It is no wonder that this endearing film about the adventures of a French Illusionist and a young woman was nominated for Best Animated Feature in 2011. The attention to detail in the animation is incredible! It is hard to say what country this film comes from as the writer is a French mime and the director is British. As you comment, consider the following:
- What British influence do you see in this film? What French influence? Discuss more than the places and cultures depicted in the film and talk about style.
- How would this film be different if it were made by Americans?
- What do you like and dislike about the film? Be specific, of course.
I won't be in school tomorrow.. how can I make up watching the end of this? I am really adoring The Illusionist so far. Do you know if it is on Netflix or would be at a movie store or is it hard to find?
ReplyDeleteFOOOD!!!!
DeleteAll that you missed was the girl coming back to the hotel, finding him gone and then she leaves. And it shows her taking her suitcase and leaving with her new man friend.
DeleteAutumn is correct in that you only missed a little bit but if you do really want to see it, try the library. That's where I found it. It is not on netflix instant play (but is available via DVD from them). Since it was nominated for an academy award, it is easier to find than some other foreign films.
Delete@Carlos and Tucker aka Anonymous, BE QUIET YOU TWO HOOLIGANS.
Delete@Josh and Autumn, thank you very much.
I thought a lot of this movie was confusing. It was hard to tell what was going on and why. I liked that there was hardly any talking but at the same time I think they could have made it more clear as to what was going on.
ReplyDeleteI thought the girl was a little greedy and was mooching off the main guy. She showed him what she wanted and knew he would get it for her. I thought that was a little rude of her because it's not like he's a billionaire and can afford every pretty thing she wants.
I LOVE DA BUNNY!!!! This movie did have a lot of funny moments, like with the drunken Scottish man. But it did have a sad twang to it. I almost cried when he left the bunny.
Sir Whovian, Out!
BUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNYYYYYYYYYY!
DeleteI loved this movie. I thought it was so cute and gosh, I loved it. The animation was beautiful. I loved how it was somewhat of a silent film, kind of. It added a lot of depth to the movie; it was just so cute, and kind of sad. It shows how you shouldn’t get your priority’s mixed up also. Maybe my friends should watch this movie, haha theirs are all screwy.
ReplyDeleteI liked that the girl and main guy couldn’t really speak to each other, or most people in the hotel could really. It kind of shows the differences in people and stuff. How they didn’t speak the same language kind of put a separation between them from the start. But gosh, I loved that girl, she was so cute, different, but the girl next door type, all at the same time. There friendship was so cute, but it just made me cry at the end because I got so close to them, I liked how it wasn’t all romance really, until she met that one guy at least.
All in all I loved this movie; I would show it and recommend it to anyone. There isn’t much I didn’t like, in fact I can’t really think of anything. The bunny was really cute too, I liked its attitude. I liked the gay guys too. Um… yeah that’s about it… great movie… French people are cool… haha
French people are so cool. If you got nothing else from the class, I'm glad you learned the one important lesson that French people making FREAKIN AWESOME MOVIES!
DeleteGreat and insightful comments as always, Jenika. Good work.
Ahhh, this movie was so gorgeous. Another favorite of mine that we have watched this year.
ReplyDeleteA week or so back when you (Josh) mentioned the next three movies we'd be watching, besides Umbrellas of Cherbourg, I was very interested in seeing The Illusionist - I was pleased and excited to be watching an animated foreign film, something I haven't seen not much of.
First off, damn! The animation was so gorgeous, it took my breath away. The colors were beautiful and the set design/era were wicked, I loved the style and the clothes and how each of the characters moved - some of the actions were comical, but at the same time very humanly fluid.
I also can't help but have the most admiration for the fact that though this movie wasn't a silent film, everything was visuals over words. You didn't need talking to know what was going on, and personally, I didn't have a hard time following what was going on. I also think that if there were subtitles (I don't even think there were..) there wouldn't have been a point, since it was a little line here and a little line there.
The plot was engaging and sweet, but there was definitely that layer of darkness over it, which made it, at times, depressing to watch. I didn't see the girl, Alice, so much as mooching off to the Illusionist though... I am seeing it from her point of view of being a small town, poor girl, and this extraordinary, kind man walks into her life and buys her a pair of shoes. She didn't have to persuade or ask or subtly hint that she needed new shoes, being the considerate man that he is, he noticed. Then, she followed him along for his adventures.
I felt that the magician came off as a bit lonely. He enjoyed Alice's company and I feel that she made him extremely happy - I felt that it pleased him to buy her things and for him to be happy. In return, Alice with still no money, cooks and cleans and takes care of him. I think that's a fair trade, and they are both taking care of one another. The fork of where they begin to go their own ways was sad for me because I liked their relationship. It was so adorable.
I feel that they BOTH needed something NEW. I think Alice NEEDED to get out there, to have adventures, to see a whole world outside of her little town - and the magician needed a companion, a friend, someone to care for him.
And c'mon, what girl can't help but "squee" over something so awfully gorgeous in a shopping window? Especially if it is some kind of luxury you have never experienced. There have been a million times my jaw has landed on the ground over something I have seen in a store, and I had been with my boyfriend Noah, but never once expected him, asked him, or encouraged him to buy me it. But from the adoration he has for me and my happiness in his mind, he's either considered, or has gotten it for me. I feel the magician bought those things for Alice to make her happy, to make her feel loved and pretty and adored. In my point of view, any ways. (But of course I never detected anything romantic between the magician and Alice, it was more of a deep connection, father/daughter sort of thing...which also goes back to, what father wouldn't wanna spoil their daughter?) But maybe that is just me over thinking their ENTIRE relationship.
The entire film was so calm, there was hardly any action, but the plot itself, the characters, the humor, and the breathtaking animation was more than enough to keep you interested. I don't see anything I didn't like about it, I just thought it was an insanely beautiful film. Wouldn't change a thing, and would definitely rewatch. (Even though I missed the last 7 minutes, meh.)
Sorry for typos!
ReplyDeleteHey it's tucker here
ReplyDeleteI found this movie extremely fascinating, the animation was brilliantly done and amazing precision. Nothing in the US can match the animation of the French. In my French class we watched a few animations and they were equally as great. I thOught the story of this movie was a bit confusing at first but then I realized what it was leaning towards.
I think my favorite part was the ventriloquist, because he was funny and acted with his puppet very well. He also acted a bit like I would by always being in character and kind of goofing around. I found it a bit sad when his puppet was in the pawn shop and it was posted for free. I think he should have been honored more and at least sold for £75.
My least favorite part was the woman, it seemed like she took a bit of advantage over the illusionist and then left him while she ran away with a man. I say she took advantage because she would always hunt towards things she wanted and he would be generous and buy them for her. Although I see this way I do believe she made it up for him by doing something in return (cooking, cleaning, washing, etc).
All in all this movie was well done and I would literally recommend it to anyone.
Also seeing the magic, although animated, was really cool.
hey sup
ReplyDeletei dont really know what british influence was made on the film? maybe thats why they went to scotland? i dont really know british culture so i couldn't say..
but if americans had made it it would probably be full of talking and then at the end they would have made up and lived happily ever after in some fantasy.
i'm glad that an american didn't make this movie because i really enjoy it the way it is with the not really talking and the animation and the characteristics that each character had that you could portray in real life like with the ventriloquist and the suicidal clown
xak
This movie was adorable, when i was little i was in love with magic. I grew up with my great grandparents in Italy and my Grandpa would sit with me while my mom and grandmother were at work he would make things disappear and reappear, and made things change colors, and move things just by looking at them. After i moved to the US i tried so hard to reenact everything he showed me. I was probably just as mesmerized with magic as the girl main character.
ReplyDeleteThis film would a million times more different (improper grammar, i think. oh well.) You would have that same sweet british beautiful romantic feel when the girl met the boy at the jewelry store. when i think of american magicians i think of cheep birthday parties and drunk clowns and no happiness whatsoever. But british magicians i think magical, foreign, different.
I loved everything about this movie, except the part where he left the note that said magicians don't exist, Because its not true. Magicians do exist.
"when i think of american magicians i think of cheep birthday parties and drunk clowns and no happiness whatsoever." LOL!
DeleteReading your comments about your childhood got me thinking about how this really is a film that evokes nostalgia. The themes combined with the sweetness of the film and the lack of dialogue (which allows and even requires us to think more during the film) can easily lead to audiences members making all sorts of connections with their own lives. I imagine that many different people have very different experiences with this film because of their different past experiences and memories.
I think this movie is kind of strange, but at the same time it's pretty good. I liked how they were still able to tell a story even though almost nobody talked. And even when somebody did talk, it was usually about something unimportant like soup, or they just mumbled so you couldn't understand them. Real silent movies even have those cue card things that pop up, but this movie had nothing but animation to convey the story, characters, and meaning of the film.
ReplyDeleteIf this movie had been made by americans, it probably would have been a lot more vocal. The characters would actually talk to each other, and some would probably yell at others at some points in the film. And I agree with Zak that everything would have probably had a happy ending. Sure the girl got that one guy, but the magician just rode a train out to nowhere, with no plan of what to do next. Feeling all sad and depressed.
Another thing I noticed about the film, was there were no close ups of the characters at all. The camera angles were mostly stationary. It usually showed the entire room, instead of focussing on a single point that was the only thing being interacted with in the room. If a life action movie had this many wide shots, and static shots, then you would probably get bored of it. But this film manages to keep your interest.
Great observation about the close-up's. I wonder why the director made this decision. For you, how does this decision affect the feel of the film?
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