A SIFF 2006 Interview

Adapting other people’s literary works is never easy, but in the case of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser’s short story Eisenheim the Illusionist that task seemed almost impossible. But the elliptical structure of the tale didn’t dissuade filmmaker Neil Burger. “It’s not really a film,” says the director about Millhauser’s work, “but, to me, it’s still very cinematic. I’m interested in the issues and ideas the story raises, about blurring the distinction between art and reality, life and illusion. [I find] that very compelling.”

All good points, but just because the ideas are sound didn’t make bringing The Illusionist to life on the big screen any easier. “I had to create a narrative through-line to get things to flow dramatically,” said Burger. “I created this love triangle between Eisenheim, Sophie and [Crown Prince] Leopold for that reason. This point of view then becomes the eyes and ears and soul of the movie.”

“But this triangle isn’t what interests me,” continues the director. “My movie is about perception and power and how one influences the other. I am far less interested in the 'how' of something is done than I am with impact that it has on the people viewing it. My movie is an extended magic trick. A visual game. It is about how we see the world.”

How the audience saw this world took a lot of work, not the least of which was finding the right actors to play the two principal roles of the illusionist Wisenheimer and the police inspector hard on his case, Uhl. “When you see Edward Norton in other roles,” comments Burger, “he always looks like he’s holding something back. Some sort of secret. This was exactly the trait I was looking for when casting Eisenheim. He’s this intense, passionate guy, and I knew he would work incredibly hard to make sure the character came to life.”

“Eisenheim is a highly intelligent performer yet is an entertainer that is not trying to entertain you. He almost asks the audience to take it [his magic act] or leave it, whatever they enjoyment or other emotions they take away from the experience of watching the show completely up to them. Edward is that way, too, I think. It is that sort of perceptive intelligence and skill which made him so perfect for the role.”

For Chief Inspector Uhl, Burger went a completely different direction, casting noted character actor (and recent Oscar nominee) Paul Giamatti in a part many would never have thought him for. “You get very little of Uhl’s back story in [The illusionist],” says Burger, “everything the character believes or feels comes through his eyes. You just look at him and you know all about [Uhl’s] ambition and the petty little humiliations he’s endured to claw his way up from the bottom. That’s the contract he’s made with himself. He’s now pretty much completely corrupt, but there’s a tiny little shred of his soul his holding on to and Eisenheim helps him to see that.”

“Paul understood this about the character immediately. While he’s not the first person you would think of for this role for me there was no other choice. He read the script, really liked it, thought working with Edward would be worth doing and from there he was an integral part of our team. The movie is seen through Uhl’s eyes and Paul handles all I required of him masterfully.”

Giamatti wasn’t the only unusual casting choice. “I was looking for someone who was kind of a newcomer, an actress audiences hadn’t seen too much of for Sophie,” claimed Burger. “She needed to appear like European royalty, yet the bigger the star the more likely there person inhabiting the character would throw you off and take you out of the movie.”

“When Jessica [Biel] came in she proved to be a real adventurer, absolutely fearless in regards to the places I asked her to go. I Wanted Sophie to be bold, to not suffer fools, to show an adventurous spirit. That’s her struggle throughout. Jessica understood that, really surprising me at times with the breadth of her performance.”

The actors weren’t the only obstacle, but working with acclaimed cinematographer Dick Pope (Topsy-Turvy) helped Burger in overcoming them. “[Dick and I] had specific ideas all along,” comments the filmmaker. “I wanted an almost hand-cranked look to it, wanted the film to walk that thin line between mystery and dreams. Dick got that right from the start.”

“We had to do a lot of testing. I wanted the film to resemble an old photographic process called ‘autochrome,’ a process invented by the Lumiere Brothers in the late 19^th century. Once we got what we thought was the right visual look, we then shot the picture. What Dick does [in The Illusionist] I think is extraordinary. The movie really has a lot of disquieting undertones, an uncertainty to it that walks a very fine line between what you reveal and what you withhold. It’s much the same way in the script and Dick was able to visualize that exactly as I had hoped he would.”

And will audiences respond? “I hope so,” says Burger. “If people are looking for a movie about morals and manners, this is not that film. This is about perception and power and how one influences the other. It’s really a giant cat and mouse game at heart. I hope audiences see that and really enjoy themselves.”