year, and it's a definite feast for the eyes.

You won't find a 2010 movie more visually beautiful than this one.

[Ryan_MYeah · 9/10 · 6 February 2011]

Based on an unpublished script by Jacques Tati, The Illusionist follows a magician named Tatischeff, a man whose art form of illusion is dying. He begins taking any job that comes along his way, and even while in Scotland, is accompanied by a young girl named Alice. Tatischeff and Alice develop a sort of father/daughter bond, and Tatischeff ponders his own life as well.

The film is directed by Sylvain Chomet, the man probably best known for his 2003 animated art-house feature The Triplets of Belleville. One thing that I simply adore about The Illusionist is that Chomet follows closely to the phrase "Actions speak louder than words." The film's dialogue is minimal, and for it's storytelling relies almost entirely on animation, body language, and a simple, but beautiful musical score written by Chomet himself.

This isn't even mentioning the animation style itself. I've seen many 2010 movies, but The Illusionist is easily the most gorgeous. The characters are given fluid and realistic movements, and the ambient surroundings of the city and hillsides are outstanding examples of art-direction. I practically had to suppress the tears (And no, I'm not kidding).

You may find a movie you like better than The Illusionist, but frankly, I don't think you'll be able to find a SINGLE. DAMN. MOVIE. more beautiful than this one.

I give it ***1/2 out of ****

Beautifully made but plot lacking colour.

[Royce_Alvacura · 7/10 · 16 June 2010]

When I went to go see this film at the Edinburgh Film Festival there was a big buzz surrounding it. People were enthralled that a movie would focus so much on the city, but did it do Edinburgh justice?

A few minutes into the movie Edinburgh comes into picture. Set in the 1950's we see a quiet and very quaint Edinburgh. It features heavily on many of the monuments still present today and I love the way we see the architecture unaffected by modern builds. It made me wish I lived back then. The 3D shot that encapsulates all of Edinburgh in one go, is mind-blowing.

However, as much as I loved seeing Edinburgh in the wonderful rich colours of detail, I was disappointed by the rather gloomy feel to the movie. Yes, it has its charming moments, especially with the merry, drunk Scotsman character, but much of the side plots and main plots I feel are a tad melancholy which in turn, sobered my experience of the film.

The little dialogue (mainly in French and Gaelic; I don't understand either) is pretty easy to follow, but during the end of the film I was left cold when I misunderstood small phrases. It did frustrate me a little, but it led me to interpret the film differently, giving an ambiguous feel to an overall very charming and impressive piece of animation.

Delicate but vibrant, hand-carved charmer

[cliffhanley_ · 10/10 · 21 October 2010]

The long-awaited follow-up to Belleville Rendez-Vous is out at last, and director Sylvain Chomet must be the number one in a field of one, when it comes to contenders for making a long-lost Jaques Tati script into a feature-length animation.

The underlying premise of the story here is the same as in all Tati's films: Old is Good, New is Bad. Variety theatre conjurer Monsieur Taticheff is one of the last of the old troupers as TV and rock 'n' roll kill off music hall in the late 1950s. In search of gigs, he takes his grumpy old rabbit and leaves Paris for London, then heads north to the Scottish isles and finally Edinburgh. Along the way he is joined by bored and lonely little Alice, who believes his tricks are the real thing. He has to take on menial jobs to keep up the illusion of magically producing yet more gifts for her.

The Paris, London, countryside and Edinburgh of the Fifties are lovingly recreated in charming detail, always bathed in the warm light of nostalgia, and all people - and even the animals - are extreme caricatures while being totally sympatico. The hand-drawn, hand-carved feel of the whole film is greatly added to by some amazing special effects, and not surprisingly with Chomet, there is some genuine magic tucked in there, too. There's just too much in almost every scene to grasp at one sitting, from the crowded country pub to the busy, aerial views of Edinburgh and, like Belleville, it will bear several return visits. It's a truly fantastic ode to the theatre, pre-motorway Britain, Jaques Tati himself and the bitter-sweet meaning of life.

Forced sentimentality but yes, it looks great

[rooprect · 6/10 · 30 December 2019]

You probably noticed that almost every review praises this film's impressive visuals but gives it mediocre to mostly meh marks on the story. I'm going to focus on the story since nobody else has really covered why it fails (and I wish I had been warned).

"L'illusioniste" is loosely based on a screenplay written, but never produced, by legendary French comedian Jacques Tati in 1956. It tells the tale of a down-on-his-luck magician who meets a young girl and spends every last sou trying to keep her happy. But although Tati's version was full of cleverness and wit to keep things fresh, here Chomet's adaptation is pure sentimentality. After a while it gets tired and bland, as we wonder how many more scenes we can endure of the haggard old man being down on his luck, exploited and just plain sad.

I'll quote Tati's biographer, David Bellos, who was considerably more brutal than me: "The film is a disaster ... The great disappointment for me and I think for all viewers is that what Chomet does with the material is... well, nothing. The story he tells is no more than the sketchily sentimental plotline of L'Illusionniste. It's really very sad. All that artistry, all that effort, and all that money... for this."

I wouldn't call this film "a disaster," but I agree with the rest. Tati's vision is presented here as a melancholy pity party for the main character. The result is a string of clichés which, if not for the glorious animation, would have prompted me to fast forward to the end. Oddly, my favorite scenes were the ones where the story departed from sappy sentimentality and picked away at the darker side of failure: a clown's alcoholism and suicidal impulses, a ventriloquist's spiral into depression after he sells his dummy. These are the scenes where sentimentality took a break and gave us some tension and food for thought.

But then we're immediately back to the magician working 3 different jobs to afford fancy clothes for the girl, back to his perpetual slouching, droopy eyes and sad face.

Beautiful film

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 11 April 2011]

The semantics of the titular character's table-side note can be disseminated and reassembled however the viewer chooses, but The Illusionist a dedication to the idea that "magic"..."illusions" are inescapable. Subsequently the people who perform them do exist.

At various points illusions are shown which are neither controlled or "performed" as such. The Illusionist's rabbit "disappearing" into the soup is a good example of this; another: the Illusionist pretends, or is misunderstood as an auto-mechanic, but none-the-less performs his assigned task; another: Alice gradually dressing-up and impressing a past analogue of herself; another: the subversion of the scream-inducing alpha-male rock band into effeminate go-go dancers. If we're to carry this notion further into film clearly this "note" (and if you want, the entire father-daughter relationship) is simply another ruse...an unintentional machination devised for her to be happy. His eventual collapse into a "magical decline" (due to his dying art-form and the dilution of its grandeur) and his final denial as a magician all culminates in her happiness. It is an exact analogue to the Illusionist's having removed Alice's stale red jacket to reveal a prettier white one.

Not only this but as we leave the apartment the window blows open and creates a fluttering mass of shadowy uncertainty on the wall; Alice and her boyfriend are purposefully depicted in bright colors against a sea of umbrellas; the lights dim, but do not "blacken", the ventriloquist's puppet in the shop window; and most importantly, the TVs still shine light in the closed down shop.

Finally then, The Illusionist and Chomet (as magic and magician) perform their final trick on us: a child loses their small pencil in the train car, and as the Illusionist picks it up he pairs it with his own longer pencil and makes them disappear into his sleeve. Here he has a choice to make the child's pencil magically lengthen...but instead returns the very same smaller one. The same prop is replaced, through illusion, with the same prop. Likewise, the relationship of a father with his daughter is gradually replaced with a stronger, mutual one (compare the voyeuristic peering of the Illusionist as he comes home drunk with Alice's first kiss in the rain). The "same" is disappeared by "different" and returned as the "same", magic replaced by stronger magic. Or if you prefer...reality itself.

Broken Enchantments

[jpwarton · 6/10 · 21 June 2010]

Since the post-WWII wave of neo-realism, filmmakers have been exploring the beauty within the recesses of the urban landscape. The Italians had Rome's 'any space whatever'; the French New Wave caressed Paris; Woody penned his love letter to Manhattan, Spike wrote his to Brooklyn; Jean-Pierre did Montmartre; John Hughes did Chicago; and now with 'L'illsionniste' Sylvain Chomet has Edinburgh. The film is, indeed, bestowed with loving detail upon Scotland's capitol. Sadly, the narrative providing the means for discovering the city imparts a final impression of cold disillusionment that starkly contrasts with the city that I've come to know in the last three years.

Chomet tells the story of an aging slight-of-hand magician -- a cartoon of an already cartoonish M. Hulot -- who takes his outdated stage act from Paris to Scotland's Hebrides isles. His magic and kindness inspires a naïve young maiden to tag-along with him and the two find themselves in Edinburgh. The remainder of the film is a coming-of-age story for both characters: a slowly paced, melancholy journey of economic hardship and broken enchantments. The city crushes the magic and mystery of life, leaving the viewer with an acute sense of doomed mortality.

Of course, glimpses of brilliance can be found. The animation medium befits the Jacques Tati character as well as Edinburgh itself, and Chomet's restrained style teases out the occasional smile from the ordinary moments of life. Unfortunately what is missing is the very thing I love most about the city: its people. Edinburgh is a city of extraordinary people and heritage. It seems then, that though Chomet's heartfelt intention was to show off the city he calls home, he failed to recognise its most remarkable asset. It's the people that give life to Edinburgh and without this city of endless stone does indeed seem cold. Had Chomet focused more on the characters' interactions with the residents as opposed to themselves, I think the film would have better communicated a stirring sense of hope and quiet pride that would have left the viewer with a greater desire for and appreciation of the city of Edinburgh.

The Sugar Daddy

[DonaldDooD · 3/10 · 4 October 2014]

A reoccurring theme of my negative reviews is my attack on novelty. Just because a movie has unique, brilliant aspects doesn't make it a great film. It needs to use its assets and ideas to build its plot, world, and characters. It shouldn't go halfway. Yet so many times I've seen films declared as masterpieces when I felt they were hollow. The Illusionist is the best film to display my point. The Illusionist's animation is beautiful, detailed, colorful, and stylized. But when you judge it on writing, The Illusionist is garbage.

Yes, The Illusionist lacks dialog, but that doesn't mean elements of plot and character aren't present. These are people, and there is a story to be told. The main character suffers from the problem of the starving artist, following his dream even when the world barely cares. He has an interesting, noble motivation...until he decides to adopt a daughter.

I'm sorry, but this character is a complete ditz. She looks like she should be in her tweens or early teens, but has no understanding of the world around her. She believes in the magic of cheap parlor tricks. She seems to have no idea of the illusionist's poverty. Yet he showers her with gifts he could never afford, with no awareness on her part. She's immature, and he only acts as an enabler.

The illusionist could have provided her a humble home, with simple pleasures any child can enjoy. He even gets a solid job! After working hours upon hours on odd jobs, he finally finds one where his skills at magic earn him a decent living. Happy ending? Wrong! He finds the job demeaning, and quits! And without enough money to lavish the young girl like she's a princess, he just leaves her with her boyfriend. Hope they don't break up!

This is a sacrifice? BS. This is giving up on someone you supposedly love. Its shameless. Its refusing to grow up, and take responsibility for your actions. In real life, he'd be a deadbeat dad. But we are emotional creatures. And with the right visuals, the right music, and the right angle, we can be believe he's some misunderstood genius, who only wants best for his little girl. I could not care, or even respect, these two characters.

It doesn't help this film is horribly paced. Its too slow. There's too little plot. There's not enough personality. And I don't hate silent films! Heck, The Triplets of Belleville was fun, and it was by the same directer! It feels like a 2 hour plus sit...and its only 79 minutes long.

I love animation. I'm even giving this movie a star for its wonderful beauty. I can't fall for this film's illusion. It sucks.

La magie de Monsieur Tati

[Rindiana · 20 February 2010]

All my scepticism was futile, thank God! This animated charmer really oozes Tati's peculiar brand of character comedy from every single pore.

Yes, the story is more sentimental and streamlined than the master's original efforts, but Tati's central issues (such as old-fashioned life-styles and values confronted by modern technology), his eye for detail, his pleasantly reserved humanity and his wonderful sense for comedic timing and subtle gags are all left intact by the careful makers of this gem. And the rendering of the Hulot character with all his distinctive mannerisms is a joy to behold.

Plus, it's good to see beautiful hand-drawn animation for a change (with sparse use of CGI techniques.)

8 out of 10 querulous white rabbits

Magical and beautiful

[whitesheik · 10/10 · 12 May 2011]

After just having perused some of the most obnoxious and idiotic "reviews" for this film, one just has to speak up. Two fools on here actually go so far as to imply the film has overtones that make them uncomfortable, namely an older man and younger woman. This, of course, says more about the "reviewers" than anything on view in the film; note to "reviewers:" get a life or seek help.

Then you have the Tati acolytes who think they know everything and decry the film just because someone else had the temerity to make it. Then you have the just plain ignorant, with several people talking about how long the ninety minute film is. Note to ignorant: Sans credits, the film runs seventy-two minutes.

The most horrible films have drooling, rabid "reviewers" crying "A neglected gem!" about films that should be deposited in a trash can. But for this? This they decry. Unbelievable.

I'm not going to say much about the film because it should be discovered. It is a film of magic, it is a film of beauty, it is a film of small moments, it is a film that will ultimately be considered a masterpiece and these selfsame anonymous "reviewers" will jump on the bandwagon and blithely forget what they originally said.

See it. Sylvain Chomet is the real deal.

A beautiful film

[Duncan_C · 9/10 · 15 June 2010]

This is the opening film at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival and I was lucky enough to see it today with my delegate pass. It's an animated film by Slyvain Chomet. The film did well at Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and I predict it will do very well at Edinburgh this year as well.

Briefly the film is about a French magician struggling with his trade, who meets a young Scottish girl. They travel to Edinburgh together and explore the city. I don't want to say too much more than that for anyone reading who wasn't seen the film.

Things I loved about the film were that there was barely any dialogue, most things said were in either french or Gaelic and I understand neither, yet I understood the whole film. This is because visually the story is told through actions not words. It's masterfully told this way and beautifully drawn,

The visuals were just stunning. I live in Edinburgh where most of the film is set and it made me want to get out and enjoy the city. The drawings aren't always geographically accurate but this doesn't matter. That doesn't affect the film, I just happened to notice because I live here.

I loved the subtle humour in some of the backgrounds. Your eye was skilfully drawn to the right places by use of colour placement. A warm glow behind the main character may link to a flyer stuck to the wall. The main character will then walk to pick up this flyer. This was brilliant.

On the downside I thought that towards the end the story began to lag a little, maybe just being a tad too long. Other than this there was little I did not like. The ending though when it came brought me to the verge of tears, it was that beautiful. I urge everyone to go see this film when it comes out, or in EIFF if you can get tickets.

I was expecting more.

[JulieKelleher57 · 7/10 · 2 February 2011]

"The Illusionist" was good, but I don't see what the great reviews were about. (I agree with a previous writer who compared all the glowing reviews to "The Emperor's New Clothes.")

The animation was, indeed, subtle and exquisite, but I couldn't get into the story. Maybe the story itself was too subtle for me. Maybe I expected too much, since I thought "The Triplets of Belleville" (same director; hand-drawn animation) was one of the best movies I had ever seen.

I felt no connection with either the man or the girl. The other characters popped in and out so quickly that they were almost forgettable. And the ending was unsatisfying.

If I had seen this first, it would not have prompted me to see 'The Triplets of Belleville'.

NOTE: This is NOT a movie for children.

Well-worth seeing for any fans of silent and/or foreign films

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 22 December 2023]

This is a French-British animated cartoon adapted from a script by Jacques Tati with a vaudeville magician main character who looks and moves very much like Tati. Like Tati's films, it is basically a silent, with a few miscellaneous lines and mumblings here and there. It's a very pleasant if wistfully melancholy look at the dying era of live music hall entertainment, set in 1959. The action starts in Paris, and as our protagonist goes on tour it moves to London and then Scotland, where it remains for the rest of the picture. There he meets a young hotel maid who latches onto him like a father figure and the pair try to survive on what he can earn.

It's a nice little film that should have gotten more recognition (it was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar) but the fact that it's a cartoon but essentially a drama (despite frequent droll Tati-style humor) was likely too confusing for mainstream cineplex audiences to wrap their heads around. Tati fans will appreciate the bit where the guy walks into a movie theatre playing MON ONCLE.

A melancholy, visually interesting and bitter-sweet film.

[Lancaster_Film · 6/10 · 17 June 2011]

A film by French film maker Sylvain Chomet, who also directed The Triplets of Bellville. It is a wonderfully delicate film, visually it provides a lot of interest and is particularly relevant to those who know the city of Edinburgh in which a large portion of the film is set.

As an animated film, The Illusionist has the feeling of being children's film, however the film has an extreme dearth of dialogue, with only a few spoken lines, which are not all in English. Nor is the film action packed or concerning a character to whom children will readily relate. Like the opening scene of "Up" The Illusionist conveys the arc of life and the melancholy of old age, an issue most children will find it hard to understand. From an adult point of view this is a bitter-sweet, beautiful film.

In 1950s France, magician Tatischeff is finding it increasingly difficult to make a living as his style of entertainment goes out of fashion. Tatischeff travels across Europe looking for a home for his act, and picks up orphan Alice along the way, finally settling in Edinburgh.

The film has some comic moments, Tatischeff's uncooperative rabbit who resents being pulled out of a hat, provides one such moment, although these are tinged with the melancholy which runs throughout the film.

The film's story is linked with the life and work of Jacques Tati, though how closely is widely debated. The debate and the elements of Tati's life which are said to inspire the story adds an extra level of depth and interest to the film.

The calm and serene beauty of the film, with little action, virtually no dialogue and a soundtrack which lulls you into a dreamlike state the film verges on dull and soporific. While the overwhelming sadness which runs throughout the film causes a sense of woe, leaving you contemplating the message of the film.

Agree With Most Of The People Here

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 26 May 2011]

I pretty much had the same opinion of this film as most of the reviewers here on IMDb. I loved the incredible, stunning visuals but thought the story was so-so.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a prettier animated film, especially when viewed on Blu-Ray. The artwork in here is simply jaw-dropping, scene after scene. I just wish the story had been as much fun as Sylvan Chomet's previous effort, "The Triplets Of Belleville." This story is kind of drab - the opposite of the beautiful drawings, under the art direction of Bjame Hansen.

For you adults that would like a serious, almost melodramatic story in a different genre (animation), this film should be extremely appealing.

For the artwork alone, I found it worthwhile watching.

The Illusionist

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 21 April 2011]

From the makers and the director of Belleville Rendez-Vous, Sylvain Chomet, there was a mention of this new cartoon film on Film 2010 with Jonathan Ross, and it looked like something I should see, so I did. Basically set in the 1950's, Tatischeff The Illusionist (Jean-Claude Donda, when he talks) is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers who performs as a magician with simple tricks involving rabbits, flowers and stuff. His thunder is being stolen from the more popular stage acts such as the emerging pop groups, rock stars and singers, and this means he has to accept any work he can, no matter how small and how many people watching him. He accepts work in the big theatres with only a couple of people in the audience, run down theatres, garden parties, bars and other obscure places. One person who enjoys and admires Tatischeff's illusions is young female fan and cleaning girl Alice (Eilidh Rankin, when she talks), and she follows him all the way while he looks for work in Edinburgh, Scotland. He does enjoy her company and knows that she is not very fortunate with her fortunes, so with the little work he gets he provides her with whatever she wants or needs, including a new shoes and fur coat. Tatischeff finds little odd jobs such as cleaning cars, and he also performs every night in a run down hotel with other fading performers, including a lonely ventriloquist, a depressed and suicidal clown, and a trio of twin acrobats. Over time it is apparent that he may have changed Alice as a person, and not all in the good way, she believes all his tricks are real magic and he can't bring himself to tell her it is all just illusions. In the end Tatischeff moves on back to Europe, leaving a message for Alice saying "Magicians do not exist" but she seems to have moved on at the same time finding a boyfriend, looking longingly at a photo we never get to see. The animation, old-styled but distinctive, has some good highlights, there is minimal dialogue it is almost silent apart from the sound effects, it is an unusual story with both light and dark moments, it is slight but in moments interesting animated drama. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film. Very good!

Magicians don't exist.

[punishmentpark · 10/10 · 29 July 2013]

There is a song by Madrugada called 'I'm Life's Wonderful Way of Letting You Down' and this film reminded me of it. The story is a simple enough tale of an aging magician whose career is not far from being over. He finds odd jobs here and there while looking after a girl who followed him to Edinburgh. He takes her in and buys her pretty much anything she wants, mostly clothes. But in the end, he realizes there is no future for them; he isn't her father, nor her mentor and since he has a hard time finding work to support both of them, he decides to leave her in the care of a younger man, with whom she (apparently) fell in love. And that's that.

'L'Illusioniste' is also a film to fall in love with, displaying the most beautiful, authentic animations and a story that is as much pure as it is simple. There's some dialogue in it, though hardly any of it is actually audible, but one can easily get the gist of it - it's never complicated. What ís complicated, are the lives of these two people. They live alongside the world and they are more or less forced to live life by the day. As do many other characters in their surroundings, the hotel they stay at isn't called 'Little Joe Hotel' for nothing. It will be clear by now that this is not a very happy film (even though there are plenty of optimistic and humorous touches that will put a smile on your face), but for that I'll refer you to that song title at the beginning of my review...

This is an honest tale, both in story and animations, that will slowly but surely get under your skin. It did with me, anyway. Highly recommended, but maybe - probably - not for everyone.

10 out of 10.

Magic Moments

[writers_reign · 6/10 · 21 August 2010]

Perhaps I should begin by stating that I have not seen Belleville Rendez-vous, have never had any real desire to do so and whilst I have seen a couple of Jacques Tati films he is someone I can take or leave. I checked out The Illusionist on the basis of what amounted to several Rave reviews plus, many of which made a point of mentioning the hand-drawn animation rather than cgi, plus the knowledge that the film touched on vaudeville in Paris in the 1950s. I didn't expect it to eclipse Clouzot's Quai des Orfevres which dealt with French Music Hall in the 1940s or Paris,'36, which did the same for the 1930s and the Popular Front but it is a subject in which I am interested so I checked it out. Whilst I am not prepared to endorse the 'rave' reviews in the National Press I did find it well made and moving with an incredible attention to detail.

Failing to walk in the footsteps of a genius.

[sam-fellows · 1/10 · 3 August 2010]

Despite its good intentions, with its original touching story adapted from the influential comic master Jacques Tati, this animated film may well alienate much of its audience with its melancholy slow pace. With the changing of time the once famous illusionist who is the hero of the movie is forced, in the late 1950's, to leave the theatres of Paris to find new opportunities elsewhere as one generation is gradually replaced by more modern, fresher emerging artists. Thus the once famous out of luck magician, who is no longer young or in fashion is found, after an unsuccessful stint in London, settling in a small Scottish village ... There, he meets Alice, a young woman who will change his life by breaking his solitude when a surrogate father daughter relationship (although at times it could be anything) evolves between the two strangers.

From a hopeful opening the movie thereafter is guilty of plunging the viewer into deep lethargy, which ultimately turns into an indifference towards ether of two the main protagonists. What develops for much of the remainder of the movie is a near silent drawn out trudge punctuated by the most ridiculous take on Gaelic whose sole achievement is to accentuate its own irritation to the audience. Unfortunately after an hour the craftsmanship of The Illusionists visuals are not enough to draw a meaningful response to its intended sad conclusion other than being grateful that your own suffering has thankfully ended.

In conclusion The Illusionist falls far short of the promised masterpiece that was expected from almost a decade in production and illustrates the limitations of Sylvan Chomet as a noteworthy features Director.