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Falltacular Cinema Festabration
Aug. 23rd, 2006 10:07 pmI was going to do a whole series of reviews of the big summer blockbusters, but you know what? Nope.
I saw The Illusionist over the weekend. It's a nice change from this summer's films, in that it's the first film I've seen in months that doesn't hit the audience over the head with bombast and plotless, pointless excess and noise (X3, I'm looking at you).
The film is set at the turn of the last century. Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is a stage magician who becimes the toast of Vienna. During a performance, he's reunited with his childhood love, Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel). Sophie is betrothed to Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a pompous conniver with a slight anger management problem. The Prince suspects Eisenheim of plotting against the crown, so he orders Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) to investigate.
With the exception of Sewell's volcanic performance, the acting is noticeably restrained. Edward Norton is magnetic, even when he does nothing but sit stock-still on a stage. Unfortunately, for quite a bit of the film, he isn't given very much more to do than that. I suppose that when one is being raged at by Rufus Sewell, all one needs to do is remain an island of calm, and Jessica Biel succeeds admirably. Biel's poise is unwavering. But Paul Giamatti's expressive, humane Inspector Uhl is the one who really walks away with the film.
On the whole, I found the acting to be overly mannered and restrained, but I'm more than willing to forgive it in a film that's this well-crafted. The cinematography is fantastic; the film looks for all the world like it was shot using a Victorian-era pinhole camera. The color scheme is all lush sepia tones and rich textures. Films that are such an absolute visual feast are rare, so when one comes along, it's more than worthwhile to see them on the big screen. The film's score, by Crazy Arpeggio McGee, evokes fin-de-siecle excess and manages to be simultaneously romantic and just a wee bit unsettling.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. Do check it out.
(And by the way, did the Uptown get a new projector and sound system? Everything looked and sounded amazing.)
I saw The Illusionist over the weekend. It's a nice change from this summer's films, in that it's the first film I've seen in months that doesn't hit the audience over the head with bombast and plotless, pointless excess and noise (X3, I'm looking at you).
The film is set at the turn of the last century. Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is a stage magician who becimes the toast of Vienna. During a performance, he's reunited with his childhood love, Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel). Sophie is betrothed to Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a pompous conniver with a slight anger management problem. The Prince suspects Eisenheim of plotting against the crown, so he orders Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) to investigate.
With the exception of Sewell's volcanic performance, the acting is noticeably restrained. Edward Norton is magnetic, even when he does nothing but sit stock-still on a stage. Unfortunately, for quite a bit of the film, he isn't given very much more to do than that. I suppose that when one is being raged at by Rufus Sewell, all one needs to do is remain an island of calm, and Jessica Biel succeeds admirably. Biel's poise is unwavering. But Paul Giamatti's expressive, humane Inspector Uhl is the one who really walks away with the film.
On the whole, I found the acting to be overly mannered and restrained, but I'm more than willing to forgive it in a film that's this well-crafted. The cinematography is fantastic; the film looks for all the world like it was shot using a Victorian-era pinhole camera. The color scheme is all lush sepia tones and rich textures. Films that are such an absolute visual feast are rare, so when one comes along, it's more than worthwhile to see them on the big screen. The film's score, by Crazy Arpeggio McGee, evokes fin-de-siecle excess and manages to be simultaneously romantic and just a wee bit unsettling.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film. Do check it out.
(And by the way, did the Uptown get a new projector and sound system? Everything looked and sounded amazing.)
