The Illusionist

My heartiest thanks to Abhilash, my brother's colleague, who's helped us with some real fine movies from his IITK database. Although he did give some dumb ones like Serendipity and Love Actually, this one was really different. So this one is about the 2006 movie, The Illusionist. I must say, this movie was brilliant; dunno why it didn't make it great here. The movie is set in 19th Century Vienna, and the set up beautifully resembles it.

Eisenheim the illusionist(Edward Norton) is a famous magician whose tricks are so perfect that it becomes almost impossible to discover the truth behind them. The way they're shown in the movie is flawless. He's into this ever since as a teenager when he saw a traveling magician. During his younger days, by virtue of his obsession with magic tricks, he develops a friendship with the young Sophie who is the Duchess von Tuschen(Jessica Beil). Although prohibited to meet each other on account of her high rank, the two sneak out to a hide-out in the woods. Eisenheim plans to travel to China to learn more tricks. One day, they're caught by the Duchess's castle guards(presumably under her family's directions) and separated once and for all.

Eisenheim leaves his home and travels far and wide and returns to Vienna after 15 years, now as a professional magician who has an uncanny ability to perform tricks. One day, the crown prince Leopold, along with his partner Sophie attends Eisenheim's show.

Eisenheim and Sophie, having recognized each other, meet privately and finally consummate their love. After humiliating the Crown Prince during a private show, Eisenheim finds his hit performance shut out of Vienna. He and Sophie plan to flee the Empire together; but first, Sophie points out, something must be done to stop Leopold, who, she reveals, is planning a coup d'etat to usurp the Crown from his aging father, the Emperor of Austria, while using his engagement to her to win the Hungarian half of the Empire as well.

Leopold finds out from Uhl(the chief inspector), who was following the couple, that Sophie has met with Eisenheim. While drunk, Leopold confronts Sophie and accuses her of being a whore. She tells him that she will not marry him or have anything to do with his plan. When she attempts to leave, he murders her in the stables with a sword-cut across her neck. Unfortunately, Leopold's Royal status makes any accusations against him unthinkable, despite an existing belief among the people that Leopold has murdered a woman in the past. As Eisenheim plunges into despair and the citizens of Vienna begin to suspect Leopold of Sophie's murder, Uhl observes Eisenheim's actions more closely on behalf of Leopold.

Wracked with grief, Eisenheim prepares a new kind of magic show, using mysterious equipment and Chinese stagehands. Eisenheim purchases a run-down theater and opens a new performance. During his show, Eisenheim apparently summons spirits, leading many to believe that he possesses supernatural powers.

Leopold decides to attend one of Eisenheim's shows in disguise. During this show, Eisenheim summons the spirit of Sophie who says someone in the theater murdered her, panicking Leopold. Uhl pleads with Eisenheim to stop, but Eisenheim refuses; he is bent on avenging Sophie and destroying the Crown Prince. Finally, Leopold orders Eisenheim's arrest, but when Uhl tries to arrest him during a live show, Eisenheim's body fades and disappears, implying that he did not perform the show as a corporeal human being that night but, rather, as yet another illusion.

Inspector Uhl first searchs for Eisenheim at his house. There he finds a folio labeled "Orange Tree". Thinking he will find the solution to one of the magician's most famous tricks, he opens it to find empty pages except for a scrap of parchment showing how to open the locket Eisenheim had given Sophie when they were young.

At this point, we return to the first scene of the movie. Uhl reveals to Leopold that he has found evidence which links the Crown Prince to Sophie's murder: the jewel from the prince's sword and Sophie's locket that Eisenheim gave her when they were children. After ordering, then begging Uhl to keep silent, Leopold discovers that Uhl has already informed the Emperor and the General Staff of Leopold's conspiracy to usurp the Austro-Hungarian throne. As the Army arrives at his Palace to arrest him, Leopold shoots himself in despair after sadly reflecting on the state of the Empire's corrupt government.

In the next scene, Uhl is shown leaving the Imperial Palace. After he takes a few steps, a boy runs up to hand him a folio labeled "Orange Tree" – the name of one of Eisenheim's illusions which had intrigued Uhl – and unlike before, it is filled with plans detailing a geared mechanism to make the tree "grow". Uhl demands to know where the child obtained the folio and is told that Eisenheim had given it to him. Uhl spots Eisenheim wearing a disguise and follows him to the train station. During his chase, Uhl begins to put all the pieces together, shown in a montage. He realizes that Sophie's murder was in fact an illusion created by Eisenheim in order to escape with his beloved and to bring down Leopold. Meanwhile, Eisenheim makes his way to the country, where Sophie awaits him.

The twist at the end of the movie is pretty impressive; so is the performance by the actors. The movie succeeds well in re-creating the atmosphere of the 19th Century days. If you get to lay your hands on this one, don't miss it!