The Illusionist - new film from the director of Belleville Rendez-vous

johnny_ultimate

...and certainly not that ho-hum Ed Norton film about magicians that was like a crappier version of the Prestige.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158984/

The new film from Sylvain Chomet, the director of the captivating Triplets of Belleville (aka Belleville Rendez-vous 'round these parts). Didn't even realise that he had a new film 'til I saw it in the IFI catalogue this month. Will likely go see it tomorrow. Trailer below, although I haven't watched it as hopefully will have the rare joy of seeing this having only glanced at a synopsis of it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZElAeVdDCDs

Well, I'm off to rewatch Belleville Rendez-vous in anticipation, which I haven't seen since a cold Christmas Day many years ago on BBC2. I'm excited about this film. Are you?

mike65

Are you demanding an answer or am I free to be non-committal?

Sylvain Chomet is rare enough already in French cinema, both his films are largely set outside France. What was that about Jacques Tati?

johnny_ultimate

mike65 wrote: »

Are you demanding an answer or am I free to be non-committal?

In a non-Simpsons reference answer: you are entirely free to be non-comittal

Goldstein

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

...and certainly not that ho-hum Ed Norton film about magicians that was like a crappier version of the Prestige.

Finally someone else, thank you.

The scene at the start reminded me of Pixar's "Presto". Looks interesting, will keep an eye out for it.

A V A

emm i thought edward norton did a great job !!!

johnny_ultimate

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

...and certainly not that ho-hum Ed Norton film about magicians that was like a crappier version of the Prestige.

:eek:
It was not! It was brilliant! :mad:

losthorizon

I can guarantee that this film which I want to go and see will not turn up at my local cinema. Instead its Marmaduke or the Last Airbender

indough

bluewolf wrote: »

:eek:
It was not! It was brilliant! :mad:

it was good enough but it was nowhere as good as the prestige

personally i wouldnt compare them in that regard anyhow because they arent really all that similar apart from the magician angle, which isnt really the main aspect of either story as far as im concerned

losthorizon

mike65 wrote: »

Are you demanding an answer or am I free to be non-committal?

What was that about Jacques Tati?

Its based upon a Tati script that he never made into a film.

BlitzKrieg

This film had been bugging me for weeks cause in London at the moment they have this annoying advert in the cinema called *Summer of cinema* which shows clips of all the big films this summer with audience comments on why cinema is great etc and there is an ever so brief clip of this...but no title.

Everytime I saw it I thought it looked like Belleville Rendez-vous and I wanted to know what it was, but they never put the title for it up.

Then today on the tube there was an advert for it on the bottom of someone's newspaper and I was reading it upside down and going THATS THE FILM!!! and I saw Jacque Tatti and I am sold to go see it!

actually here's the damn trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynf7Q1osRxc

Renn

Saw it today. Quick comment about it. Looks good and all that, loved that part with it, but the rest couldn't match it in any way at all. You wanted it to, well, I did, but it just failed to pick up at any point and just became rather boring after the twenty minute mark. For the first few minutes I was chuckling to myself about some of the things I saw and tried to get in to it but nope, wasn't happening. The lack of dialogue meant that they had to do something pretty f*cking spectacular to keep the audience interested.

johnny_ultimate

Was on the way into it today, but bumped into friends so didn't make it. Will have to wait 'til next weekend to see it. Shame to hear you didn't like it Renn. I watched Belleville Rendez-vous again last night, and I just love the character design and quirky world. Story can be a bit cold, but the eye candy is almost enough for me with that style!

BlitzKrieg

Saw it last night with sister.

I liked it for the most part and thats because I'm a jacque tati fan which this film feels more like then Chomet. Its not outstanding, there's a few quirks here and there both of us didnt like and there is one shot in the finale that is hideously badly done, I mean it looks like it was done on a ps2.

But its full of Tati like elements and the lead takes alot from mr hulot. Late in the film there are a few very much direct nudges (very direct) to Tati's work and mr hulot.

The brief supporting characters are very likeable aswell. The main gripe will be with the girl who bounces back and forth from likeable to annoying and so on until near the end of the film she is insufferable.

Saying that I liked it alot for the most part, the bit in scotland is short but sweet, the weird beatles parody group is hilarious and the depressed clown was great.

johnny_ultimate

I found this quite charming. It lacks the outright quirky inventiveness of Belleville, but creates an interesting world in its own right. I'm not familiar with Tati's stuff, although will check it out now as I'm intrigued (any recommendations? Mon Oncle as featured in the film?). Thought the tone was frivolous for a while, so was surprised when the darker themes emerged. Blitz mentioned most of the best bits, the clown was particularly interesting. At times it felt like a requiem for fading, 'outdated' art forms like ventriloquism and magic. I'd definitely agree the girl is the weak point, her motivations foggy and often outright childish and selfish - hard to see what the 'illusionist' is helping and encouraging her for. The ending packed a punch for me though,

the final brief letter strangely heartbreaking.

The character animation is top notch too, particularly the sequence when they first enter the hotel.

Even under 90 minutes it feels a bit stretched plotwise on occasion, but for the most part I liked it, despite one of the two leads being unlikable and underwritten.

Loved the Belleville Rendezvous cameo sequence though, especially the theatre the Illusionist enters being called 'cameo'

. Definitely one of those films where the little details make the difference.

mike65

Mon Uncle is a bit of a tester for the newbie, its over 2 hours long and the development of the gags is stately to say the least (or is that Play Time? its been a long time since tv channels have shown any Tati films) - Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot is the obvious and correct starting point.