Friday, January 14, 2011
PHOTOS |
COMING SOON|
EXAMINER.COM FILM ARTICLES
||HOME
Friday, January 14, 2011
MOVIE REVIEW
The Illusionist
Magical Majesty Comedy:
Mastering Tati, And Trés Bien
A scene from Sylvain Chomet's "The Illusionist".
Sony Pictures Classics
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
FOLLOW
Friday,
January 14, 2011
A spectacular rebuke of 3D is found in the masterpiece "The Illusionist", the
best animated feature film of 2010. Sylvain Chomet ("The Triplets Of
Belleville"), writes, edits, composes, animates and directs his best film yet,
utilizing France's directing legend Jacques Tati's original screenplay, which
hadn't been made into a film until now. The forerunning script was a
valentine from Tati to his daughter Sophie. Mr. Chomet picks up the baton
and lets fly with "The Illusionist".
A worn-out, aging, increasingly irrelevant magician, Monsieur Hulot-like in
appearance (no accident there), Tatischeff (the famed director's full surname)
travels in search of work. Landing in Edinburgh, Scotland, he meets a
lonely young girl, Alice, whom he develops an avuncular affection for. The
affection is mutual. The illusionist speaks not a word while the
proceedings around him are funnier than his jaded, aloof demeanor. He
entrances Alice, who's caught in a wonderland of fascination. One scene
involves Alice looking into a storefront window in a beautiful tribute to "Alice
In Wonderland". Throughout "The Illusionist" the measure of Mr. Chomet's
calculations are sincere and heartfelt, his imagery singular and precise.
A comedic ballet of silence and satire like the rest of Tati's films, "The
Illusionist" sparkles in a unique way as an animated film. The 2D
hand-drawn animation is a welcome sight, and the film has a dank, dreary look
and feel. Less melodic and vibrant than "Triplets Of Belleville" but no
less funny, "The Illusionist" is more lifelike than the hyperactive "Triplets",
and feels infinitely more real and authentic. Mr. Chomet's animation is
pure, dour beauty.
While melancholy frays the edges of this tender film, many lighthearted episodes
define this gem, including a sweet tribute to Mr. Tati himself and his great
film "Mon Oncle". Mr. Chomet knows cinematic product placement well, and
it's one of the best, most loving homages I've seen. The 1958 classic was
bursting with color and life, but "The Illusionist" has as much passion and
possibility in its sequences large and small as the bright, vibrant "Mon Oncle"
did.
Words (at least the English words American audiences can understand in the film)
are hardly relevant here, yet they're the most amusing aspect of "The
Illusionist". The mumbles, stumbles, French words and occasional
off-handed English vocal intrusions add to the comedy. "The Illusionist"
is about belonging and togetherness. Tatischieff has to find his way in an
increasingly changing landscape that has chewed him up and spit him out one time
too many, while Alice wants so badly to be like the flamboyant and debonair
people she runs into. The film's tenor is overwhelmingly adult, but often
its ideas and ideals are as sunny and innocent as a child's imagination.
The animation by Mr. Chomet is detailed, impeccably crafted. We feel as if
we are in 1930s France instead of its 1950s setting. "The Illusionist" has
such a distinct aesthetic and staidness that you can almost smell the atmosphere
of its French streets. The film has a dignity and elegance that it wears
well. Never maudlin or muted, always alive with hope and wonder, "The
Illusionist" binds you in a spell of laughter, love and enjoyment from start to
finish. It's an amazing treasure.
"The Illusionist" is rated PG by the Motion
Picture Association Of America for thematic elements and smoking.
The film's running time is one hour and 20 minutes.
Read this review at the S.F. Indie Movie Examiner page:
here
FOLLOW
SUBSCRIBE TO THE POPCORN REEL MOVIE
REVIEWS RSS FEED
