Tag: sylvain chomet

A MAGNIFICENT LIFE – Review

We’re still officially a couple of months away from the big Summer movie season, so it’s interesting that one of its staples, the animated feature film, is having quite a successful 2026 (at least the first quarter). After the sports-themed smash from Sony, GOAT, Pixar is scoring (another sports term) big with HOPPERS. It’s still in the top five, a win (again) after their last few original (non-sequel) projects have fizzled. So, now let’s turn to a subject more familiar to the “art house”. Those mentioned flicks are in the usual cartoon genre of slapstick “funny animal” comedy. This week’s wide (select theatres, for sure) is in the “biopic” genre, a nonfiction animated film. It’s not a first as FLEE garnered three Oscar noms five years ago, and 2007’s PERSEPOLIS was a critical hit. Ah, but here’s a twist: the focus here is on a moviemaker, a writer-turned-director. And though he had his struggles, you will probably agree that this man lived A MAGNIFICENT LIFE.

The man in question is French stage and screen icon Marcel Pagnol. We first meet him close to the end of his career, when he “fell out of fashion” in the early 1960s. His latest play isn’t “putting butts in the seats”. After a party, he goes to his opulent home to “tinker” with another of his “perpetual motion machines”. His work is interrupted by the maid, who informs him that a messenger has arrived to pick up his autobiographical piece for a publisher. Ah, he sees that the carrier’s bike needs fixing, so he sends down some tools to “stall” him. Luckily, Marcel’s “muse” finally appears, a “memory-ghost” of himself as a boy of nine or ten. The lad guides him through his life, growing up near Marseille, clashing with his papa over a career pursuit while adoring his mother, who is taken from him far too soon. Eventually, Marcel teaches Latin at the local grade school, but he yearns to be a writer for the stage. After marrying, he and his new bride are swept up by the delights of Paris, where Marcel tries to get his work into a theatre. After returning to teaching, he’s given a chance, though his marriage crumbles. Eventually, Marcel is tapped by the budding local film industry and soon becomes a director and a studio head, opening a facility near his hometown. Over the years, he bonds with the famed actor Raimu, deals with the Nazi invasion in WWII, and begins a new romance with a lovely young actress. The memories fuel his pen, but can Marcel finish his tome before the delivery boy rings the doorbell to collect this rushed memoir?

It’s truly appropriate that the story of this wonderful artist is told by another wonderful artist, master filmmaker Sylvain Chomet. He adapted Pangol’s memoirs for this engaging screenplay. It’s another aspect of his considerable talents, displayed in this, his third animated feature film after the Oscar-nominated gems, THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (so delightful) and THE ILLUSIONIST (almost a comedy from the silent era). Let’s hope this isn’t the final entry in a “trilogy”, as he is one of the best artisans continuing the glories of classical 2D “line-drawn” feature-length animation. Yes, there’s some stunning work in CGI out there, but it’s refreshing to see these detailed line renderings brought to swirling life. Chomet evokes the history of historical caricature in his interpretation of these giants of French cinema, in front of and behind the camera. There’s even a touch of puppetry, as the heads are slightly out of proportion to the bodies, much like marionettes. This captures the emotions, since there’s not the manic action of most animation (a criticism from some), but the superb physical acting, especially the gestures and body language, really immerses us in the Pangol legacy. And yes, there’s a bit of computer tweaking with props and backdrops, and a couple of funny animals (who look and behave like, well, animals), but this stretches and expands the medium. Chomet also evokes the era by bringing the Art Deco-style magazine imagery of the 1920’s. And, there’s also the clever use of the real live-action footage when we see Pangol’s work on a movie screen or an editing device. Kudos also to the excellent vocal performances, led by Laurent Laffite as the adult Marcel. In short, Chomet and his army of artisans create a magnificent and moving tapestry of A MAGNIFICENT LIFE. Or should I be brief and just say “Magnifique”?


4 Out of 4

A MAGNIFICENT LIFE is now playing in select theatres

Review: THE ILLUSIONIST (2010)

Sometimes when an older idea or concept is told in a surprising new style by way of another medium, the result can be a something completely new. And in the case of this new film, something utterly charming. Sylvain Chomet has followed up his 2003’s THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE with this hand-drawn animated feature based on an unpublished story by the late Jacques Tati (MR. HULOT’S HOLIDAY ) called THE ILLUSIONIST. This tale harkins back to the simpler days of filmmaking while the animation techniques used to tell it are state of the hand-drawn art. It’s almost a leisurely trip back in time to a gentler world of wonder and magic.

THE ILLUSIONIST tells the story of an aging male magician (drawn to resemble Tati) who performs his act,accompanied by an ill-tempered rabbit, to small crowds at a Parisian vaudeville-style theatre. It is the early sixties and contemporary audiences have lost interest in his slight-of-hand and have embraced rock and roll-as embodied by Billy Boy and the Britoons. The magician is soon fired from his old performing home and, with his display poster, rabbit, and case of tricks, heads out to find a new place to work. Performing at a garden party, he attracts the attention of a Scotsman who hires him to entertain at his pub back home. At the island bar Alice, a teenage girl working as a maid, is mesmerized by the older gentleman. At the end of his engagement she sneaks aboard the ferry taking him to the mainland. He insists that she return, but Alice has decided that he needs her to take care of him. The old man relents and soon begins treating her as he would his own daughter. She begins housekeeping for him after he joins a theatre and rents a room at a performers’ hotel. He delights in giving her lavish presents and takes on second and third jobs to make ends meet. Their idyllic life is threatened by her blossoming into a young woman and her interest in a young man.

My words can’t begin to describe the beauty of the artwork in display in this film. The backgrounds are like lush, warm watercolors of the detailed landscapes and intricate old cities and streets. The design of all the characters-not only the main two- is delightful. I found myself awestruck by the details of all the people in scenes set at the ferry, the island, pub, the garden party, and in the theatre. The movement of them is fluid and naturalistic. There’s been some wonderful computer work on screen this year, but this more traditional hand-drawn animation more than holds it’s own. Jacques Tati was in the same mold as the classic silent movie comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. This style of storytelling and film making is reflected here. Once the characters have been established, they are used in many hilarious scenes and situations. I was particularly impressed with a gag involving a cookbook and an open window. Another scene with the magician working at an all night garage is very funny and inventive. Oh and be sure and stick around to the end of the credits for a bonus gag involving one of my favorite supporting players. There’s even a glimpse of the real Tati on screen at a movie house. No need to be concerned about subtitles, their actions explain everything so there’s no real dialogue. For any fans of animation or classic comedy, THE ILLUSIONIST is an absolute must-see. Like the song says, “Everything old becomes new again”.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars