Chichester Cinema at New Park
The Illusionist
- L'illusionniste
A superb animated feature by Sylvain Chomet (Belleville Rendez-Vous) based upon Jaques Tati's melancholic ode to the passing era of Music Hall entertainment.
Make sure you scroll to the bottom to see details on the Opening Gala Canapés & Drinks.
We are delighted to open this year’s Festival with the English Premiere of ‘The Illusionist’, following its Edinburgh UK Premiere. Screenwriter-Director Sylvain Chomet chose to go the old-school route when he adapted French comedy legend Jacques Tati's previously unmade script into an animated feature.
The creator of the wonderful ‘Belleville Rendez-Vous’ harnessed an army of animators to hand-draw much of the film, frame by frame. The story is a re-reflecting of Tati's melancholic ode to the passing era of Music Hall entertainment and it's a lovely film to look at, with its vivid, romantic imagery of Fifties Scotland, Paris and London.
At the centre of the film is an old Jacques Tati-esque illusionist who has discovered that there is waning interest for his sleight of hand tricks in this era of cinema and rock 'n' roll. In his quest for greener pastures, he moves from Paris to Edinburgh, via London and the Western Isles, adopting a naive, young Scottish girl who fully believes in his magical powers and follows him to Edinburgh.
The two stay in a hotel occupied by washed-up performers, and through a series of incidents learn something about themselves. As with Belleville Rendez-vous there is little dialogue spoken. People more like grunt and mutter barely comprehensibly in French, Gaelic, or English.
The story unwinds at a gentle pace with its subtle, nostalgic tone punctuated with the kind of amusing slapstick sequences that you might find in old black-and-white comedies. But there's also a dark side to the vision that comes out in the visual humour involving a drunken Scotsman, namby pamby rock stars, a gang of thuggish school kids, and, the magician's demonic rabbit. The imagery and characters, with all the fantastic artistic detail, will make an impression on audiences that is likely to last. Sheer delight!
France · 2010 · Sylvain Chomet · 80min
