44 | ‘THE ILLUSIONIST’ (2010), REAL MAGIC, & RABBIT STEW

Frames and Fools: Film, Filmmakers, and Foolishness

Who is ‘The Illusionist’ (2010)? Is he a magician, bringing small miracles to life for the entertainment of a willing audience? Is he an old man, watching the world pass him by? Is he the guilt of an artist who put their craft before all else? In this case, anyway, he is not Edward Norton, Christian Bale, or Hugh Jackman. He is Jacques Tati, Monsieur Hulot himself, a character playing a character across a watercolor Europe. Created from Tati’s previously unproduced script, ‘The Illusionist’ is a beautiful and melancholy tale about time, growing up, and the relevance of rabbits. The story behind the story is a sad one, a tale of regret and pain. From that place came the inspiration for an exquisitely rendered journey from Paris to Scotland. Edinburgh has never looked more lovely and wistful. We continued our Tati twofer to see if his unmistakably visual humor translated into another medium as well as we expected. Did the creative minds behind ‘The Triplettes of Belleville’ (2003) pull it off? Tune in and see.

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