a classy entertainment worthy of golden age Hollywood

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2006)

The Illusionist is a throwback to the sort of film one could regularly expect in Hollywood's golden age, say from 1930 to 1960. The performances are excellent, the magic effects well done, and the production design nothing short of sumptuous. Edward Norton, Jessica Biehl and Rufus Sewell as the magician, the duchess and the crown prince, are the players in a love triangle observed through the eyes of a police inspector(Paul Giamatti). One reason I thoroughly enjoyed this film is that its design elements bear a strong resemblance to one of my favorite films, The Prisoner of Zenda. The illusionist incorporates elements from both classic versions of PoZ, the 1937 Ronald Colman gem, and the 1952 remake with Stewart Granger. It's quite easy to imagine Granger, Deborah Kerr, Lewis Calhern and Robert Douglas in the lead roles in the Illusionist, and that is meant as a compliment to Norton/Biehl/Giamatti/Sewell. Many of the costumes and background characters are lifted directly from Zenda (check out the railway attendant at the end of the Illusionist and the railway customs man at the beginning of Granger's Zenda.) Even the rare Montenegrin Gasser revolver from PoZ 1937 makes an appearance. And when was the last time we saw an iris open and close in a contemporary film? Star Wars? Even the cinematography evokes old Hollywood. Throw in a good plot twist, a supporting actor who is the spitting image of Laurence Olivier, and some of the classic magic tricks of the era (Eisenheim opens his first show with Robert-Houdin's the Orange Tree) and you have a winner! A wonderfully romantic picture and highly recommended.