The Illusionist

Magic is a time tested form of entertainment that has a rich history of entertaining people for millennia. In fact, the first recorded magic trick dates back to 2,700 B.C. An Egyptian papyrus depicts a man named Dedi performing a magic act for the Pharaoh. Since then, many performers have come and gone. Like all forms of entertainment there are the extremes of success, from the legendary Houdini and Copperfield all the way down to the beginner, practicing the tricks of the trade. Today's subject follows an aging magician who falls somewhere within the middle of that range. Based on a legendary cinematic character, he finds himself drawn to a foreign land for a gig...a foreign land where opportunities, both good and bad await him.

So if you're like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that's a hot maple latte from our friends at Saxbys here in Philadelphia. So sit back, relax, and let's talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.

The Illusionist is an animated film, directed by Sylvain Chomet. The film follows an aging magician named Tatischeff, who travels to perform for sparse crowds. While performing at a wedding however, his magic act draws the attention of a kilt clad Scotsman. Whistling and clapping, the Scot is a very animated (pun very much intended) fan who boisterously cheers him on. After his act is over the Scot introduces himself and hands the magician his card, inviting him to an event of some kind.

After arriving in London we see Tatischeff board a train and through quick cuts we see the scenery change as he gets further and further North. Eventually he reaches his destination, which is a small pub where he is to perform. There he meets a young woman and performs a trick where he places a cloth over her broken shoes where in removing the cloth reveals a new pair for her to wear. From that point forward the two travel together in an adventure to stay afloat amidst new opportunities and sinking expectations.

The beauty I find in The Illusionist is its universality. Within the film there is no use of traditional dialogue and no real semblance of language. The characters hardly speak, using body language instead and when speech is used it's almost akin to suggested giberish. There are also no subtitles or dialogue screens, resulting in a very fluid watch. This effect makes The Illusionist akin to a silent film, bringing down the language barrier.

While speech isn't used, sound and music is a big piece of the movie itself. The music is very well done as it seems to fit perfectly with each scene and offers just the right mood and context. The sound effects within it are also extremely well done from the steps, to the unrolling of Tatischeff's poster, to opening doors, the sounds are distinctive and crisp, giving a great feel of tangibility.

The movie was originally written as a reflection of the estranged relationship between the writer and his daughter. In the original screenplay, he visits a foreign land with her accompanying him as he performs magic to sparse crowds. Meant for live action, it's my understanding that the writer's daughter was to play the role of insert name and he the role of Tatisceff. We'll come back to that in a bit though I promise.

I love this film for many reasons, but I'll highlight four specifically. One reason I love it is the overall feeling of it. It has a very unique ambience to it, especially on first view. The only way I've been successful in describing it is it give the feeling of being almost homesick. It brings a charm and warmth, but at the same time, a melancholy and subdued tone. It's a very interesting dynamic and one that makes me return time and again.

The other reason I love The Illusionist is the animation style. It's beautifully done and has a modernly vintage look to it and that might sound odd, particularly if you haven't seen it, but bear with me. The style of The Illusionist harkens back to the 2D animation style of old. Everything is hand drawn and gives a nice sort of for lack of a better word, grit to it that makes it feel more real. I find the CGI of today's animation to be a little too clean. While it is great to look at, it also has this kind f uber-polished look that looses that organic nature and becomes plasticky. With the animation of The Illusionists, everything is drawn splendidly, but also has an imperfect nature to it, which for me just adds so much more to the atmosphere and tone of the movie as a whole.

The final two reasons are semi connected in that this film feels like a love letter to its two subjects. I'll highlight each individually, but the first and foremost is the reason why this film exists and the subject of it. If you've seen the cover or images of the film you may recognize the main character in it as he will look familiar to fans of international cinema. My third reason for loving this film is that it is partly a love letter to the legendary Jacques Tati.

Jacques Tati was a French writer and director who was responsible for some fantastic comedies. He wrote and directed his first full length feature in 1937 and his sixth and last film in 1974. Like other comedic directors before him like Chaplin and Keaton, Tati developed a character with whom his films revolved around. The character of Monsieur Hulot would become iconic and is instantly recognized by fans of Tati.

Monsieur Hulot is a tall, slender man who has a look all his own. He always has pants, seemingly too short as his socks are always seen by the viewer. In reality his pants are likely just hiked up too high as the belt line always seems to rest above his belly button, presenting a short bodied, long legged man. He also always has some sort of button up shirt either with or without a loose bowtie with usually either a trenchcoat or sport coat over it. Finally he always has a round topped and sharply brimmed hat, almost a sort of news cap or fedora and an unlit pipe. He also usually seems to walk headfirst into situations, both physically and mentally. A generally underprepared man, he gets himself into compromising and humorous situations and it's always humorous to see how he gets himself out of them. Like his predecessors of Chaplin and Keaton, Tati resides in the slapstick realm although it is a drier sense of the comedic genre.

In Tati's original screenplay, the plot revolves around the setting of Prague, Czech Republic, however, during the creation of the movie, Chomet altered this. He recognized that though Prague would provide that perfect blend of old and new world charm, another city called to him as a setting perhaps more suited for animation. Which brings me to the final reason why I love this film.

As much as The Illusionist is a love letter to first and foremost the legend of Tati and Monsieur Hulot, it is also a love lettter to its setting. The main setting of the film is the great country of Scotland...and yes, I am very much aware that Scotland is not its own country, but it has an attitude and identity all its own, which I adore. Scotland is portrayed with a lot of love in this film. It has a tremendous sense of pride and grandieur, in that it feels very much at home. In my research I uncovered the reason why this is, but we'll get to that in a little bit. As much as Scotland as a whole is showcased in The Illusionist, so is the wonderful city of Edinburgh.

Ah, Edinburgh. How I love thee. Edinburgh is a Scottish city, beloved internationally for its beauty, friendliness, and charm. With breathtaking architecture, beautiful surrounding nature, and an identity all its own, Edinburgh is a city that you can melt into nicely. I grew interested in the city through our subject today and eventually, my wife and I honeymooned in Scotland and fell in live with the city of Edinburgh. The Illusionist did such a great job in capturing the city from both afar and up close.

I mentioned before that I uncovered something during my research that gives a hint as to why this feeling is so palpable in the film. It turns out that a lot of it has to do with the animation team responsible for bringing the movie to life. One of the reasons why Chomet was chosen as the director was because he owns his own animation company called Django Films, which happens to be based in Edinburgh, Scotland. He also used a team in Dundee, Scotland to aid in animation as well.

I have to believe that this was a driving force behind why this film feels so caring in portraying Scotland and Edinburgh. Using a team based in that setting will undoubtedly aid in the portrayal and provide a more real sense of place. They did a fantastic job with it as well. Choket himself discussed this in an interview in which he stated:

"I went to Prague but just couldn’t picture the action taking place there...And I had fallen in love with Edinburgh when I presented The Triplets of Belleville at the Edinburgh Film Festival. I found the city a very magical place...I had lived in Montreal when making The Triplets of Belleville and there is a very Canadian feel to that movie. I believe it’s important to live in the same environment you are trying to animate because your inspiration is then all around you”

I first watched this movie when it came out back in 2010. I had heard some great reviews of it and the trailer I had seen interested me with its visual style. To that point I had seen M. Hulot's Holiday and Playtime, so I was familiar with Tati's iconic character enough to be curious about that as well. After learning it was Tati's screenplay, I knew I had to see it. I rented the movie one day on demand and sat down to watch it, looking forward to what I'd find.

I was amazed on my first viewing and am still amazed today as to what experience this film provides. On first viewing I was enamored with the layers that I found within its 80 minute duration. The thing that gets me to this day is how this film feels so much like a Tati film. I can see this as an extension of his directing filmography, it feels right at home. Chomet and the team at Django Films did such a fantastic job at bringing this plot to life and the fact that it feels like the intended person's work is a testiment to just how well they did.

The Illusionist is a lot of things. It's cute, it's melancholic, it's beautiful, it's charming, it's haunting, it's funny, it's surprising. If you're in the mood for an animated film with a different experience than the traditional run of the mill variety, The Illusionist has you covered.

If you'd like to watch The Illusionist for yourself you can find it on a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on Tubi. Tubi is a service with a lot of Film and TV varieties and offers the ability to stream its catalog for free.

You can also find The Illusionist on Vudu, Google Play, Apple TV, Prime Video, and YouTube for either $2.99 or $3.99 to rent.

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