"Everything you have seen is an illusion."

Movies and magic don't often mix well. Perhaps it's because movies themselves are an illusion which appear as magic. An illusion about the process of creating illusions is a redundancy (although in the hands of a skilled artist, the subject could be made interesting. The mind boggles imagining this material in the hands of say, Kubrick!) When I first heard about this film, childhood memories of watching 'Houdini' (an early biopic of the famous magician starring Tony Curtis) on the family B+W television immediately came to mind. An enjoyable film to be sure, but hardly a masterpiece. I wondered how the makers of 'The Illusionist' would handle a story about a magician. Set in decadent turn-of-the (20th) century Vienna, 'The Illusionist' is a blend of romance, mystery and, possibly, the supernatural. It is based on the short story 'Eisenheim the Illusionist' by Pulitzer Prize winning author Steven Millhauser. Eisenheim the magician (or 'Illusionist', as Millhauser calls him) is renown for his amazing feats of prestidigitation. Astonishing audiences in Vienna and playing to sell-out crowds, Eisenheim’s reputation brings him to the attention of Crown Prince Leopold, an amateur illusionist himself. Leopold attends a performance of Eisenheim’s and when the illusionist requests an assistant from the audience for a particularly difficult trick, the Crown Prince immediately volunteers his beautiful fiancee Sophie. Once on stage, Eisenheim and Sophie immediately recognize one another - as a young boy and girl they had fallen in love. Unfortunately, Sophie, was a girl from a class far above Eisenheim's, and although the movie doesn't mention it explicitly, probably of another religion as well. The affair was broken up by her parents, and the pair were separated for many years. It’s not until this chance encounter that the two come face to face again, and it’s apparent that the love they shared as children hasn’t faded. Eisenheim’s very presence seems to offend the Crown Prince. Not one to be trifled with, the power-crazed Count sics his lapdog, Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Gaimatti), on Eisenheim in an effort to destroy the magician's career and reputation. Leopold does everything in his considerable power to ruin Eisenheim and keep his prized possession – Sophie. Charging the illusionist with making threats against the empire - there is a remark uttered by Leopold about wanting to prevent 'mongrels' from taking over Europe - Leopold orders his arrest. The story is essentially an intense battle of wills between Leopold and Eisenheim -Leopold representing the old order, and Eisenheim representing the upstart (or mongrel) arrivals. Officer Uhl, meanwhile, is in the unenviable position of having to balance his admiration for the magician with his loyalty to the Crown Prince. And although it is never overtly stated, Eisenheim's name implies that he is of Jewish origin, adding yet another dimension to the tale. One can interpret this conflict of the two leads the tale as a prophetic comment on the impending tragedy which would afflict Europe in decades to come. As the master illusionist caught up in the world of politics and intrigue against his will, Edward Norton turns in another amazing performance. He infuses the role with a calm reserve throughout, yet he is able to unleash a playfulness when it’s called for – specifically in the scenes when he’s showing off his magical talents on stage. Norton is so convincing as the stage magician in fact, that even while we know we’re being fooled, we don’t mind it at all. This is much like movies themselves. With his performance here, Mr.Norton demonstrates once again that he is one of the finest actors of his generation. And Paul Giamatti as Uhl, and Rufus Sewell as Leopold, are both excellent in their supporting roles. Giamatti in particular infuses his role with genuine pathos. Mr. Giamatti has become the one they go to whenever an 'ordinary' guy is needed, and he has this character type down pat. But the truly surprising performance in the film comes from Jessica Biel as Sophie. Known primarily for her eye-candy roles (and let's face it, she IS a babe) in '7th Heaven' and numerous action movies ('Blade: Trinity', 'Stealth'), this is her first shot at playing a character of genuine substance. Presenting Sophie as a strong, intelligent woman caught in a difficult situation, she succeeds brilliantly. The performances are so strong in fact that we fail to notice one major aspect of the story - that some of Eisenheim's tricks are never explained. This raises the question of whether Eisenheim actually is calling on supernatural powers when he performs such feats as making butterflies appear out of thin air, plants grow to full height in the space of mere minutes, or when he disappears onstage when Uhl and the police come to arrest him. Is he truly a magician? Or is it, as he himself claims, all "smoke and mirrors"? The ending seems to belie the latter, but some doubt remains. This mystery, however, only adds to the film's appeal. Visually, 'The Illusionist' is the most stunning film of the year. Its clever use of muted colors (mostly browns) gives it the aura of old sepia photographs, effectively recreating the feel of 1910s Vienna. The cinematography, costumes, and especially, the sets (the exteriors were actually filmed in Prague) are first rate. The producers spared no expense in these departments and it shows. And let's not forget to mention the score by Phillip Glass. In addition to the operas for which he is best known, the world renown composer keeps busy composing scores for film. In the 2000s 'The Hours' (2002 - which earned him an Academy Award nomination), 'Taking Lives' (2004), and 'The Fog of War' (2003) were his most notable achievements. Like 'The Illusionist' they all contain recycled older themes as well as newly composed music. It is surprising just how well his 'modernist' music works in a film set in the second decade of the Twentieth century. In 2006 he also did the score for 'Notes of a Scandal', which garnered his third Academy Award nomination. Writer/director Neil Burger and his excellent cast have pulled off an impressive parlor trick with 'The Illusionist'. And make no mistake, this combination of love story, history, political intrigue, and even epistemology, is a difficult illusion to pull off. But Burger and company have managed to do it, with style and panache to boot. It's pure movie magic.