Everything about The Illusionist totally explained
The Illusionist is a
2006 period drama written and directed by
Neil Burger and starring
Edward Norton,
Jessica Biel, and
Paul Giamatti. Based loosely on
Steven Millhauser's story "Eisenheim the Illusionist",
The Illusionist tells the story of Eisenheim (
Norton), a
magician in
turn-of-the-20th-century Vienna.
The film premiered at the
2006 Sundance Film Festival, opened the
2006 Seattle International Film Festival, and was distributed in limited release to theaters on
August 18,
2006, eventually expanding nationwide on
September 1.
Synopsis
The film begins
in medias res as Chief Inspector Uhl (
Giamatti) recounts the history of Eisenheim for Crown Prince Leopold, following Uhl's visit to the theatre to arrest Eisenheim during what appears to be
necromancy passed off as a magic show.
Eisenheim was born the son of a cabinetmaker in
Austria-Hungary. One day when he was a teenager, Eisenheim (played as young man by
Aaron Johnson) meets a traveling magician along a road. The magician performs several tricks for him and then, according to various accounts, both the magician and the tree he was sitting under vanish. Eisenheim becomes obsessed with magic tricks after this.
He also falls in love with Sophie, the
Duchess von Teschen (
Biel, played as a young lady by
Eleanor Tomlinson ), a
noblewoman well above his social class; her parents have hired Eisenheim's father as a cabinetmaker. Young Eisenheim makes Young Sophie a unique
marquetry puzzle locket, which if twisted correctly reveals a small, hidden photograph of Eisenheim. Although the two are forbidden to see each other, they meet in a secret hideout chamber in the woods, where Eisenheim tells of his plans to go to
China to learn more magic and Sophie promises to go with him. On the day that they're going to leave, however, the police come looking for Sophie. The two hide in the secret room and Sophie begs Eisenheim to make them both disappear. He is unable to fulfill this request and the two are separated.
Eisenheim leaves his village to travel the world; he perfects his magic and returns 15 years later as a master illusionist. He meets Sophie at one of his performances, when she's volunteered by the ruthless Crown Prince Leopold as a reluctant participant in a trick. He soon learns that Sophie is expected to marry the Crown Prince, who purportedly has a history of abuse towards women. Eisenheim and Sophie, having recognized each other, meet privately, whereupon it's revealed that Sophie still has the locket he made for her years ago. After humiliating the Crown Prince during a private show, Eisenheim finds his hit performance shut out of
Vienna. When Sophie comes to offer him help, the two at first fight, but Eisenheim soon kisses her, leading to the consummation of their relationship and the realization that they're still in love after all this time. They plan to flee the Empire together; but first, Sophie points out, something must be done to stop Leopold, who, she reveals, is planning a
coup d'etat to usurp the Crown of Austria from his aging father, the Emperor
Franz Joseph I, while using his engagement to her to win the Hungarian half of the Empire as well. She is also knows that the Crown Prince will view her as disposable if she leaves him for another man, and will have both her and Eisenheim followed and killed in order to protect his ego.
Leopold finds out from Uhl, who was following the couple, that Sophie has met with Eisenheim. While drunk, Leopold confronts Sophie and accuses her of being a
whore. She tells him that she won't marry him or have anything to do with his plan. When she attempts to leave, he appears to murder her in the stables with a sword cut across her neck. Unfortunately, Leopold's royal status makes any accusations against him unthinkable, despite an existing belief among the people that Leopold has murdered a woman in the past. As Eisenheim plunges into despair and the citizens of
Vienna begin to suspect Leopold of Sophie's murder, Uhl observes Eisenheim's actions more closely on behalf of Leopold.
Wracked with grief, Eisenheim prepares a new kind of magic show, using mysterious equipment and
Chinese stagehands. Eisenheim purchases a run-down theater and opens a new performance. During his show, Eisenheim apparently
summons spirits, leading many to believe that he possesses supernatural powers.
Leopold decides to attend one of Eisenheim's shows in disguise. During this show, Eisenheim summons the spirit of Sophie who says someone in the theater murdered her, panicking Leopold. Uhl pleads with Eisenheim to stop, but Eisenheim refuses; he's bent on avenging Sophie and destroying the Crown Prince. Finally, Leopold orders Eisenheim's arrest, but when Uhl tries to arrest him during a live show, Eisenheim's body fades and disappears.
Inspector Uhl first searches for Eisenheim at his house. There he finds a folio labeled "Orange Tree," the name of one of Eisenheim's illusions which had intrigued Uhl. Thinking he'll find the solution to one of the magician's most famous tricks, he opens it to find empty pages except for a scrap of parchment showing how to open the locket Eisenheim had given Sophie when they were young.
At this point, we return to the first scene of the movie. Uhl reveals to Leopold that he's found evidence which links the Crown Prince to Sophie's murder: a jewel from the prince's sword and Sophie's locket that Eisenheim gave her when they were children. After ordering, then begging Uhl to keep silent, Leopold discovers that Uhl has already informed the Emperor and the General Staff of Leopold's conspiracy to usurp the
Austro-Hungarian throne. As the Army arrives at his Palace to arrest him, Leopold shoots himself in despair after sadly reflecting on the state of the Empire's corrupt government.
In the next scene, Uhl is shown leaving the Imperial Palace. After he takes a few steps, a boy runs up to hand him a folio labeled "Orange Tree." This time, the "Orange Tree" folio is filled with plans detailing a geared mechanism to make the tree "grow". Uhl demands to know where the child obtained the folio; the child reveals that Eisenheim had given it to him. Uhl spots Eisenheim wearing a disguise and follows him to the train station. After the chase, a
montage shows Uhl piecing together how Eisenheim faked Sophie's death and framed the Crown Prince. As Uhl laughs in appreciation of the illusionist's skill, Eisenheim is seen walking up to a house in the country where Sophie is waiting for him.
Cast
Filming locations
Although the film is set in
Austria, it was filmed mostly in the
Czech Republic. The city of
Vienna is represented in the movie by those of
Tábor and
Prague, while the scenes set in Eisenheim's childhood village were shot in
Český Krumlov. The Crown Prince's castle is actually the historical fortress of
Konopiště (located near
Benešov), formerly the home of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. All other shots were at
Barrandov Studios in Prague.
Reaction
As of
August 272007 the film has earned worldwide box office receipts of $87,372,631, including $39,868,642 in the United States. Since it has been released on DVD, it has earned another $35.99 million
in rental revenue (as of May 6, 2007).
The Illusionist received mostly positive reviews.
Rotten Tomatoes classified it as 75% "certified fresh" with 169 reviews (as of
March 302007).
Jonathan Rosenbaum's review in
The Chicago Reader praised Paul Giamatti's performance of "a character who feels sympathy for the magician but owes allegiance to Leopold and is therefore divided and compromised ... Giamatti’s performance is subtle, expressive, and richly nuanced." Stephen Holden, in his review for
The New York Times, praised Edward Norton's role, which, according to him, "perfectly fits his disturbing inscrutability".
Variety wrote that
Jessica Biel "is entirely stunning enough to fight to the death over."
Director of Photography Dick Pope earned a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
On Box Office Mojo.com Brandon Gray said it had the most impressive box office total of 2006.
Historical link
The plot is inspired in part by the
1889 Mayerling Incident, the apparent murder-suicide of
Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and his lover
Baroness Mary Vetsera.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Illusionist'.
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