L'illusionniste (The Illusionist)
The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers. With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafés. However, whilst performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever.--©Official Site
3.9 out of 5 based on 14 reviews
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Omniscore:
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| Certificate |
|
| Genre |
Foreign, Family / Children |
| Director |
Sylvain Chomet |
| Cast |
Edith Rankin Jean-Claude Donda |
| Studio |
Pathe Distribution Limited UK |
| Release Date |
August 2010 |
| Running Time |
80 mins |
| |
The Illusionist is one of a dying breed of stage entertainers. With emerging rock stars stealing his thunder, he is forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theatres, at garden parties and in bars and cafés. However, whilst performing in a village pub off the west coast of Scotland, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever.--©Official Site
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Reviews
The Guardian
Peter Bradshaw
“...utterly distinctive and beguiling, with its own language and grammar of innocence: gentle, affectionate, whimsical, but deeply felt and with an arrowhead of emotional pain. I think it will be admired and loved as much as Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away was 10 years ago.”
19/08/2010
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The Observer
Philip French
“A deeply moving, exquisitely crafted, elegiac film, The Illusionist elicits chuckles rather than belly laughs.”
22/08/2010
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The Daily Telegraph
Tim Robey
“Chomet’s vision of the city, all dancing light and forlornly beckoning shopfronts, is an exquisite valentine. A lonely and ultimately broken-hearted one. For finding the enchantment in melancholy, and vice versa, this very special film goes straight to the top of the year’s must-sees.”
19/08/2010
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Time Out
David Jenkins
“It’s a gorgeous visual poem that explores the practicalities of following one’s dreams at the expense of parental responsibility.”
19/08/2010
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The Times
Kevin Maher
“The Illusionist is an exquisite love letter to Edinburgh and the lost world of music hall entertainment, as well as an extraordinary piece of cinema. Sylvain Chomet’s hand-drawn animation will mesmerise adults — and older children — with its breathtaking painting and its subtle tones of loss, melancholy and gentle wit.”
20/08/2010
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The Sunday Times
Cosmo Landesman
“It’s a bit thin dramatically and is never as quite as funny as it should be. That said, it’s a stunning film to look at — without doubt the most beautiful work you will see this year.”
22/08/2010
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Total Film
Matt Mueller
“Another inimitable labour of love: gentle, nostalgic and beguiling.”
09/08/2010
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The Independent
Anthony Quinn
“That it is an animated film should not be any reason to doubt its place among those urban classics; indeed, it's hard to imagine a more exquisitely crafted picture of Edinburgh's gaunt, handsome streets, its weather, its light, even its traffic.”
20/08/2010
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Empire Magazine
Helen O'Hara
“Bittersweet, moving and utterly beautiful: a love letter to cinema and to Scotland.”
03/11/2010
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The New Statesman
Ryan Gilbey
“The film's essence is bound up in Chomet's decision to send Tatischeff to Edinburgh, a place the director imagines as one vast architectural conjuring trick. Its cobblestone streets and alleyways are as slant as any funhouse floor, and its elevated roads seem suspended like high-wires in the misty distance. Whether you have yet to fall in love with the city, or you're waiting to be convinced of the value of 2D animation, The Illusionist will seal the deal.”
19/08/2010
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The Independent on Sunday
Nicholas Barber
“At this point I should confess that I never enjoy Tati's films as much as I'd like to – and that sums up my experience of The Illusionist. Considerably more muted than Belleville Rendezvous, it's a gentle mood piece, with a drifting wisp of a story, and jokes that make you smile every now and then, rather than laugh. The animation is lovely, of course.”
22/08/2010
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The Evening Standard
Derek Malcolm
“The film is very simply set before us, with the London and Edinburgh of the Fifties providing its visual splendours. It is so quietly done that sometimes its story almost disappears in the detail. Even so, it is a cherishable experience, with some lovely mood music, virtually no dialogue and a sense of past animated glories that keeps its undoubted whimsy afloat.”
20/08/2010
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The Financial Times
Nigel Andrews
“...like a flat tyre experienced on the road to international cinema.”
18/08/2010
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The Daily Mail
Chris Tookey
“It's different enough for critics to call it 'interesting', but I fear that moviegoers in search of what they would normally hope to find in a cartoon entertainment will find it a dreary downer.”
20/08/2010
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