 |
Seeing is Believing…right?
Author: Tsoof and Eden Baras  | Posted: 15-01-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 4 | Rating: (50)  (?) 
The thing about magic tricks, is that magicians can perform amazing things like decapitating limbs and it looks so real, if you didn't know better, you would think it was so. Pulling objects out of thin air and making things disappear, no matter how simple, appears genuine to the viewer.
"The Illusionist" is one of the more recent movies in my well of infinitely wise movies. The movie centers on Eduard Abramovich, the son of a peasant cabinetmaker in Austria-Hungary. As a young boy, Eduard befriends Sophie, the Duchess von Teschen, whose parents have hired Mr. Abramovich as a cabinetmaker. As a teenager, Eduard meets a traveling magician along a road. The magician performs several tricks for him and then, according to various accounts, both the magician and the tree he was sitting under vanish. Eduard becomes obsessed with magic tricks after this and decides to travel the world.
Because they are forbidden to see each other, Eduard and Sophie meet in a secret hideout in the forest. Eduard gives Sophie a unique puzzle locket which, if twisted correctly will open to reveal the picture within. Eduard tells Sophie of his plans to go to China to learn more magic and Sophie promises to go with him. On the day that they are going to leave, however, the police come looking for Sophie. The two hide in the secret room and Sophie begs him to make them both disappear. Of course, he cannot do it and they are separated.
Eduard leaves his village to travel the world and perfect his magic. He arrives in Vienna 15 years later as Eisenheim the Illusionist (Edward Norton). In his first performance, Eisenheim talks of life by using his tricks. He manages to slow the speed of an orange while he is throwing it from one palm to another and to grow an orange tree in mere seconds. He meets Sophie (Jessica Biel) at his performance when she is volunteered by the Crown Prince as a reluctant participant in a trick. The trick involves Sophie standing before a mirror in a hooded cloak. Behind her mirrored reflection, appears a duplicate of her which beheads her reflection. A cloud of white (which represents a soul) comes floating up from the dead reflection and out of the mirror and Sophie silently faints.
The Crown Prince Leopold invites Eisenheim to perform before the greatest minds in Vienna at a private viewing. Using the Crown Prince's sword, he manifests the story of the sword Excalibur. Men from the audience come up and try to lift the sword but none can do it because as the story goes, only the rightful king can raise the sword and so, only with a slight tug, can Leopold himself claim the sword. Eisenheim learns that Sophie is going to marry the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Sophie soon recognizes Eisenheim and they meet privately and make love.
After his humiliation of the Crown Prince during their private show, Eisenheim's show is shut out of Vienna. He and Sophie plan to flee the Empire together; but first Sophie reveals that Leopold is planning a coup d'etat to overthrow his Father, Franz Joseph I of Austria, while his engagement to her will win him the Hungarian half of the Empire. Eisenheim devises a way to free the Duchess von Teschen from her engagement and prevent the overthrowing of Franz Joseph I by creating new illusions at every turn.
Eisenheim buys a theatre and performs a new type of show by summoning spirits. Like the theme of this article, seeing is believing, the audience believes that Eisenheim is summoning real spirits.
I don't want to ruin the movie for you any further if you are going to see it, but suffice it to say that in the end, Eduard Abramovich/Eisenheim the Illusionist does manage to make himself and the love of his life, the Duchess von Teschen, disappear.
Of course Eisenheim states frequently to all the viewers of his majestic shows that everything is an illusion, but it makes you think, doesn't it? What you see is a tree growing before your eyes, but is that what is really happening? What you see is a handkerchief being thrown in the air and becoming a raven, but is that what is really happening?
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/movies-articles/seeing-is-believingright-305609.html
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
Alvin and the Chipmunks
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
Created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958, Alvin and the Chipmunks is a five time Grammy Award winning animated music group. The group consisted of three talking chipmunks (Alvin, the mischievous trouble maker, Simon, the smart one with glasses and Theodore, the chubby sweetheart). In the past, the chipmunks were shown as cartoons and now they are shown in a full length movie as anthropomorphic chipmunks.
The Fifth Element
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
I usually like really deep and meaningful movies a lot more than any others. Surprisingly, actions movies take my fancy once in a while and Bruce Willis usually stars in the more entertaining of the lot. "The Fifth Element" was a great action / sci-fi movie that I particularly liked and it managed to squeeze in a cute message just for good measure.
Books or Movies
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
Have you ever been disappointed by reading a book and then watching its film? Have you ever watched a film and then read the book that it was based on?
Merry Movies
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
Christmas is a time of laughter and merriment with friends and family. For those celebrating at home and even those who are just taking a quick breather before going back to work, celebrate the Christmas season or end of year with a Comedy movie. Laugh your way into 2008 with a smile on your face and a positive attitude.
How Do Kids Choose Movies
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
How do kids choose their movies? It's a question many parents ask themselves. Young kids (and many adults) are so stressed about watching each movie the minute it hits the big screen that enormous queues are formed and tickets sell out before you even get half way to the door.
The Golden Compass – the Best Movie This Boxing Day
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
Of all the movies I have seen in the past while, one of the very few that I liked was, surprisingly, "The Golden Compass" which was released this Boxing Day. "The Golden Compass" showed all of the things I love in a movie: great actors, fantastic visual effects, amazing scenery, a great story and a good ending.
Human Trafficking - Made you Think Again
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
I wrote an article not too long ago about movies that make you think – about love, money, life. The other night I watched "Human Trafficking" and it topped all the movies I've seen in a while. This movie made me think about just-about-everything.
Happily Ever After
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 15/01/2008 | Movies
After careful consideration of the movies I have seen in my time, I have come to the conclusion that all those fairy tale, Disney movies like "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid" comprise a large part of my movie repertoire.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Q&A Powered by: 
Latest Movies Articles
Thread of Hope From Smita Thackeray
By: Vikram Singh Chadha | 20/08/2008
The true significance of Raksha bandhan lies in protecting little girls. And Smita Thackeray's Mukti Foundation did just that on rakhi.Music makers Bappi Lahiri and Sweta Pandit gathered to celebrate rakhi with the girls of the home
Event Management Company in India
By: manstone | 20/08/2008
Event Management is about organizing and coordinating an event or events that have a set of targeted audiences and needs a bit of a push to lure in more interest to the common public. The Event that you will be coordinating or managing will require some amount of research and study as it will help you in identifying certain important factors such as your target audience, the budget, the technical aspects and your modus of operandi for the entire set up.
Voltron is Back on Track!
By: vanko007a | 20/08/2008
One of my favourite cartoons as a child is going to get updated into a film. Yeah, we heard it before and the Voltron movie posibilities just didn’t seem to be happening. But word is now that movies like Transformers are proving to be a big hit, they are looking at other franchises that just didn’t seem realistic to make movies out of.
Humor: Best Simpson's Remark
By: nicaine | 18/08/2008
Humor is one of the best known remarks of The Simpsons.The Simpson's is an American animated comedy sitcom by FOX production major characterized by the Simpson Family.A typical family who live in Springfield living in an American culture , fictional characters have bulky eyes and wide mouths and yellow color bodies with different hair colors. Each of the family members have different but interesting characters that provide laughter and amusement to viewers.
Eddie Izzard Tickets—from Comedy to Film Career
By: Andrew Good | 18/08/2008
Eddie Izzard fans, get your tickets to see this performer live in a city near you.
Send Photos to India
By: Chowdary Potluri | 18/08/2008
16Frames is the only online provider meeting your Online Photo Printing and Online Photo Sharing needs and physically delivering them to anyone in India.
Titanic Movie Song
By: Boris Tomson | 18/08/2008
I watched Titanic Movie Song a few days back and fond myself crying again. I had cried and bereaved the huge loss of human lives when I watched that movie last time.
Titanic Movie Music
By: Boris Tomson | 18/08/2008
I watched Titanic Movie Music a few days back and fond myself crying again. I had cried and bereaved the huge loss of human lives when I watched that movie last time.
More from Tsoof and Eden Baras
Pocahontas
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 24/05/2008 | Movies
Contrasting all those other movies that show special effects and high speed car races, Pocahontas is all about appreciating the natural world and trusting our inner most feelings.
Based on real historical events, Pocahontas depicts a slightly different version of John Smith's expedition to Virginia.
Csi: Crime Scene Investigation
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 16/05/2008 | Television
Most people, especially grown-ups, think they are immune to the messages on television, but research shows this is not true. However, over time, we become conditioned by the shows we watch on TV and bring the feelings and situations we see into our own world.
Cats Don't Dance – Go After What You Want
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 16/05/2008 | Movies
Danny, the orange tabby, has always wanted to go to Hollywood to become a movie star. He decides to leave his home town Kokomo to become a magnificent star in Hollywood. He journeys there and as soon as he gets to the agent Farley Wink, he lands himself a part in a movie with Darla Dimple, a young girl with a giant servant. In the movie Darla acts as the 'ark angel' who loves animals whereas in real life she despises animals and strongly fights the urge to anihilate them.
Titanic - Change is Inevitable
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 05/05/2008 | Movies
The movie "Titanic" is set around the luxury cruise ship called "Titanic", which sailed across the Atlantic Ocean in 1912, hit an iceberg in the middle of the night and sank, taking 1,517 people to their death.
Most Profitable Movies of All Times
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 03/05/2008 | Movies
Movies, just like any other form of business, are an investment to its makers. When decisions are made about whether to make the movie or not, again, the business people ask, how much money can we make?
Top 10 Black and White Movies
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 02/05/2008 | Movies
Life, just like the movies I have seen, is in full colour. When I hear about a black and white movie, it seems boring and not appealing but in fact, some of the black and white movies were, and still are some of the classics of all time.
Step Up 2: the Streets
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 02/05/2008 | Movies
A good movie is one that you rave about for three days after you see it and if you get the chance you will watch it again. For me, I usually ponder and discuss the more meaningful, heartfelt movies like ones that explain different strands of belief in the universe or the meaning of reincarnation. Just for a change I decided to watch "Step Up 2: The Streets" and boy was I impressed.
Spiderwick Chronicles - the Movie
By: Tsoof and Eden Baras | 02/05/2008 | Movies
Based on the best selling novel, The Spiderwick Chronicles is a story about the Grace family(Jared, his twin brother Simon, sister Mallory and their mom) who move to a large home once owned by their great great uncle Arthur Spiderwick after their dad leaves the family. At first Jared doesn't like the house and is blamed for strange disappearences of medals, keys and many different other things,but when he finds a food transporter in the wall with all the missing things and a strange key in it.
|
|
Art and Entertainment 
