Fantasy

Drama

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The Illusionist

Contagious Entertainment

Michael London Productions

Koppelman-Levien

United States of America

English

Edward Norton

Paul Giamatti

Jessica Biel

Rufus Sewell

Eddie Marsan

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Eleanor Tomlinson

Jake Wood

Tom Fisher

Karl Johnson

Vincent Franklin

Nicholas Blane

Philip McGough

Erich Redman

Michael Carter

Andreas Grothusen

Brian Caspe

Ellen Savaria

Vítězslav Bouchner

David O'Kelly

Richard Rowlands

Reuben-Henry Biggs

Robert Russell

Noel Le Bon

David Fellowes

Jan Nemejovský

Ivo Novák

Vladimír Kulhavý

Duke Faeger

Brendan Gunn

Ryan James

Petr Meissel

Jeff Smith

Ivan Urbánek

James Babson

Jaroslav Vízner

Jiří Vacek

Noelle Trkulja

Anezka Novak

Alistair Macnaughtan

Nancy Bishop

John Early

Eva Kelemenová

Alfred Strejček

Fasihiddin Khasanov

Jan Cibulka

Erdenbileg Sengee

Sondom Nararbadrakh

Cheng Feng

Purevdorj Boldsaikhan

Vadam Bat-Orshikh

Robin Ferenc

Dominik Havelka

Elias Bauer

Thomas McEnchroe

Oliver Blaha

Laurie Athey

David Forest

Matthew Blood-Smyth

Vanessa Gendron

Cathy Schulman

Neil Burger

Philip Glass

Brian Koppelman

Michael London

Vít Komrzý

Viktor Müller

Tomáš Červenka

Thomas J. O'Connell

Václav Čermák

John T. Reitz

Rick Canelli

Kenny Becker

John Roesch

Denise Dellavalle

Jirí Hrstka

Mary Jo Lang

J. Paul Huntsman

Mark L. Mangino

Scott Morgan

David E. Campbell

Julie L. Pearce

Gregg Rudloff

Georgia Simon

Vaclav Eisenhamer

Petr Forejt

Alyson Dee Moore

Roman Rigo

Michael Babcock

Naomi Geraghty

Ondřej Nekvasil

Bob Yari

David Levien

Dick Pope

Jakub Dvorak

Nina Gold

Ngila Dickson

Deborah Aquila

Stefan Kovacik

Vlasta Svoboda

Petra Hábová

Lori Wyant

Tricia Wood

Stephanie Hovette

Ladislav Lahoda

Gary Hebert

Suzana Perić

Glen Wilson

Ivo Strangmüller

Jan Archibald

Roman Tudžaroff

Arturo Sosa

Lucie Burianová

Miroslav Lhotka

Chris Miller

Tom Karnowski

Tom Nunan

David Minkowski

Matthew Stillman

Mira Husseini

Alice Wood

Ted Liebowitz

Joey Horvitz

Jane Garnett

Steven Millhauser

When I looked at this film for the first time I was unsure it would be any good... I was completely amazed by how this film was good. The actors all played there role very well. The film has a very good storyline and I was compelled to watch it. All in all a great movie, worth watching.

Life and death. Space and time. Fate and chance. Theses are the forces of the universe. 

The Illusionist is directed by Neil Burger and Burger adapts the screenplay from "Eisenheim the Illusionist" written by Steven Millhauser. It stars Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel and Rufus Sewell. Music is by Philip Glass and cinematography by Dick Pope.

How splendid, a period romantic mystery that's filled with the mysticism of magical conjurings and political volatility. Plot essentially has Norton as Eisenheim The Illusionist, who later in life runs into Sophie (Biel), his childhood sweetheart, and finds that she's on course to marry Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell). Leopold has a bad reputation and it's not long before Eisenheim comes under Leopold's disdain, forcing Eisenheim to try and pull off the ultimate magic act to save Sophie and himself.

Creator Neil Burger crafts a picture that has everything going for it. The story is rock solid with intrigue credentials, where appropriately for a story based around magic tricks nothing is ever as it seems. The period flavours are smartly assembled, the Czech Republic locations smartly standing in for turn of the century Vienna, the art production is on point with the era of setting, as is the costuming. Glass drifts a tender melancholic score over the piece, while Pope's cinematography is simply gorgeous, offering up colour lensing that's aura enhancing, the kind you could get lost in for days.

The magic tricks are beguiling, as they should be and are in fact required since the narrative tantalisingly suggests Eisenheim may have supernatural powers? The story itself has no historical worth, but is fascinating none the less. It all builds towards its revelations, and much hinges on if the pay off is worth the admission fee? Most assuredly so it is, even if from a personal point of view this writer wouldn't have minded if pic had finished five minutes before the final revelation. 

Either way, and with smart acting (Giamatti as the police inspector standing out) without histrionics holding things at the top end, this is delicate film making that engages the emotions fully for entertainment rewards. 8/10

Seen this movie several times over the years and still find it so entertaining and satisfying thanks in large part to Edward Norton's performance. In some ways, although not as expertly directed, I prefer this over The Prestige, which is a great movie in its own right.

The Illusionist (2006) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

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The Illusionist

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Edward Norton

Paul Giamatti

Jessica Biel

Rufus Sewell

Eddie Marsan

Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Eleanor Tomlinson

Jake Wood

Tom Fisher

Karl Johnson

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