Thursday, October 20, 2011
DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?
Today's bittersweet animated film was
L'illusionniste / The Illusionist (2010)
This is based on an unproduced script by Jaques Tati.The main character is a Tati lookalike and there are funny references to Tati's other films.
But the character is not the fondly remembered Tati of Mr. Hulot's Holiday. That is Mr. Hulot.
In this story, about the death of live variety shows, the magician falls in a kind of paternal love with a young woman who is from the provinces and follows him on the road.
She believes that he is a true magician and not an illusionist.
As the film unfolds, everyone learns that there is no magic but of course there is. Everywhere. Even the magician's rabbit finds it.
Did I say this was bittersweet? A tear or two will fall.
We all want to believe in magic.
This is by the Three Sisters people and the artistry is at a very high level. They do the 3D with handdrawn pictures. The old fashioned way.
There is a lot of nostalgia here if you are old enough to embrace the period, say the 50s when television arrived.
Labels: films
