Review of The Illusionist (2009) by Adam E — 22 Feb 2011

Yet another splendid work of French cinematography by Chomet. From the director of "The Triplets of Belleville," "The Illusionist" really makes a meaningful statement. The whole theme of the movie is materialism and how a city can change a person so drastically. The symbolic characters and scenes are mixed in all the while with comic relief and even an appearance from the great Jacques Tati.

The movie starts off with a magician, or illusionist, performing his act, night after night, until he meets a young girl at one of his shows in a poor town in Scotland. He buys her a new pair of shoes, and she then accompanies him to Edinburgh, where they both fall into the city attitude rather quickly. The illusionist struggles to keep up with the wants of the the ever-growing appetite of the now materialistic girl, who by the end of the movie looks like a store mannequin. He tries out different jobs alongside his magician gig to pay for the girl's new clothes, but he ultimately gives up on it to pursue other, more lucrative employment.

In the end, the illusionist gives up his rabbit, the last part of his magic act and also part of himself. He gave up the last bit of his true self to live in the city. At the end, however, he realizes that he is a magician at heart, as he is leaving the city. The metamorphism of characters as they continue to live in the big city can be shown clearly by observing one of the minor characters: the ventriloquist. When we first meet him, he is one of the happiest characters in the film. At the end, however, we see that he is homeless, depressed and penniless, and his doll is in a store window with a sign that says "Free.".

Since "The Illusionist" is directed by Chomet, the same director as "The Triplets of Belleville" and written by Jacques Tati, one of France's most well known comedic actors, this film is filled with comic relief. The Scottish drunk, the suicidal clown, the flamboyant acrobats and the British pop band. Nonetheless, my favorite moment was when the magician (who's character is based on Tati) wanders into a cinema, where the are showing an actual scene from Jacques Tati's "Mon Oncle.".

Overall, a very visually appealing movie. I loved deciphering the symbolism of the whole thing, and even understanding the little French dialogue there was. I really liked it, the funny parts and the depressing parts. Really well done, Chomet. Please make more.