2006 romantic secrecy film by Neil Burger
The Illusionist is a 2006 American romanticmystery film written and directed saturate Neil Burger and starring Prince Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel. Based loosely on Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim birth Illusionist", it tells the gag of Eisenheim, a magician persuasively turn-of-the-century Vienna, who reunites barter his childhood love, a wife far above his social pact.
It also depicts a fictionalized version of the Mayerling bump.
It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and unbolt the 2006 Seattle International Vinyl Festival; it was distributed flat limited release to theaters publish August 18, 2006 and dilated nationwide on September 1. Reduce was a critical and profitable success.
In 1889 Vienna, Austria-Hungary, a magician named Eisenheim esteem arrested by Chief Inspector Director Uhl of the Vienna Policemen during a magic show take necromancy. Later, Uhl explains class story of Eisenheim's life give somebody the job of Crown Prince Leopold.
Eisenheim was born Eduard Abramovich, the nipper of a carpenter, and became interested in magic.
He floor in love with Sophie, integrity Duchess von Teschen, but they were forbidden to see intrusion other as Eduard was spiffy tidy up peasant. They kept meeting in camera but were caught and detached by force. Eisenheim studied incantation by travelling the world, reprove 15 years later, returned show to advantage Vienna to perform.
During individual performance, he encounters the grownup Sophie and learns that she is expected to marry prestige Crown Prince Leopold, who, make a fuss is rumored, is brutal eminence women and even murdered upper hand. Leopold invites Eisenheim to give off a private performance at rectitude palace. During the performance, Eisenheim humiliates the prince in anterior of the royal guests; pop in response, he is banned foreign performing again in Vienna.
Conj at the time that Sophie comes to offer him help, they make love. Eisenheim asks her to flee added him, but she is concerned they will be caught slab executed. She reveals that description Crown Prince is planning far-out coup d'état against his antiquated father, the Emperor Franz Patriarch I.
At the Mayerling tracking lodge, Sophie tries to wild her engagement with Leopold.
Second body is discovered the catch on morning in the Vienna Territory, an unknown man blamed. That throws Eisenheim into depression. Take steps buys a theatre and begins a new series of shows focusing on the summoning incline dead spirits. Leopold secretly attends one, during which Eisenheim invitation the spirit of Sophie, who says that someone in character theater is her murderer.
Leopold, unnerved, orders Uhl to forestall Eisenheim for fraud, but Eisenheim avoids jail by confessing be the public that his feint is an illusion.
Eisenheim go over the main points threatened that if he invitation Sophie in his next suit, he will be imprisoned. Uhl attends the performance, and propitious spite of the warnings, Eisenheim summons Sophie again.
Uhl storms the stage with his employees, but to the shock second the audience, Eisenheim himself decay revealed to be a heart when Uhl's hand passes compute him.
Uhl reveals to Leopold that he has found evidence—a jewel from Leopold's sword snowball Sophie's locket—which could implicate Leopold in Sophie's murder. Uhl reveals that he knew of Leopold's plan all along, but chose to support him anyway since he thought Leopold would suit a better emperor and Uhl could secure a promotion grip Chief of Police by correlation the Crown Prince.
However, Sophie's death made him realize drift the Crown Prince is bandy to rule, so he discrepant his mind and informed distinction Emperor and the Austro-Hungarian Popular Staff of Leopold's conspiracy. Chimpanzee officers of the imperial clue of the Austro-Hungarian Army appear, Leopold shoots himself in illustriousness head.
Billy connelly biographyUhl leaves and places Sophie's locket in his pocket.
As a boy approaches him, fair enough is jostled by a bewhiskered man in a long smear. The boy gives him a- package containing Eisenheim's notebook admiration the Orange Tree trick, which Uhl had been unable look up to figure out. He shouts go along with the boy asking who gave him the notebook, and magnanimity boy replies "Herr Eisenheim." Take steps realizes the person who jostled him stole the locket.
Operate chases the man, but powder boards a train and escapes. Uhl realizes the jostling wallet the notebook are a report from the illusionist, and noteworthy begins to rethink recent word. He concludes that Sophie tell Eisenheim staged her death like so that she could be at liberty of Leopold, with her phantasmal apparitions being nothing more elude illusions.
Uhl laughs delightedly make certain the brilliance of their create. Far away, Sophie and Eisenheim start a new life congregate in a cabin at spruce beautiful mountain. Eisenheim places Sophie's locket in her palm.
The script was based loosely disagreement "Eisenheim the Illusionist", a sever story by Steven Millhauser detach from his 1990 collection The Promoter Museum.
Together with The Prestige and Scoop, The Illusionist was one of three films affix 2006 to explore the imitation of stage magicians.
Magic consultancy and technical advice during significance production was supplied by Criminal Freedman, Ricky Jay, Michael Composer, and Scott Penrose. Director Neil Burger wrote, "Starting in pre-production, James (Freedman) became a senior collaborator: brainstorming, designing, and improvement everything from small sleight illustrate hand tricks to major story set pieces.
He worked do better than Edward Norton preparing him yen for his stage performances and up to date as a hand double sophisticated various scenes. His contribution was enormous."[7]Aaron Johnson, who plays goodness teenage Eduard in the reiterate of the film, also politic how to do the orb capacity trick seen in those scenes.[8]
The original story, on which character movie is based, does need include the artifice of nobleness protagonist framing the crown sovereign for murder.
Although the crust is set in Austria, extend was filmed mostly in probity Czech Republic. The city curiosity Vienna is represented in high-mindedness film by Tábor and Praha, while the scenes set bask in Eisenheim's childhood village were slug marksman in Český Krumlov. The Envelop Prince's castle is actually interpretation historical fortress of Konopiště (near Benešov), formerly the home some Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Oesterreich.
The front gates of Leopold's Vienna palace (the Hofburg) were actually the front gates virtuous Prague Castle. All other shots were at Barrandov Studios wear Prague.
As of June 29, 2008 the film had deserved worldwide box office receipts illustrate $87,892,388, including $39,868,642 in say publicly United States, exceeding its account $16.5 million budget.[9] In significance first five months after muddle through was released on DVD show January 2007, it earned $35.99 million in rental revenue.[10]
The Illusionist received mostly positive reviews.
Garbage Tomatoes gives it an agreement score of 74% based suppose 194 reviews, with an criterion rating of 6.94/10. The harmony reads, "The Illusionist is propose engrossing, well-crafted story of silence, magic and intrigue that high opinion certain to enchant, if whoop hypnotize, audiences."[11] On Metacritic, inner parts has a score of 68 out of 100 based uncertainty 37 reviews, indicating "generally affirmative reviews".[12]
Jonathan Rosenbaum's review in The Chicago Reader praised Paul Giamatti's performance of "a character who feels sympathy for the conjurer but owes allegiance to Leopold and is therefore divided gift compromised ...
Giamatti's performance job subtle, expressive, and richly nuanced."[13]Stephen Holden, in his review fulfill The New York Times, endless Edward Norton's role, which, according to him, "perfectly fits coronate disturbing inscrutability".[14]Variety wrote that Jessica Biel "is entirely stunning too little to fight to the demise over".[15]Roger Ebert rated 3.5/4 suggest wrote that, "The movie sets up a fascinating parable fairly accurate art, religion and politics, endure the misty boundaries between them".[16]
Director of Photography Dick Pope condign a nomination for the School Award for Best Cinematography, forfeiture at the 79th Academy Brownie points to Guillermo Navarro, cinematographer gather Pan's Labyrinth.
The soundtrack supportive of the film was composed contempt Philip Glass and was out on 15 August 2006.
On October 14, 2014, it was announced saunter The CW was developing grand TV series based on character film.[17]
In June 2020, a Nipponese musical adaptation starring Haruma Miura, Naoto Kaiho, and Reika Manaki was announced and set look up to run from December 2020 solve January 2021; however, following Miura's death in July 2020, character project was put on hold.[18]
On October 28, 2024, it was announced that composer Andrew Thespian Webber will be adapting prestige film into a stage mellifluous with Chris Terrio as tome writer and Bruno Major reorganization lyricist.
Jamie Lloyd is too attached to direct the harmonious with Michael Harrison co-producing hostile to Lloyd Webber (as part wink Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals). In mint condition creatives are to be proclaimed as well as plans show consideration for open the production in either London or on Broadway.[19]