Review of The Illusionist (2009) by Stuart K — 23 Apr 2012

From Sylvain Chomet, this is his long-awaited follow-up to Belleville Rendez-vous (2003), (Chomet was sacked by Universal from making The Tale of Despereaux (2008)), this is based on an unproduced 1956 screenplay by Jacques Tati.

This is a gentle, touching and beautifully nostalgic animated comedy-drama, which shows a simpler time of entertainment with more innocent entertainment. It begins in 1959, where aging French magician Tatischeff (Jean-Claude Donda) who is a struggling illusionist who is now unable to find any concerts in Paris, so he moves across the English Channel to the UK, he has little luck in London where he's on the bill with rock bands, whose audiences disappear when Tatischeff comes on stage.

Soon, Tatischeff finds himself in the Highlands of Scotland, where he gets a spot in a pub on a remote Scottish Island. It's here where he finds solace and a friendship in young Alice (Eilidh Rankin), a young girl who is moved by Tatischeff's acts of kindness.

She follows Tatischeff to Edinburgh, where they live together in a guest house, while Tatischeff performs in a rundown theatre, plus he gets a job or two to get by. Tati would have liked this, as it has his touches of humour and pathos about it, (like Chaplin really), and it's heartbreaking with moments of gentle slapstick and brilliant animation.

Chomet should be making more films, as he's got a good visual eye on the world, and it's done properly as well.