SIFF Opening Night: The Illusionist

There are few things in the life of a cinephile more exciting than opening night of a film festival. Okay, it's not world peace, maybe, or birth of a child, but on the scale of coolness and sheer energy, Opening Night is way up there. Last night was the Opening Night of the 32nd Annual Seattle International Film Festival -- the largest film fest in the United States, according to the festival staff who kicked things off. 400-plus films, shown over 25 days, to more filmgoers than anywhere else in the US. Why? Well, because we really love our movies here. That, and it rains a lot here.

Opening Night, showcasing Neil Burger's darkly magical fairy tale The Illusionist,  was held at The Paramount, an historic "movie palace" complete with balconies, lots of gold overlay, and sparkly chandeliers. The theater was packed with the usual eclectic Seattle blend of party people: film geeks, college students, yuppie couples all dressed up for a night on the town, and, of course, the passholes. This is Seattle, not Cannes, so formal wear is not required (heck, we might even laugh at you), but a few people show up dressed to the nines anyhow. Most of the crowd was "Seattle-dressy" - meaning you wear your nice blue jeans (the $500 ones with the holes artfully placed in just the right places), and add on a dressy top, jewelry, and non-Birkenstock footwear to gussy it up.

The theater was buzzing with a fervor of excitement; you could practically feel it in the air, this sense that we've waited for a whole YEAR since the last SIFF, for pity's sake, and now it's finally here, so let's get this party started already. After torturing us with several speeches, including one by the mayor (snoooooze), they brought out Burger and female lead Jessica Biel (fresh off the plane from shooting whatever film she's working on now). Burger made apologies for Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti not able to being there (both are shooting films in New York at the moment) but assured the crowd they really wished they could be there. Really. Biel didn't get to do much besides stand there looking decorative, but she did that very well.

Then, at last,  the film -- which I can't tell you too much about, sadly, because it's a "hold review" film, so we can't run the full review until the film's release in August. The film didn't generate a ton of buzz at Sundance, which I thought was odd, given the cast. The film is a romantic fairy tale/murder mystery, kind of a blend of The Princess Bride with a dash of The Usual Suspects thrown in. Set in 1900 Vienna, the film tells the tale of two young lovers, Sophie and Edward, who are separated by station and circumstance. Some years later, Sophie, a duchess (Jessica Biel, looking truly stunning in period attire and minimal makeup), is set to marry Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a highly intelligent and controlling cur with a penchant for abusing women, when Edward (Edward Norton) -- now known as Eisenheim the Illusionist -- shows up in Vienna. The two soon find each other, much to the Crown Prince's annoyance, and Leopold sets his sights on destroying Eisenheim. Caught in the middle of the battle between Leopold and Eisenheim is Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti, as good in this film as you would expect him to be), who admires Eisenheim, but nonetheless must go after him to secure himself a position with the Crown Prince. When Sophie turns up dead, Eisenheim puts all his formidable energy into convincing the inspector the Crown Prince is guilty, and seeing justice done.

Norton is one of my favorite actors, and he brings his trademark intensity to the role of Eisenheim, along with the passion and sense of romance one would expect from a film like The Illusionist. It's not a typical role for Norton, but he handles it quite well. Biel isn't given a whole lot to do besides look very lovely; she seems a bit mismatched against powerhouse actors like Norton and Giamatti, but if she's trying to stretch her professional wings, these are the kind of actors she needs to be working with. The film is beautifully shot, with a lovely, mystical feel in keeping with its theme, and and the score by Philip Glass carries the film along nicely.

It was certainly a crowd-pleasing film; the audience applauded thuderously over the closing credits, as they rushed over each other to be first in line for the free chimigangas, sushi, fried chicken and "SIFF lemonade -- a tasty concoction involving lemonade and a substantial dose of Bombay Sapphire) at the post-screening Gala Party down the street. Carried along by the momentum of a free-flowing supply of booze, with plenty of free lattes and trays of candied apple slices and fudge to keep the sugar levels up, the party boogied late into the night to the beat of '80s dance music. It was still going strong when we left; I, sadly, am too old to be out after midnight on a school night, especially with 40 or so films on my viewing schedule over the next 25 days. All in all, both film and party were a great kick-off to SIFF. Now, on with the films!