The Illusionist

The Illusionist was a well made, well performed movie with a stirring ending. It was a romantic story, with a near epic struggle between a man of ignoble birth, Eisenheim, and the crown prince, Leopold, for the love of a duchess, Sophie. Eisenheim’s strong love for Sophie drive him to use his magic in some very creative ways to fool the crown prince and escape with his life-long love. The magic he performs seems almost impossible given the historical setting, but a man with extreme ingenuity possibly could have pulled it off. The death scene reminded me more of a modern Hollywood style trick than a possible maneuver by a nineteenth century magician. The gullibility of people was much greater since they had not been exposed to so much modern special effects as we have.

In the end, the hero wins the maiden and the evil villain is thwarted, ruined and commits suicide. The death of the crown prince is portrayed in such a positive light, I found myself unconsciously applauding his demise. But after some reflection, I had to ask myself a few questions. Did Eisenheim know that the crown prince would commit suicide? Probably not. Is Eisenheim in some way responsible for his death? Probably. As a Christian, can I agree that his actions were noble and righteous? No. Would it be ethical for me to do a similar thing? No. While the crown prince was evil and threatened the happiness of both Sophie and Eisenheim, resorting to fraud and deception that ends in suicide is questionable at best.

So, I was reminded that I must be careful whenever watching a movie to evaluate my responses to the story and not just let the producer sway my thinking and feeling unchallenged. This is especially important for movies since film is such a emotional medium that has incredible power to influence our thinking. It is often not the rational arguments of teachers and preachers that shape our worldview and mindset but the popular culture, through music and videos. It is imperative that we challenge the messages we are receiving from our culture and subject them to scrutiny by the Word of God.

Richard III

William Shakespeare wrote this tragedy, Richard III, around 1592-7, making the historical King Richard III one of the most infamous villains of English history. Shakespeare wrote most of his historical plays at the beginning of his career, and the first recorded performance of Richard III was in 1600. Richard, duke of Gloucester, reigned as king of England from 1483 to 1485. He was from the house of York and gained his kingship by having his brother King Edward IV murdered and his two sons locked in the London Tower, only to have them murdered. Richard was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22, 1485, ending the Plantagenet dynasty, bringing the Wars of the Roses to a culmination.

Here are two famous quotes made by Richard III in this play.


“But then I sigh; and, with a piece of scripture,
Tell them that God bids us do good for evil:
And thus I clothe my naked villany
With old odd ends stolen out of holy writ;
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.”



“A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.”



Queen Margaret and the Duchess of York mourn the loss of their husbands and children and curse Richard who was behind their murders. I thought the description of the “hell-hound” by Queen Margaret was powerful:

“Thou hadst a Clarence too, and Richard kill'd him.
From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept
A hell-hound that doth hunt us all to death:
That dog, that had his teeth before his eyes,
To worry lambs and lap their gentle blood,
That foul defacer of God's handiwork,
That excellent grand tyrant of the earth,
That reigns in galled eyes of weeping souls,
Thy womb let loose, to chase us to our graves.
O upright, just, and true-disposing God,
How do I thank thee, that this carnal cur
Preys on the issue of his mother's body,
And makes her pew-fellow with others' moan!”


Shakespeare had a keen sense of human psychology, especially of villains. The lines of Richard where he describes his cunning deception is profound (quoted above). He quotes scripture and acts very piously in order to deceive everyone. They think he is an honorable gentleman all the while he is plotting and carrying out the murders of his brother the king and his nephews, the heirs to their father’s throne. It is a warning for us today to be careful not to let people fool us by speaking the right words while living contrary to those ideals. The Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” Shakespeare was most likely thinking of these verses when he put these words into Richard’s mouth.

I also enjoyed the irony of the fateful end of Richard on the battlefield. He is determined to kill his enemy, Richmond, and slays many in his incredible fury but can’t find the real Richmond. In the battle his horse is killed and he must fight on foot. He is soon overwhelmed, causing him to cry out his famous words, “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.” Richard dies on the battlefield for want of a horse to escape the onslaught. The mighty are often laid low and the evil are often destroyed in the same way that they destroyed others.