The Illusionist is a romance classic that shook a monarchy and questioned existence.

What the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes.

The 2006 mystery romance filmThe Illusionistwas written and directed by Neil Burger.

It stars Edward Norton and Jessica Biel as childhood lovers separated by class and an evil prince.

Norton and Biel approach Rick and Ilsa levels of romance and intrigue in this film.

LikeCasablanca,The Illusionistsets a star-crossed pair against a growing threat to the world around them.

Millhauser won the Pulitzer Prize for it in 1997.

The Illusionistis one of the great modern love stories, up there with the classic Rob Reiner filmPrincess Bride.

Both films celebrate the unseen magical force of love.

Both are lovers and friends since childhood.

While the brilliantPrincess Bridegoes for laughs,The Illusionistgoes for the aortic artery.

He died of a broken heart, how romantic is that?

Rudolf was the only son of Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria and Empress Elisabeth.

He was heir to the throne of the Habsburg Empire.

The Emperor wanted Rudolf to break it off with his mistress, the daughter of diplomat Baron Albin Vetsera.

But you didnt come here for a history lesson.

The Illusionisttakes place in Vienna in 1900.

Eisenheim returns to Vienna a successful stage magician while Sophie is on her way to marrying Crown Prince Leopold.

Almost, because the film is also an acting geeks dream.

All the performances are stellar.

Every look is a veiled threat.

Every question is a dare.

Every delay, even a slight pause, is scrutinized for a hint of treachery.

He then spirals inwardly into an abyss of megalomaniacal maelstrom.

It doesnt help that hes right.

He is being played.

Its enough to drive someone mad, but he never even gets that satisfaction.

Norton is magnetic, and not just in the love scenes.

His charisma is palpable on the streets of Vienna as he gives out coins to the local beggar boys.

He fully captures the magnetism of the inward concentration of a magician, black, white or sepia.

But its when he pins Jessica Biel up against the wall that the audience sees what shes been missing.

Not many people would have thought at the time that Jessica Biel could give such a performance.

She is intelligent, independent and knows when shes unhappy, and Leopold is beginning to scare her.

Magicians have been vilified for ages.

He brings the spirit of Inspector Renault to the film.

There are other links toCasablanca.

Eddie Marsan as Josef Fischer, Eisenheims manager, is playing Dooley Wilsons Sam.

He smells money like Sam smells trouble, wait, whos got trouble?

Hes uncomfortable, out of his depth, out of his class and always looking to solve another puzzle.

But it is the magician who takes the stage.

This is before soap was sold on radio or TV.

His shows become dark romantic poetry.

While all eyes are on Eisenheim, he disappears in plain sight, leaving nothing behind but evidence.

Any good magician, or fan, knows that the best illusions happen while the attention is held elsewhere.

Eisenheim keeps the focus on himself.

He is the first person to reach Sophie.

He is the first person to lay suspicion on the crown prince.

His grief is so large it cannot be contained in the earthly plane.

It spans the spiritual worlds.

He just misses her.

Uhl doesnt see the sleight of hand he knew was happening right in front of him.

The score by Philip Glass is probably the warmest music hes ever composed.

Dick Pope, the cinematographer, tints and sometimes drenches the screen in sepia.

Besides the romantic haze, the images recall the earliest, yellowing moving pictures.

He even gives them a strobe effect, like cells streaming across a nickelodeon.

I have a problem with the accents.

Sorry, but if theyre in Vienna and from Vienna, they wouldnt have accents.

They would only have accents if they were speaking in another language in a foreign country.

The neither-here-nor-there vaguely European and not quite English voices are completely unnecessary.

The Illusionistis a great late date pic for Valentines Day.

It is better with the light down low.

The film is a personal love story played out on an epic scale.

It is a modern romance classic.

Rating:

5 out of 5