Š DR -Portfolio Jessica Biel p2

22/08/2013 04:30 par tellurikwaves

Š DR -Portfolio Jessica Biel

21/08/2013 03:25 par tellurikwaves

Š DR - L'ILLUSIONNISTE de Neil Burger (2006) fin

20/08/2013 16:50 par tellurikwaves

Simply a wonderful film! Absolutely stunning Cinemaptography!

As I read some of the other comments about this movie on IMDb, I realize that cynicism can easily get in the way of just enjoying a movie for what it is. * This is a magnificent film! Edward Norton and Paul Giametti are terrific and so is the rest of the cast. The cinematography was stunning. The script was superb. The direction was outstanding. I really can't say anything bad about this film. I thoroughly recommend this movie! I could give it no less than a 10.

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*En lisant les commentaires blasés et désabusés des membres DevilDead (des trentenaires most probably)il y a de quoi déprimer...Mais les pires ce sont les critiques cinoche sur France Culture...z'aiment RIEN ces cons là !

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20/08/2013 16:48 par tellurikwaves

A Wonderful, suspenseful, sensual escape from reality

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20/08/2013 16:46 par tellurikwaves

Worth the price of tickets

* Il est vrai qu'elle est quand même moins mauvaise que dans NEXT avec Nicolas Cage...

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20/08/2013 16:41 par tellurikwaves

Like the Moody Blues song asks--"real or just an illusion?"

Jessica Biel is beautiful and good in her role but I couldn't help thinking, "Hey, Jessica, Scarlett Johanssen called. She wants her lips back." Paul Giamatti bothered me just a tad at first because he spoke in a near-whisper and had a scruffy beard so you couldn't read his lips. He got louder and his character developed pretty darned well, thank goodness. Actually, he was fantastic (so what else is new?).

The makers of this movie did the same thing the makers of Little Miss Sunshine did--made me want to see the film twice, but for different reasons: LMS because the first time I saw it, I laughed so hard I cried, and I really needed a laugh again (and got it); The Illusionist because I was like the audience for the title character's shows the first time I saw it--just kind of naive and awed and staring up at the action with my mouth hanging open. So I'll have to see it again and pay attention. Kind of like when my daughter told me to go see The Sixth Sense again and pay attention to what Bruce Willis's character was wearing. (Plot-wise, this is unrelated, folks--just a movie watcher's analogy.)

At first, the old-fashioned circle wipes seemed a little distracting, but in retrospect, they were part of the excellent movie-making decisions that created the illusion of time and place in this film. A really good story with really good art direction and really good actors, costumes and settings. Definitely worth a go-see--or two!

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20/08/2013 16:39 par tellurikwaves

One Of The Classiest Films You'll See All Year

It is a story that should keep most viewers intrigued all the way and perhaps surprised quite a bit at the end. Edward Norton does his normal job of making you fascinated with whatever character he's playing, this time a magician with almost supernatural powers: "Herr Eisenheim." The character he plays, and the tone of the movie in general, is pretty low-key with next to nothing in (on screen) violence or profanity.

It's simply a classy film and a modern-day one that older folks would very much enjoy as well as younger adults. Paul Giamatti also is very interesting as the police inspector, torn between his allegiance to the villain crown prince and to the truth and what is the right thing to do. The movie, however, belongs to Norton.In a nutshell: good stuff, classy film. I haven't talked to anybody yet who watched this and didn't like it.

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20/08/2013 16:36 par tellurikwaves

TRIVIA

-The character Prince Leopold says during a performance of Eisenheim at the palace: "He tries to trick you ... I try to enlighten you. Which is the more noble pursuit?" This reference is to a famous slogan the RJ Reynolds tobacco company used in the 1930's that said "It's fun to be fooled ... it's more fun to know." The slogan was combined with adverts showing the secrets behind famous mysteries. The impetus for this was a tribute to the popularity of the American magician Horace Goldin.

-During the scene where Eisenheim is performing at the Hofburg, he places the Crown Prince's sword upright on the stage. The first officer who attempts to lift it is unable. The second person to try - to whom the Crown Prince says "Not so eager, cousin" - is also unable. That second person was probably meant to be Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, who succeeded "Crown Prince Leopold's" father, Franz Josef, as Emperor in 1916.

-According to the director's commentary, Jessica Biel dressed in a period costume for her audition.

-The love scene was entirely lit by kerosene lamps. By the end of each take, the small room was filled with smoke that it was hard to see.

-Although the film is set in Austria, it was filmed mostly in the Czech Republic.
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-Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays the teenage Eduard in the beginning of the film, also learned how to do the ball trick.

-The method for creating the ghosts as shown to inspector Uhl involved the projection of a pre-recorded image into a hazy background. Since the ghosts Eisenheim conjured could speak to and interact with the audience, he most likely used a different method popular among magicians at that time. A fantascope was used to illuminate a real person off stage. The image was reflected off of a mirror or glassplate, creating a ghosted image. The lanterns that Eisenheim tells his assistants to leave behind when they are packing up the workshop bear a strong resemblance to fantascopes.

-Director Cameo
Neil Burger:  man projected onto smoke when Uhl tries to see how Eisenheim does his 'ghost' trick

 
-The trivia items below may give away important plot points.
The original story on which the movie is based does not include the artifice of the protagonist framing the Duke for murder. The protagonist gets away with a serious crime and yet is made to seem justified in this film. However, it was stated earlier in the story that Leopold had actually killed another woman to cover up the fact he was abusing her. Also, he was planning to overthrow his father, the Emperor. This would have been considered high treason and was punishable by death, even if you were a member of the royal family. Therefor, Leopold did pay for his previous crimes, albeit in a roundabout manner.

-When inspector Uhl and his men are searching Eisenheim's workshop he picks up a glass bottle with a dark red liquid in it. This is the same bottle Eisenheim placed in the suitcase he gave to Sophie before her 'murder'. It contained the blood mixture used to fake the murder.

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20/08/2013 16:35 par tellurikwaves

TRIVIA

-Although the story is fictional, some of the details are based on the life of Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf, only son of Emperor Franz Josef. The painting of the emperor which Eisenheim creates is an actual portrait of Franz Josef. The bodies of Rudolf and his mistress, the Baroness Mary Vetsera, were found at his hunting lodge Mayerling on January 30, 1889 in what is now known as the "Mayerling Incident". This was initially covered up by the Imperial Family, creating controversy and mystery.

-When Prince Leopold is approached by Inspector Uhl, while hunting, to inform him of Eisenheim and Sophie's meetings, the Prince asks what they were seen doing together. The line about if they were seen "fornicating" was originally filmed as him saying "fucking" instead. They dubbed in the word "fornicating" to avoid an R-Rating in compliance with the MPAA's policy that the f-word not be used in reference to intercourse in a PG-13 film.

-Edward Norton did many of his own magic tricks, with the coaching of James Freedman. He worked with Norton preparing him for his stage performances and acted as a hand double in numerous situations.

-Jessica Biel replaced Liv Tyler, who dropped out of the film just as filming was about to begin.

-The character of Eisenheim is closely based on the magician and supposed clairvoyant Erik Jan Hanussen, who was famous in Vienna in the early part of the 20th century and was murdered by Nazi soldiers in 1933.

-The trick of the Orange Tree was made famous by a 19th Century French magician named Robert-Houdin. It was from Robert-Houdin that another magician, Ehrich Weiss, came up with the stage name "Houdini." This trick is first mentioned in old Indian manuscript as an illusion by Faux. Analogical trick was also performed by Pinetti, an 18th Century magician, but instead of oranges, he used lemons. Houdini was the first one to use real fruits.

-The character portrayed by Philip McGough is shown in the credits to be named Dr. Hofzinser, after a prominent sleight-of-hand artist.

-So that the crew would not have to use CGI to "fake" the magical illusions seen in the movie, Norton received intensive training in sleight of hand and other stage magic techniques from British magician James Freedman and American magician Ricky Jay.

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20/08/2013 16:32 par tellurikwaves

Make Us Disappear

Author: David Ferguson (fergusontx@gmail.com) from Dallas, Texas
27 August 2006

Greetings again from the darkness. The trailer and two male leads for this one made it a must see. What we get is an incredibly stylish, cool work of art ... and a decent (not great) film. Director Neil Burger, whom I know nothing about, has obviously studied Hitchcock and some of the great period pieces in Hollywood history. His lighting and shot selection are beautiful.

What is missing here is a captivating, suspenseful story line. Really only two half-developed sub-plots exist. The first one is, will the Police Inspector (played brilliantly by Paul Giamatti) "catch" Eisenheim (a mesmerizing performance by Edward Norton) in the tricks of his illusions? The second, and much less interesting, is the odd love story between the long ago adolescent friends (Norton and Jessica Biel). This second story is borderline preposterous as we are supposed to believe some unbreakable bond occurred between these two at age 14 that even 15 years apart (and maturity and life lessons) could not break.

Missing suspense aside, this is a very entertaining film thanks to the style of the film and the joy of watching two of our best working actors - Norton and Giamatti. We actually sense Norton's pain throughout and Giamatti again wreaks eternal resignation to his plight. Also adding to the fun is popcorn evil bad guy, The Crown Prince, played well enough by Jude Law lookalike Rufus Sewell. Luckily, Biel's contribution is limited to big hair, big lips, a big smile and very few lines of dialogue.

The spiritualism of this era in Venice is touched upon, but actually very little historical significance is given to the Illusionists of the time, who were worshiped by the masses until they were exposed and then deposed.Definitely worth seeing, but disappointing due to its lack of story breadth and substance.