The Illusionist - Sylvain Chomet's animated feature creates an Edinburgh never seen before

List.co.uk
2 June 2010

This article is from 2010.

The Illusionist - Sylvain Chomet creates Edinburgh as never seen before

On Arthur's Seat, looking west over Salisbury Crags

Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist, the film opening the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival, puts a vision of Edinburgh, and rural Scotland, on screen like no other. Set in 1950s Edinburgh and the Western Isles, locations depicted in the animated feature include Princes Street, The Balmoral Hotel, Broughton Place, George Street, Arthur's Seat and Oban.

Full EIFF listings at www.list.co.uk/festival

More stills available at www.lillusionniste-lefilm.com

Edinburgh's Princes Street, looking West

Jenners on Princes Street, opposite the Scott Monument

On George Street, looking West to Charlotte Square

Not too sure about this one. A port on one the islands where the mainland ferry terminates. Any suggestions?

Oban harbour and train station.

Passing through the Sound of Mull, past Duart Castle? Suggestions on exact on location welcome.

The Illusionist trailer

The Illusionist

2010
UK/France
83 min
12A

Directed by: Sylvain Chomet
Cast: Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin

The product of five years' work in an animation studio that Chomet (Belleville Rendezvous) set up in Edinburgh when he fell in love with the capital after attending its International Film Festival, this is an uncannily accurate portrayal of Edinburgh and Scotland. The story is an unfilmed script from Jacques Tati and the…

Comments

1. GP_1966 – 4 Jun 2010, 8:09am Report

Chomet tries to seduce Edinburgh with lies about a love letter to Scotland in an attempt to hide a very sad real life story as to why Jacques Tati wrote the Illusionist that Chomet’s adaptation spitefully disregards much to the distaste of one very one very Scottish family name.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/31/jacques-tati-lost-film-family-illusionniste

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/pages-for-twitter/the-shame-of-jacques-tati.html

Chomet it would appear never met or spoke to Sophie Tatischeff and hides behind her as dead woman can’t speak, he didn't read the Illusionist script until 2003, 2 years after she died.

EIFF should question the morals behind what it supports.

2. Harry45 – 15 Jun 2010, 4:44am Report

@GP_1966
Nonsense. You argue Chomet "spitefully disregards" Tati's private family dramas which may or may not have motivated him to write this script. In fact Chomet quite rightly focuses on the script itself, unlike you, whoever you are.

This film looks to be a perfect choice for the EIFF, in my humble but reasonably sane opinion.

3. unpetitmotdelucie – 7 Oct 2010, 5:59pm Report: I wish I had made this film. It really is so beautiful, it will haunt me forever.

4. Dr Toph – 27 Dec 2010, 11:43pm Report: After an evening of drunken research, we have established that on his journey to the isles, the illusionist passes over the Lochy Railway bridge, takes the ferry past Duart Castle, disembarks at Craignure, before taking the wee boat from Fionnphort to Iona.
The car crash took place at the junction of the A849 and the B8035 near Pennyghail. My brother-in-law has only had one car accident in his life and its was on the same road with a certain 'Peter Gentleman'.
Geekery abounds!