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The Illusionist (2010 film)

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The Illusionist
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySylvain Chomet
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Music bySylvain Chomet
Distributed by
Release dates
  • June 16, 2010 (2010-06-16) (France)
  • August 20, 2010 (2010-08-20) (United Kingdom)
  • December 25, 2010 (2010-12-25) (United States)
Running time
80 minutes
Countries
LanguagesEnglish
French
Gaelic
Budget$17 million[1]
Box office$4,468,292[1]

The Illusionist (French: L'Illusionniste) is a 2010 animated comedic drama film directed by Sylvain Chomet. The film is based on an unproduced script written by French mime, director and actor Jacques Tati in 1956. Controversy surrounds Tati's motivation for the script, which was written as a personal letter to his estranged eldest daughter, Helga Marie-Jeanne Schiel[2] in collaboration with his long-term writing partner Henri Marquet, between writing for the films Mon Oncle and Playtime.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

The main character is an animated version of Tati animated by Laurent Kircher.[9] The plot revolves around a struggling illusionist who visits an isolated community and meets a young lady who is convinced that he is a real magician.[10] Originally intended by Tati to be set in Czechoslovakia, Chomet relocated the movie to Scotland in the late 1950s.[10][11] According to the director, "It's not a romance, it's more the relationship between a dad and a daughter."[12] Sony’s US press-kit declares that the "script for The Illusionist was originally written by French comedy genius and cinema legend Jacques Tati as a love letter from a father to his daughter, but never produced".[13]

Production

According to the 2006 reading of The Illusionist script at the London Film School introduced by Chomet, "The great French comic Jacques Tati wrote the script of The Illusionist and intended to make it as a live action film with his daughter”.[14] Catalogued in the Centre National de la Cinématographie archives under the impersonal moniker "Film Tati Nº 4",[15] the script was passed to Chomet by the caretakers of Tati’s oeuvre, Jerome Deschamps and Macha Makeieff after Les Triplettes de Belleville was premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[16] Chomet has said that Tati's youngest daughter, Sophie Tatischeff, had suggested an animated film when Chomet was seeking permission to use a clip from Tati's 1949 film Jour de fête as she did not want an actor to play her father.[10] Sophie Tatischeff died on 27 October 2001, almost two years before the 11 June 2003 French release of Les Triplettes de Belleville.

The film was made at Chomet's Edinburgh film studio, Django Films, by an international group of animators.[11] It was estimated to cost around £10 million and was funded by Pathé Pictures. However, in a February 2010 press conference, Chomet said that it had ended up costing $17 million.[1] The Herald says 180 creatives were involved, 80 of whom had previously worked on Les Triplettes de Belleville.[17] In The Scotsman, Chomet cites 300 people and 80 animators.[18] The film was primarily animated in Scottish Studios in Edinburgh (Django Films) and Dundee (ink.digital), with further animation done in studios in Paris and London. Around 5% of the work (mainly inbetweening and clean-up), was completed in South Korea.

The Django Films studio was originally established with the intention to establish itself in the film-making scene with both animation and live action, however the company is being dismantled. Django was beset with production difficulties, first losing funding for its first animated feature, Barbacoa. It then failed to secure funding for a BBC project that had been labelled "The Scottish Simpsons".[19] Chomet was then fired from the directorial duties of The Tale of Despereaux by Gary Ross.[20][21] Django Films were very far from employing the 250 Artists that it would have been required for the project, an estimated figure reported by Scotland on Sunday in 2005.[22]

This picture marked Chomet's first following the 2003 arthouse smash The Triplets of Belleville.

Plot

Set in 1959, a down-on-his-luck illusionist watches his popularity and employment in Paris dry up. He moves to London, but finds himself as the irrelevant act following a popular rock band. The illusionist begins plying his trade at yet smaller gatherings in bars, cafés, and basements in order to earn a living. One day, while performing in a small Scottish pub located on a remote island which has only recently been wired for electricity, the illusionist encounters a young girl named Alice who is captivated by his otherworldly abilities. Alice believes the downtrodden performer possesses genuine supernatural powers, and agrees to accompany him on a trip to Edinburgh, where he's scheduled to perform at a modest, out-of-the-way theater. Her affection and enthusiasm inspire the illusionist, who in turn uses his talent to lavish her with a series of extravagant gifts. Unable to muster the courage to tell his starry-eyed admirer the truth about his trade, the illusionist continues giving until he's got nothing more to offer. As the other traditional performers (a ventriloquist, a clown) fall into depression and destitution, the illusionist sees his own career following suit. Alice meanwhile discovers the affection of a handsome young man, and once he sees them walking together, the illusionist opts to leave her with money and move on. His final message is a letter that "There are no Magicians." The illusionist looks longingly at a photo throughout the film, though it is never revealed to the audience. At the end of the film, a photo appears dedicating the film to author Tati's own daughter.

Release

The first footage from the film was shown at the 2008 Cannes film festival.[23] In January 2010, it was announced that the film would premiere at the Berlinale festival in February.[24][25] The film opened the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival on 16 June.[26] Pathé Pictures is managed distribution for France and the UK, and distribution deals were secured for Lithuania (ACME Film), Japan (Klockworx), Italy (Cinema 11), Greece (Nutopia), the United States (Sony Pictures Classics), Benelux (Paradiso), Russia and the Middle East (Phars Film).[27][28] The first official trailer for the film was Russian and was released on March 13, 2010.[29] The film was released in France on 16 May 2010, in Lithuania on 5 November 2010 [30]

Reception

Box office

The film opened in France in 84 cinemas. According to Box Office Mojo, the film released in France on the 16th June 2010 entered the box office chart at number eight, with a revenue of €485,030 ($600,099) in the first weekend.[31] By the end of the month of June, The Illusionist was absent from the French box office chart, with Shrek Forever After (Dreamworks) entering the chart at number one, and generating a revenue of $11,470,044 within its opening week.[32]

The Illusionist opened in the UK in 42 cinemas (August 2010). It entered the UK box office at number 15, with revenue of £161,900 one place behind Disney’s Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, the chart dominated by Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables which grossed £3,910,596 in revenue in its first weekend of release.[33]

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 90% based on reviews from 99 critics, and reports a rating average of 8 out of 10. Its critical consensus is that The Illusionist is an "engrossing love letter to fans of adult animation, The Illusionist offers a fine antidote to garish mainstream fare."[34]

In Télérama, Cécile Mury gave the film a rating of four stars out of five. Mury compared it to the director's previous feature film: "This Illusionist is as tender and contemplative as the Triplets were farcical and uneasy. But we find the oblique look, the talent that is particular of Sylvain Chomet. ... This world of yesterday fleets between realism and poetry."[35] Christophe Carrière of L'Express was not fully convinced by Chomet's directing, finding the story clever, but "blunted when Chomet lets himself be submerged by Tati's melancholy, delivering more of a homage to a master than a personal adaption. Nevertheless, it is otherwise a beautiful work, with impeccable graphics and provides some stunning sequences (based on carnivorous rabbit stew ...). One would have liked a little bit more, that's all."[36]

Jonathan Meville of The Scotsman wrote: "Edinburgh's skyline has never looked so good, and if the city didn't exist it would be hard to believe somewhere so beautiful was real: if locals aren't inspired to take a walk up North Bridge or down Victoria Street after this, they never will be."[37] Whilst also in The Scotsman Alistair Harkness commented that "Once you strip away the overwhelming wow factor of the film's design, the absence of strong characterisation ensures the end result is bleaker and less affecting than was probably intended".[38]

Tati’s biographer, David Bellos reviewing The Illusionist in Senses of Cinema was highly critical of Chomet’s adaptation stating “the film is a disaster”. “The great disappointment for me and I think for all viewers is that what Chomet does with the material is… well, nothing. The story he tells is no more than the sketchily sentimental plotline of L’Illusionniste. It’s really very sad. All that artistry, all that effort, and all that money… for this".[39]

Reviewing The Illusionist in The New Yorker, Richard Brody commented "Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville) has directed an animated adaptation of Jacques Tati’s 1956 screenplay, with none of Tati’s visual wit or wild invention". "Chomet reduces Tati’s vast and bilious comic vision to cloying sentimentality. The result is a cliché-riddled nostalgia trip. In French, English, and Gaelic".[40]

Roger Ebert in his review wrote, "However much it conceals the real-life events that inspired it, it lives and breathes on its own, and as an extension of the mysterious whimsy of Tati". calling it the "magically melancholy final act of Jacques Tati’s career" and gave it four stars of four.[41]

Accolades

The film was nominated at the 2010 European Film Awards[42] and 68th Golden Globe Awards for Best Animated Feature Film. On February 25th 2011, The Illusionist won the first César Award for Best Animated Feature.

It has also received a nomination for Best Animated Feature Film in the 83rd Academy Awards.

Motives for the script

Controversy has dogged The Illusionist.[43][44][45] with it being reported that "Tati was inspired to write the story in an attempt to reconcile with his eldest daughter, Helga Marie-Jeanne Schiel, whom he had abandoned when she was a baby. And although she's still alive today and may in fact be his only direct living relative, she is nowhere mentioned in the dedications, which has seriously annoyed some".[46]

In January 2010, The Guardian published the article "Jacques Tati's lost film reveals family's pain" stating, "In 2000, the screenplay was handed over to Chomet by Tati's daughter, Sophie [Tatischeff], two years before her death. Now, however, the family of Tati's illegitimate and estranged eldest child, Helga Marie-Jeanne Schiel, who lives in the north-east of England, are calling for the French director to give her credit as the true inspiration for the film. The script of L'illusionniste, they say, was Tati's response to the shame of having abandoned his first child [Schiel] and it remains the only public recognition of her existence. They accuse Chomet of attempting to airbrush out their painful family legacy again."[47]

On the 26th May 2010 renowned film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times published a lengthy letter from Jacques Tati’s middle grandson, Richard McDonald that pinpointed historical events in the private life of Jacques Tati that the family believe was his remorseful, melancholy inspiration to write, yet never make L’Illusionniste.[48]

Chomet has a different opinion about the film's origins although acknowledging: "I never got to meet Sophie, or even speak to her about the script." [49][50] Chomet said, "I think Tati wrote the script for Sophie Tatischeff. I think he felt guilty that he spent too long away from his daughter when he was working."[51]

In a June 2010 interview for The National, Chomet gave his personal reasons for his attraction to the script: "I have two young children, a four-year-old and a two-year-old. But I also have a daughter who is 17 who I don’t live with because I separated from her mother. She was 12 when I started the project and you can feel things changing."[52] This appears to mirror the regret of a broken paternal relationship that Tati had with his own daughter Helga Marie-Jeanne Schiel. Of the story, Chomet commented that he "fully understood why [Tati] had not brought [The Illusionist] to the screen. It was too close to him, and spoke of things he knew only too well, preferring to hide behind the figure of Monsieur Hulot".[53]

Having corresponded with Tati’s grandson former Tati colleague and Chicago Reader film reviewer Jonathan Rosenbaum published an article entitled “Why I can’t write about the Illusionist” in which he wrote, “Even after acknowledging that Chomet does have a poetic flair for composing in long shot that’s somewhat Tatiesque, I remain skeptical about the sentimental watering-down of his art that Chomet is clearly involved with, which invariably gives short shrift to the more radical aspects of his vision”. With McDonald being quoted saying “My grandmother and all his stage acquaintances during the 1930’s/40’s always maintained that he(Tati) was a great colleague as a friend and artist; he unfortunately just made a massive mistake that because of the time and circumstances he was never able to correctly address. I am sure his remorse hung heavy within him and it is for this reason that I believe Chomet’s adaptation of l’Illusionniste does a great discredit to the artist that was Tati.”[54]


See also

References

  1. ^ a b c The Illusionist at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ Pathe Pictures synopsis for The Illusionist
  3. ^ "In the Works: A black and white doc about shades of grey" by Alison Willmore. 02-21-2007. The Independent Eye film blog
  4. ^ "Cut The Cute" by Ian Johns (2007-02-17) in The Times
  5. ^ "Jacques Tati Deux Temps Trois Mouvements"
  6. ^ "Chomet Tackles Tati Script" Time Out. New York. Stefanou Eleni Stefanou (2007)
  7. ^ "La postérité de M. Hulot", David Bellos (2008-03-25)
  8. ^ "Jacques Tati Deux Temps Trois Mouvements". Matthieu Orlean (2009-05-08). Cinémathèque Française
  9. ^ Stewart Blair (2010-03-18). Berlin 2010 Illusionist
  10. ^ a b c Pendreigh, Brian (2007-06-22) "Chomet's Magic Touch." The Guardian. Cite error: The named reference "Chomet's magic touch" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  11. ^ a b Scots animation? That rings a belle (Scotland on Sunday)
  12. ^ Comic genius Tati returns to screen in cartoon version of lost screenplay The Times by Brian Pendreigh, 2004-04-23
  13. ^ Sony Classics The Illusionist Press Kit , 2010
  14. ^ London Film School (LFS), Scenario 3, 2005-12-19
  15. ^ Tati meets Chomet in The Illusionist
  16. ^ Cuomo Antonio, Chomet tells The Illusionist, 2010-02-17
  17. ^ "Why Sylvain Chomet chose Scotland for the movie magic of The Illusionist". Matheou, Demetrios. The Herald. 15 Jun 2010]
  18. ^ "Interview: Sylvain Chomet, film director" Ramaswamy, Chitra. The Scotsman. 14 June 2010
  19. ^ http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/scotnews/061218_simpsons.html
  20. ^ "Name Game: A Tale of Acknowledgment for "Despereaux’' " Cieply Michael and Solomon Charles (2008,09,27) New York Times
  21. ^ "New animated film depicting Edinburgh in the 50s hailed as a masterpiece". Edinburgh News. 18 February 2010
  22. ^ "Chomets' Studio Draws Animators to Scotland. DeMott Rick" (2005-09-19) Animation World Network
  23. ^ Cannes to get glimpse of Pathe's Illusionist Kemp, Stuart. Hollywood Reporter. 13-05-2008
  24. ^ Berlinale press release
  25. ^ A Definite, Credible Premiere Date for 'The Illusionist'
  26. ^ "EIFF conjures up The Illusionist for Opening Gala"
  27. ^ "The Illusionist leads brisk EFM sales for Pathe", Screen Daily. 23 February, 2010
  28. ^ Template:Ru icon Ружье, банк и разряд по бегу. Gazeta. 17.02.10
  29. ^ Movie Trailer
  30. ^ "L'Illusionniste". AlloCiné. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  31. ^ "France Box Office, June 16–20, 2010". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  32. ^ "France Box Office, June 30–July 4, 2010". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
  33. ^ UK film Council, 22 August 2010
  34. ^ The Illusionist at Rotten Tomatoes
  35. ^ Mury, Cécile (2010-06-19). "L'Illusionniste". Télérama (in French). Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  36. ^ Carrière, Christophe (2010-06-15). "L'illusionniste, plus un hommage qu'une adaptation". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  37. ^ Meville, Jonathan (2010-06-18). "Film review: The Illusionist ****". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 2010-09-25.
  38. ^ Harkness, Alistair (2010-06-18). "EIFF reviews: The Illusionist ****". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  39. ^ The Illusionist by David Bellos. 2010-10-11. Senses of Cinema. Accessed 2010-10-11
  40. ^ Brody, Richard (2010-12-26) "The New Yorker"
  41. ^ "The Illusionist". Chicago Sun-Times.
  42. ^ Staff writer (2010-09-21). "Three nominees for the Best Animated Feature Film prize". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  43. ^ "Jacques Tatis ode to his illegitimate daughter". 2010-06-16 Daily Telegraph. Accessed 2010-08-19
  44. ^ Roger Ebert's Journal; "The secret of Jacques Tati" 2010-05. Accessed 2010-08-19 [dead link]
  45. ^ "Sylvain Chomet: the trials of making "The Illusionist, "Time Out Magazine. Accessed 2010-08-19
  46. ^ [1]
  47. ^ "Jacques Tati's lost film reveals family's pain". Guardian article 2010-01-31.
  48. ^ Roger Ebert's Journal; "The secret of Jacques Tati" 2010-05
  49. ^ The National article (UAE) "His master’s voice: a cartoon homage to Jaques Tati" June 15. 2010. Accessed 2010-08-19
  50. ^ Edinburgh Film Festival article. Accessed 2010-08-19
  51. ^ "Why Sylvain Chomet chose Scotland over Hollywood". Gibbons, Fiachra. The Guardian. 10 June 2010. Accessed 2010-08-19
  52. ^ The National article. Accessed 2010-08-19
  53. ^ BoDoi Comic blog (French). Accessed 2010-08-19
  54. ^ "Why I Can't Write about The Illusionist". Rosenbaum, Jonathan. 16 January 2011. Accessed 2011-01-16
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