Review of The Illusionist (2006) by Douglass. — 11 Mar 2007

A wasted opportunity. It was a beautiful portrait that had drained the life out of its subject. The writing was flat, uninspired and lacked depth. I do not mind that the twist was apparent early on, but apart from narrative revelation there was nothing else for the mind to feed on.

There was no real passion or magnetism to the characters, no depth to their behaviour. A tale about an illusiionist and a prince could have offered some insight into perception, the human capacity for delusion and the artifice of social hierarchy, but this tale was purely confectionary.

Furthermore, it suffered from a Philip Glass score. This kind of score is insistent in its repitition, it does not vary in its constitution, it merely pauses to breathe. It is perfect for montage movies (see The Hours, Notes on a Scandal).

Time passes, scenes change, but the score remains the same. It may smooth over rough edges in a film but it sucks away individual scene vitality, in favour of an overall drab consistency. It is a sure sign that a director is not doing his job.

Nice lighting by Dick Pope though.