No illusion of greatness-just superb

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2007)

Rarely do I give movies a 10. They have to be perfect. This movies was. Brilliantly conceived, well acted, wonderful love story and a bit of a mind twister, even if I did have it worked out about 1/2 through. That's OK when all the parts come together as they did in this work. There just isn't a weak spot. The Prince is princely and evil... we don't have to stretch our imaginations too far for that. The police are corrupt, until finally confronted with what they believe to be incontrovertible evidence. The heroine is beautiful, poised and determined to spend her life with the man she loves, even if it means self destruction. And our hero is a hero of epic proportions. Philip Glass's music, ever so improved from the '80s, is flawless also, if not a little distracting a few times. But like Hermann, he understands how to create tension when necessary and beauty with harmony when that fits the picture. The cinematography is truly remarkable, lending an air of a 19th century daguerreotype photography... with a faded patina, yet crisp, somehow. And the illusions...did I forget the illusions? Of course, we can, today, do so much with holograms. But this is the 19th century and the movie is good enough to make us believe that we are actually watching something in the 19th century. Thus, we are astounded. Watch the orange tree grow. It may not be the most spectacular of the illusions, but it is the most harmoniously perfect. Of course, anyone who loves Bergman will be reminded of "Ansiktet", the Magician. The plot is different, but the reaction of the establishment is not...in fact almost identical. That also, was a great movie and I'm sure that Neil Burger was inspired by it. Bravo, is all I can say. If I had been in a theatre at the end I would have stood and applauded.