The Brewhaha on..."The Illusionist"

“[Jacques Tati’s] eldest daughter's perception of him as a child was mainly formed from what she had seen of him in character on screen. l'Illusionniste script deals directly with the dilemma he was facing on how would his daughter respond once she realised the gentile man on the silver screen was not the same man he was after the dim theatre lights had been switched back on.”
-The grandson of Jacques Tati, discussing the original script

“How good or bad Chomet's take on Tati's script is a matter of personal choice but having seen it in Belgium earlier this month I was thoroughly disappointed by the execution of what is a very melancholy story.  […] I was left never quite understanding the bond between the magician and the girl.”
-By PJ on July 28, 2010 10:50 AM

“Close-ups are rare, the faces sketchy and expressionless, so what Tati must have intended as a quietly intimate story of two characters becomes a movie about cityscapes, automobiles, trains, rolling clouds and all the other visual filigree that Chomet does so well. The story is rather cold and uninvolving, but the very look of the movie is striking and never dull.”
-Jim Lane, NewsReview.com

“What [Jacques] Tati might have done with such a wee plot is open to speculation, but Chomet fills it with the hope of youth and the dark romance of a man coming to terms with his own disappearance. It's only an illusion, but it's magic.”
-Amy Biancolli, The Houston Chronicle

There’s the old saying that goes “You write what you know.”  In the case of “The Illusionist” (L’Illusionniste) a 2010 French-British animated film directed by acclaimed animated filmmaker Sylvain Chomet, our writer in question has given us the tale of a father-daughter relationship.

“The Illusionist” is a semi-autographical tale, a supposedly lost script penned by acclaimed silent actor and director Jacques Tati back in the 50’s.  (In fact, an EW poll declared Tati the 46th greatest movie director of all time.  Don’t believe me?  See for yourself.)  He was the creator of such films as “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” and “My Uncle” (“Mon Oncle”), but the script for “The Illusionist” was one of many projects which were lost before his death.

Tati himself emphasized that the title illusionist featured in his script (much less in the recently filmed version) is his own unique character, and not just a stand-in for Tati himself.  In fact, Tati intended for a different actor, one Pierre Etaix, to play the part of the title character.  However, the impact of Tati’s personal demons are nothing to be ignored in this animated adaptation.

Illusionists, more than many other entertainers, are liars by definition.  They sweep us up in a world of magic, always holding our attention, while at the same time keeping it away from the string he uses to hold the cards in his sleeve or the rabbit he’s hiding under the table.  The quandary of the late Tati, however, was a matter of family, specifically his daughter Helga-Marie Jeanne, who he had neglected and even disowned under monstrous circumstances during WWII.  His demons were those of abandonment, and “The Illusionist” was, in so many words, the end result of him grappling with these demons.

The title character does what his real-life counterpart never really could; he practically showers his young companion with gifts.  As far as we know, he has no name, but quickly we come to sympathize with this nameless father figure, who magically finds himself with a young traveling companion (who herself remains nameless as well).

One thing that seems lost in translation, for us dumb old Americans who have never really heard of Jacques Tati, is that the girl in question truly believed the title character was a bona fide magician.  Tati’s concern was what his estranged daughter would think, and whether or not she could see through the façade of one Monsieur Hulot to find the man who ended up abandoning her.  Much in the same way that Tati pulls the wool over our eyes, the illusionist has his adopted daughter in a continuous state of awe.

The film is less dialogue-driven, much in the same vein as Chomet’s breakout hit, “The Triplets of Belleville,” as well as most of Tati’s films.  However, “The Illusionist” is also beautifully animated, and what little the characters actually say is made up for in their body language.  Still, I’m not sure the “less is more” approach works in this case.  Normally I would praise a film for leaving some things to mystery, but in this case, the questions were more along the lines of basic “why’s.”  Why is this man travelling with this girl?  Is this his daughter?  Is she just some girl he picked up?  Why is he doing all of these nice things for her?  Why would he let her tag along?  Why is he doing this?  Why is he doing that?

For flaws such as these, though, and with the controversy surrounding Tati and his family life, “The Illusionist” is still a masterpiece of animation, characterization, and atmosphere.  An unapologetic tribute to one of the great directors and silent actors, and a welcome change of pace from the usual films out there, “The Illusionist” is, at its core, a moving, almost heart-breaking tale.  Even as the swan song for one of the most acclaimed entertainers of our time, it’s still worth checking out.

Note:  The Brewsky is an enthusiastic contributor and movie reviewer.  And he knows how much you missed him.  If he leaves town like that again, he’ll be sure to at least call next time.