IR: The Illusionist

M. Tatischeff, an aging magician down on his luck, travels to the UK to find work. In Scotland he meets Amy, a naive girl who is enchanted by his tricks. They travel to Edinbrugh together, and see what magic they can find.

The Illusionist is a very good film because it captures real life. People are ugly and annoying but not overly so, just like people in real life are. The main guy is a proper old-fashioned gentleman who is generous and polite but seems to have lost his path in life and now struggles to make a living with his magic act. He’s a very sympathetic character and we follow him as he travels from venue to venue, giving performances to small unappreciative audiences. A girl who is impressed by his magic tags along uninvited, pulling her weight with the housework but otherwise quite dependant. She spends most of the time asking for things to be given to her. If we are to believe that she absolutely believes in magic, then she is more blameless than I thought of her as I watched the film, since every time she asks for money and clothes, she doesn’t believe that she’s costing this guy anything. However, the reality seen from his point of view is that he has to go from job to crappy job to afford these luxuries, and she grows increasingly ungrateful and annoying, opening and taking a present without asking and discontent with the first pair of shoes she is given. We watch as the poor magician is increasingly worn down by this begins to tug her away from shop windows. Though, like I said, if she believes in magic then in her mind it’s all free and she wouldn’t understand if she wasn’t allowed something. Gosh I’m painting a rather bad picture of things aren’t I? This is just one side of it. The other side is that it’s friendly and charming and beautifully drawn, and clever in its quietness, and has so many small interesting visuals to look out for. The settings reminded me of the design in Monkey Island 3, since all the rooms are full of interesting things but you can tell which ones will be interacted with and which are just set design. It even has a kind of happy ending. I enjoyed it, but in the bittersweet sad way that I suppose it was intended. I’d recommend seeing it if this hasn’t put you off.

4/5

When I was young, my parents rented videos of Mon Oncle and Monsieur Houlet's Holiday (miss out the aitches, for a French effect). I adored them and though I haven't seen them much since, the charming slapstick poetry of Jacques Tati has stuck with me. That being the case I was even more keen to see the Illusionist, which I was already sold on seeing having been highly impressed with the team's previous work, the Triplets of Belleville, when I discovered it was based on a script of Tati's.
The film certainly has a lot of the master in it– M. Tatischeff the titular Illusionist is based not only on himself, but also on the caricature of him which used to adorn posters. The (near-silent) comedy is as bittersweet as can be and one particular scene, in which Tatischeff attempts to clean a car, is very reminiscent of the scene in Mon Oncle where the Uncle tries to work some of the futuristic devices in the kitchen.
The father/daughter relationship that develops between him and Amy provides the focus of the film; there are many speculations about the real-life parallels going on here, but you can find them out for yourself. Despite the obvious importance of the relationship, its not really what the film is about. It is in the last few minutes the true meaning becomes clear. Times are changing, and the old ways are dying. An old theme, but played with sincerity and class by animators and writers alike.
Speaking of the animation, I must say it's great to be able to compare this to Secret of Kells, which you will remember we saw last week.
While the animation in Kells was gloriously wild and eclectic, The Illusionist, like its predecessor, is about absolute, elegant control. From the rather stuffy, dignified grace of M. Tatischeff to the rolling rollicking of a permanently inebriated scotsman, the movement is pure perfection. Character design is another strength; it is truly a cast of snowflakes. Even the most fleeting of background characters has been crafted lovingly, and the combination of the grotesque and the beautiful is stunningly poignant. The locations and interiors too, have a personality that any live action production would have trouble matching. The whole film captures place and people in hyper-reality, pictures more real than what they represent.
All in all a highly worth while film, a beautiful elegy with a broken heart.

4/5