The Illusionist (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Any discussion of this film must first have a little background filled in about Jacques Tati. Tati was the son of a Russian father and a Dutch mother and his birth name was Tatischeff. Most of Tati's films have him as the main character, M. Hulot. Hulot's signature props are a rain coat, umbrella and a pipe (noticably missing in this film). Hulot was also a pantomimist whose gestures kept the dialog to a sparse minimum Mon Oncle - Criterion Collection. In Tati's films the sound effects also helped to carry the story and add a humorous touch. The sound track for Mr. Hulot's HolidayM. Hulot's Holiday - (The Criterion Collection), for example, took two years to edit. In Tati's younger days he fathered a daughter out of wedlock with whom his sister forced him to severe all ties. There was controversy over the rights to the screenplay which I will let my readers research for themselves.Now to the film itself.The name of the magician (Tatischeff) is, in my opinion, Chomet's beginning homage to Tati. To continue and complete that homage there are several things at work. The choice of screenplay is the first to get my attention. The screenplay was written in the mid 1950's and some believe it was motivated by Tati's guilt over abandoning his first born daughter and her mother. This film, I feel, expresses what Tati would have done differently had he the choice. The magician is also a characature of Tati down to all the gestures and mannerisms. In this film, too, the dialog is sparse and subtitles are not necessary. The sound track is also done with the same sensitivity as Tati and helps to carry the story and to replace the spoken word. When our magician takes refuge in a theater what we see on the screen is a scene from Mon Oncle. The color pallet for the film is reminiscent of the openning scene of Mon Oncle. Subtext would have to be the death of live theatrical performance (vaudeville) with the advent of television. M. Hulot could not come to grips with the modern world. A furher tribute to the sadness Tati must have felt over leaving a child behind is the melancholic expression on the magician's face throughout the entire film.In conclusion, Silvain Chomet has created an outstanding film and loving tribute to one of France's greatest comedic actors. The film is absolutely beautiful in its detail and really looks great in bluray.

As much as hand-drawn animation is being supplanted by computer animation, there are still artists who know the power of the art form and give us beautiful images that go along with great stories. Sylvain Chomet (LES TRIPLETTES DE BELLEVILLE) has done just that with THE ILLUSIONIST (aka L'ILLUSIONNISTE, and not to be confused with the 2006 Edward Norton film). The story is rather simple. It is about an out-of-work French magician/illusionist who goes to Scotland and meets this young woman who is convinced that his "magic" is real. Over the course of the film, you see a friendship develop between them as his livelihood becomes less viable as a means of support and she comes into her own as a woman. Aiming for subtlety, there is hardly any dialogue (intelligible dialogue, at least) and the images are the primary driver of the story. It's also quite touching and heartfelt. You really feel for this aging man who sees the life he's built for himself as a magician grow smaller and smaller as people now go to the music halls to see rock bands instead of illusionists, ventriloquists and clowns. By the same token, the woman has to discover that the "magic" isn't what it appears to be and, in a sense, grow up. From a technical standpoint, the animation was just beautiful and a sight to behold. Sylvain Chomet has a very distinctive, impressionistic approach to character design that makes each frame look like it could be a watercolor painting. Also worth mentioning is that the film is based on an unpublished script by Jacques Tati. Although I've yet to see anything by him, the comedic sensibility on display here makes me want to do so really soon. When all is said and done, THE ILLUSIONIST is a mature, wonderfully animated film with plenty of humor and heart that every animation fan should see.

I normally don't appreciate having to weep my way through an animated film, but this film is so heartbreaking it's impossible not to be moved by the story. A magician with a bad bunny, trying to eke out a living on the stage, finds himself inexplicably caring for a tag-along teenager. He lavishes her with gifts he can't afford (he takes jobs that are beneath his dignity just to get her things because.............?). Their relationship is vague to say the least. They are total strangers who suddenly decide to live together. Until she finds someone else to latch onto.There's very little humor involved; most of it is fleeting (they could have used more). The characters interact with the use of pantomime and a few unintelligible sounds. The backgrounds are exquisitely rendered. The people, on the other hand, tend to look creepy and overly stylized. It is beyond melancholy. But it is artfully done.I can't say whether I'd ever be able to watch it again, it is unbearably sad.

This video had a good story line.

Beautifully drawn animation and touchingly conceived, this is a fabulous movie and it is told almost without dialog. Centered around the cultural shift in the late 50's with TV, rock music, and the final death throes of vaudeville as we knew it, this is a bitter-sweet tale of a magician who is just trying to survive. It is very French in its outlook and emotions, but it stays surprisingly hopeful despite the plot... or perhaps because of it, as our main character brings magic into the life of one person who really believes. His own personal audience who reminds him why he does what he does.This isn't a fast moving film. And, unlike, say, the The Triplets of Belleville, which is equally odd and wonderful and done almost without dialog, it doesn't have quite enough moments of open humor to get me back often to watch. But it is most definitely worth at least one viewing. I suspect I will return to this again some day to see how my interpretations change as my own life evolves.