The Illusionist (Chomet, 2010)

Last updated on: January 16, 2015 at 7:54 pm by Kenneth R. Morefield

The Illusionist (Chomet, 2010) 2015-01-16T19:54:15-05:00 Kenneth R. Morefield

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Before there was 1More Film Blog, I posted a lot of Toronto International Film Festival coverage at Jeffrey Overstreet’s Looking Closer Journal. I always appreciated Jeff’s willingness to provide space for my reviews, so this year I wanted to honor that tradition by asking if he would like to post any of my TIFF reviews. He said he was most interested in my response to Sylvan Chomet’s The Illusionist. This review originally appeared at his blog, Looking Closer.

The Illusionist, which had its world premiere this week at the Toronto International Film Festival, is directed by Sylvan Chomet (The Triplets of Bellevelle), based on a script by Jacque Tati, and produced by Bob Last and Jake Eberts (Watership Down), so to say it has a pedigree is a little bit like saying that a few of the ladies at the premiere of The King’s Speech were hoping to get a glimpse of Colin Firth. It is a bit of an open secret, the producers said at the premiere, that the film was a year overdue, and that delay has only heightened the anticipation of film fans.

There will be some who are disappointed in the result because some always are, but I suspect most will be pleased. The Illusionist has many of the features of Belleville that charmed audiences—distinctive, lovingly rendered two dimensional animation; a nearly mute screenplay with an emphasis on visual storytelling; a rich, atmospheric world for its characters to inhabit; and a leisurely pace—but it has a brighter palette and, perhaps, a less doleful tone.

I say “perhaps,” because as my friend Anders Bergstrom aptly noted after the film, the tone and content of Chomet’s two works are a bit in tension with each other, creating a sense of opacity for many viewers. I agree with him that while the narrative of Belleville was more optimistic and its tone and design a bit bleaker (what’s with all the gross food and feces and flies in the toilet?), the story in The Illusionist is more of a downer while its design is more bright and lustrous.

That story—about a vaudeville magician who witnesses the end of his era of artistry and its being supplanted by rock stars and media creations—may be read by some as metafictive or even autobiographical.

Last and Eberts spoke respectfully of Dreamworks’s and Pixar’s work, but also twice mentioned that trying to open against the “Shrek 4”s of the world could feel a bit like tilting at windmills. (They said, for example, that one of the first questions they had to ask themselves in making this film was “How much money are we prepared to lose?”) So The Illusionist himself could be seen as a symbol of the traditional animator seeing his (or her) craft become a lost art. That metafictive reading contributes to the bittersweet tone of the film.

Those looking for other interpretations might highlight the fact that the film is dedicated to Sophie Tatischeff, the daughter of Jacques Tati. The producers confessed this dedication was an interpretive hint on their part, suggesting that (for some of them, at least) the story could be read as an acknowledgment to the family members of all artists (and not just the illusionist) that time spent on their art is time they don’t have to give to the important relationships in their lives. This reading, too, explicates the tone of the film, making its bittersweetness more about conflicting emotions than simply about nostalgia.

Those tuned to the more frenetic pitch of contemporary animation may find themselves restless with The Illusionist’s deliberate pace and quiet temperament. But those thirsty for alternatives to stunts and explosions, who welcome that which welcomes contemplation, will find Chomet’s new film a welcome treat.

Elsewhere

Reviews

Toronto International Film Festival 2010

Previous Post

September 14, 2010

Of Gods and Men (Beauvois, 2010)

Next Post

September 15, 2010 Tamara Drewe (Frears, 2010)

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 10 Years Later 1999 Top 5 2007 Top 10 2008 Favorite Discoveries 2008 Top 10 2009 Favorite Discoveries 2009 Top 10 2010 Favorite Discoveries 2010 Top 10 2011 Top 10 2012 Top Ten 2013 Top Ten 2014 Top Ten Best Picture Winners Christian Spotlight on Entertainment Christianity Today Coming Soon Disclosure Disclosure--AS Disclosure--Book Disclosure--DVDS Disclosure--SEOL Disclosure--Travel Dissenting Opinion Elsewhere Emergenetics Essays Featured Film Fest DC--2014 Film Festivals Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2011 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2012 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2013 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival 2014 Headline Interviews Laura on the Oscar Winners Podcasts Quick Impressions Reviews RiverRun Film Festival 2014 Television The Criterion Collection The Thin Place To Stream or Not to Stream? Top 10s and Other Lists Toronto International Film Festival 2009 Toronto International Film Festival 2010 Toronto International Film Festival 2011 Toronto International Film Festival 2012 Toronto International Film Festival 2013 Toronto International Film Festival 2014 Uncategorized Video Virginia Film Festival 2011 Virginia Film Festival 2013 Women's Film Festival 2012

Select a Month February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "apostle" literally mean in Greek?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Leader Friend Sent one Writer