Magic Moments
To Edinburgh again this afternoon, but this time a silver-screen version.
Adapted from a Jacques Tati story, Sylvain Chomet's animated movie, The Illusionist, is set in the Scottish capital and features a magician and a demented rabbit.
The movie sensitively portrays the slow death of variety. The Illusionist of the title is an ageing conjurer struggling to make a living in the face of changing tastes. Along with ventriloquism and acrobatics, magic is shown being elbowed out by cinema, television and pop music.
Although it's quite a sad story, there are some very funny moments, often involving that crazy rabbit.
It's so refreshing to see an animated film without the bells and whistles of CGI and 3-D, a real celebration of the cartoonist's craft. The depiction of 1950s Edinburgh is sublime, the aerial views and day-to-night transitions especially mesmerising.
Chomet spent five years in the city, so he got to know it well. Although he's offering a romanticised version, the images and music beautifully match the sentiments in the story.
In short: it's magic.
Adapted from a Jacques Tati story, Sylvain Chomet's animated movie, The Illusionist, is set in the Scottish capital and features a magician and a demented rabbit.
The movie sensitively portrays the slow death of variety. The Illusionist of the title is an ageing conjurer struggling to make a living in the face of changing tastes. Along with ventriloquism and acrobatics, magic is shown being elbowed out by cinema, television and pop music.
Although it's quite a sad story, there are some very funny moments, often involving that crazy rabbit.
Click to viewIt's so refreshing to see an animated film without the bells and whistles of CGI and 3-D, a real celebration of the cartoonist's craft. The depiction of 1950s Edinburgh is sublime, the aerial views and day-to-night transitions especially mesmerising.
Chomet spent five years in the city, so he got to know it well. Although he's offering a romanticised version, the images and music beautifully match the sentiments in the story.
In short: it's magic.