Double Feature

September 2008 - Did you know that September is a magical month? It's true! From September 11-13, members of the Magicians' Alliance of Eastern States (MAES) will gather at the Embers in Carlisle for their annual convention. The high point promises to be the magic show that will close the convention on Saturday night. Here are a couple movies that may – or may not – give you some insight into how magic is made.

In The Illusionist, Edward Norton pulls every trick in the book - and then some - to get the woman he loves. Jessica Biel and Paul Giamatti co-star in this PG-13 period piece from 2006.

The movie is set in Vienna in, I'm guessing, the late 1800s when the Austro-Hungarian Empire was still around. Norton plays Eisenheim the Illusionist, the son of a humble cabinet-maker. Biel is Sophie, born a duchess. The two meet as children and fall in love. But, Sophie's people don't approve, so she's whisked back to the castle and Eisenheim is left with a broken heart. He spends the next 15 years traveling the world and perfecting his craft.

Eventually, he returns to Vienna. On opening night, he encounters Sophie when she's forced to volunteer for his act. The person who forced her to volunteer is Prince Leopold, a cruel man who has designs on marrying Sophie. Unfortunately for him, he's no match for the magic of love.

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. There's actually not a lot to complain about here. The performances are fine and the soundtrack by Philip Glass is hardly noticeable, which usually means it's pretty good. My only problem is that the movie is utterly predictable. From the moment Eisenheim returns to Vienna you know he's going to reunite with Sophie. Still, even though you know where this movie is going, it's fairly entertaining to watch it get there.

More entertaining is The Prestige, also rated PG-13 and also from 2006. Between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Christian Bale and the Nolan brothers found time to make this movie about rival magicians at the start of the 20th century. Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson also star.

Bale plays Alfred Borden and Jackman is Robert Angier. In the beginning, they're part of the same magic show in London. But then, Angier's wife, who is also part of the act, drowns during one of the tricks. Angier blames Borden, then it's game on to see who can become the premiere magician of the day.

Overall review: Liked it. In the introductory voice over, it's explained that every magic trick has three parts. The prestige is the third part in which whatever was made to disappear is made to reappear. The thing is that, in order to achieve the prestige, you might have to get your hands dirty. The last hour is intense and engrossing as Borden and Angier raise the stakes higher and higher. It's fascinating to see just how far each man will go to pull off the prestige and get revenge on his rival.