A thoroughly entertaining Millhauser adaptation

Rating: 9/10 (25 August 2006)

Anyone who enjoys Steven Millhauser's fictional world of 19th century marvels of technology and engineering will be thrilled at the way this is all brought to life in this splendid adaptation, which is a feast for the eyes from beginning to end. Strong performances from Norton, Giamatti, and Sewell, effective scoring by Philip Glass, and excellent location photography (in Prague) add up to one of the best new pictures I've seen in years. A flashback sequence at the beginning which mimics the grain characteristics and transitions of early films is a marvel in itself; not only Millhauser's world is captured, but also the atmosphere of the waning days of the Austro-Hungarian empire. I can't imagine how it could have been better done.