The Illusionist

[callistotoni]

Every once in a while my little local theater has movies I want to see. ;-) Today I got to walk over and see The Illusionist, with Edward Norton as a magician in turn of the century Vienna and Paul Giamatti as a police inspector. The movie is sorta-kinda a cat and mouse play between these two characters -- more I don't want to say. I recommend that you try to catch this one, either in the theaters (it's been out for a while) or when it comes out on DVD. The movie is a bit old fashioned in its pacing, so it is possible some of you will find it slow. But I wouldn't have cut any of it; I thought it was well done.

Well, at least I'm confident that aastg will like it, given our shared taste in these matters. ;-)

Comments

[mastersantiago.livejournal.com]

What you might want to know is that the main character is from a short story. The story is based (in small part) upon the life of a real magician from the turn of the 19th Century named Jean Eugene Robert Houdan.

Houdan is referred to as "The father of Modern Magic." He is the guy who brought magic off the streets and into the parlour, dressed it up in a tux and made it the entertainment of the sophisticated and cultured audience.

Harry Houdini named himself after the two magicians who most influenced him: his mentor Harry Kellar and the man who wrote the book which started him in magic -- Robert Houdan. (Yes Harry Houdini's real name was Eric Wies.)

And from what I understand many of the illusions done in the movie are in fact illusions with Houdan himself performed. Once I've seen the movie I will be able to verify that for sure.