How are people affected by change? Some are able to adapt, while others, sadly, are not. The

‘50s were known for many things that changed the American and European culture: post-

war affluence, the rise of modern jazz, the rise of ‘fast food’ restaurants and drive-ins, the

invention of the teenager, the rise of drive-in theaters, and the rise of the anti-hero in films,

such as James Dean, Paul Newman, and Marlon Brando. The 50’s were also known for the

beginning of a new genre of music, as well as a new form of entertainment: Rock and Roll.

This meant the end of traditional performers, such as illusionists, clowns, and ventriloquists.

Jacques Tati wrote the script for the film The Illusionist. Tati was a music-hall mime before

turning to film directing. The film was inspired by Tati, and is a “modest homage to its

writer and a melancholy look at a lost world.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

The passage of time, the changes in trends, and the differences in class are three major

themes that L’Illusionniste deals with.

“It is the dusty stage world of magic and dancing girls that this film recalls with a delicate

visual style, tender humor, and a sense of loss.” – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

L’Illusionniste was directed by Sylvain Chomet, and was created with both hand-drawn animation and computer-generated animation. The film was based on a short sketch of a script by Jacques Tati. It was released in France on May 16th of 2010. It opened in 84 French cinemas and entered the box office at #8, with a revenue of €495,030 ($600,099) in the first weekend. The Illusionist shows

the less glamorous side of life of an

entertainer. Set in 1959 Europe, it

follows the story of a magician and

his attempts to survive in the emerging

new culture of entertainers.

L’Illusionniste is a story that presents the theme of the end and the beginning of an era. The main

character is Tatischeff, an illusionist who is struggling to find jobs now that the popularity of his art is

declining. With emerging rock stars stealing the show in 1959, Tatischeff is forced to take on more

obscure assignments in fringe theaters, at garden parties, and in bars and cafés. He meets Alice while

performing at a pub located in an isolated Scottish village, where the villagers are celebrating the arrival

of electricity on their island. Alice is amazed by his tricks, and believes that his magic is real.

Encouraged by the illusionist’s kindness, Alice follows Tatischeff to Edinburgh, where they fall into a

daughter-father relationship. Alice tends to their home at a boarding house for vaudevillians, while

Tatischeff works in a small local theatre. He presents Alice with her materialistic desires (such as a new

coat and new shoes), which he has ‘conjured’ into

existence. Worried about disappointing her, Tatischeff

does not reveal to her that magic does not exist and

that he is driving himself to ruin working all night

jobs to buy her gifts.

The setting is 1959 Europe. The Illusionist is first seen at a theatre

in Paris, where it is shown that his popularity has greatly

declined. He then travels to London, where he is outshined by

the rock band Billy Boy and the Britoons. Next, he journeys to

a small and remote island in Scotland, where his show is finally

shown some appreciation. However, soon after his

performance, the villagers find a greater entertainment in a

light switch and a jukebox. Finally, The Illusionist

travels to Edinburgh,

where he stays for a while,

before moving on.

The Illusionist, Tatischeff

A magician struggling to keep audiences

interested in his old-fashioned sleights of

hand, the main character resembles the great

French comic actor and filmmaker Jacques

Tati. Generous and kind, he takes on more

jobs to support Alice’s tastes.

Alice

A naïve young girl, Alice is awestruck after witnessing The Illusionist’s show. Believing that his tricks are real magic, and encouraged by his kindness and generosity, Alice follows the Illusionist to Edinburgh.

Other Struggling Entertainers

This includes a suicidal clown, a

ventriloquist, and a trio of acrobats

who are living in poverty because their

practices are dying in this new age.

Jacques Tati was a beloved entertainer in France before,

after and during World War II. His performances were

said to have lifted the spirits of the downtrodden war-

time population. Tati was also a writer and director. He

was recognized as the 46th greatest movie director of all

time by Entertainment Weekly.

The Illusionist was written by Tati in the late 1950s

and was originally titled “Film Tati No. 4”. The

script was to have been a follow-up to Tati’s film

Mon Oncle. The film was never produced by Tati,

but was instead handed over to Sylvain Chomet by

Tati’s daughter Sophie.

There’s some speculation about whether Tati wrote this film due to his feeling of regret for his lack of involvement in the life of his illegitimate daughter, Helga Schiel. Some also believe that it was a script written for his legitimate daughter, Sophie. Whomever the film was written for or inspired by, it is undoubtedly a tale of Tati’s life experiences.

The first footage of the film was shown at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. The Illusionist won 7 out of the 24 awards it was nominated for. These include:

Best Animated Feature Film nomination at the 68th Golden Globe Awards.

Best Animated Feature Film nomination in the 83rd Academy Awards.

Best Animated Feature nomination for Annie Award.

Won the 1st Cesar Award for Best Animated Feature on February 25th, 2011

Won the 2010 European Film

Award for Best Animated Film.

The continued growth of the lower-price cinema in the early 1910s was the major cause of the decline in traditional entertainment – vaudeville. Lured by greater salaries and less arduous working conditions, many performers and personalities used the prominence gained in live variety performance to vault into the world of the cinema. By doing this, however, many performers often exhausted in a few moments of screen time the novelty of an act that might have kept them on tour for several years. Vaudeville also suffered due to the rise of broadcast radio after the inexpensive receiver sets later in the decade. Some theatres continued to offer live entertainment, but by the 1930s, most theatres were forced by the Great Depression to economize. Some of the most famous vaudevillians continued the migration to cinema. Others, however, found that the gifts that had delighted live audiences did not translate well into different media. Many retired from performance and took on ordinary jobs from the world of the middle class.

Historian John Kennick wrote:

“Top vaudeville stars filmed their acts for one-time payoffs, inadvertently

helping to speed the death of vaudeville. After all, when ‘small time’

theatres could offer ‘big time’ performers on screen at a nickel a seat,

who could ask audiences to pay higher amounts for less impressive live

talents? The newly-formed RKO studios took over the famed Orpheum

vaudeville circuit and swiftly turned it into a chain of full-time movie

theatres. The half century tradition of vaudeville was effectively wiped

out within less than four years.”

The 1950s introduced the creation of the teenager. Teenagers were also the new and younger market. During the 1950s, films and music were directed towards teenagers, with the goal of making as much money as possible.

“There’s always a bit of aggression between a dad and his daughter when she is turning into a young woman but she’s behaving like a little girl. The dad doesn’t know what to do anymore; it’s a very peculiar moment –and The Illusionist is like her dad. That’s why she’s going through this crisis. And this time, at the end of the 50s, was the invention of teenagers, and teenagers were invented because they could buy things.” – Sylvain Chomet, on Alice and the Illusionist

The Nouvelle Vague or New Wave of popular music in France was embodied by a nonchalant, devil-may-care attitude. Film started to imitate US actors such as Humphrey Bogart while music imitated Elvis Presley. Youths were looking to be less serious than the generations of yesteryear.

“In the United States, the beginnings of rock and roll were in the spontaneous fusion of African-American rhythm and blues and European-American country and hillbilly music. In France, the beginnings of indigenous rock and roll lay in the efforts of individuals to convince record producers that such a music should he created because the market already existed.“ – Larry Portis, French Frenzies

The French Rock and Roll Revolution started with influence from the flux

of popularity in US Rock and Roll in the 1950s. Artists of the time have

admitted that it all started with them parodying songs from the US. This

brought about such titles as “Hiccup Rock”, "Go Cook An Egg, Man!” and

“Tell Me You Love Me Rock”. We can see this influence in the film via the

silliness of Billy Boy and the Britoons.

The rise in popularity of rock and roll music caused a great decline in more traditional “music hall” acts. The fans of rock and roll were young and had very little interest in such old fashioned styles of entertainment. Music halls were forced to book rock and roll bands or go out of business, This pushed out

the traditional performers.

The final demise of the

music hall and traditional

entertainment, however,

was the growing

popularity

of the television.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4AuxL7ciBk&edit=vd

THE END

What is the message of this movie? Do you agree or disagree with it?

What were you thinking as you finished watching the film?

The Illusionist chooses to leave in the end of the film. Explain why The Illusionist felt he needed to leave. What motivated him? What did this motivation have to do with the theme of the film?

In what ways are the characters’

actions driven by the cultural

changes of the time?

Analyze the 3 clips. How do

Tatischeff and Alice represent

the major themes of the movie?

Anna Slusser: Discussion Questions, gathering of information for

Rock and Roll Revolution and the Decline of Traditional

Entertainers slides, as well as the Jacques Tati slides.

Jesenia Calderón: Edit and design of slides and presentation,

creation of clips, as well as the gathering of information for the

presentation.

Dargis, Manohla. "Conjuring a Magical Relationship." The New York Times. The New York

Times, 23 Dec. 2010. Web. 10 Aug. 2014.

Dirks, Tim. "Film History of the 1950s." Film History of the 1950s. Filmsite, n.d. Web. 10 Aug.

2014.

French, Philip. "The Illusionist." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 22 Aug. 2010. Web. 8

Aug. 2014.

"The Illusionist (L'illusionniste)." - Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2014.

"The Illusionist (2010 Film)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 08 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 Aug. 2014.

Kehr, Dave. "Conjuring Tati's Spirit With Animation." The New York Times. The New York Times,

30 Oct. 2010. Web. 10 Aug. 2014.

"L'illusionniste." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 8 Aug. 2014.

O'Hara, Helen. "Director Sylvain Chomet On The Illusionist." Empireonline.com. Empire, 2010.

Web. 10 Aug. 2014.

Portis, Larry. "The Poverty of French Rock 'n' Roll by Larry Portis." The Poverty of French Rock

'n' Roll by Larry Portis. Libcom, 12 June 2011. Web. 8 Aug. 2014.

"RockMusicTimeline.com." Rock Music Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Aug. 2014.

"Vaudeville." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 July 2014. Web. 12 Aug. 2014.