Arquivo

The action takes place in Vienna during a period of political effervescence. Eisenheim is a brilliant magician starting out on a career, who opposes powerful Prince Leopold and clever chief inspector Uhl. Eisenheim and Leopold covet the same woman, Duchess Sophie von Teschen. Eisenheim and Sophie embark on an intense romance, but are soon forbidden from seeing each other. The magician then sets out on a journey of his own in quest of secret powers, and is pronounced by all to be missing. Years later, he appears once more in Vienna, now as a successful magician and meets Sophie again. She had lost hope of ever finding him again and has married Leopold. But reawakened passion causes them to take flight. Inspector Uhl, a spy in the service of the prince, gives away news of the lover?s affair and Sophie is assassinated. Eisenheim now calls forth his extraordinary powers to prove that Leopold is guilty of her death. Uhl attempts to deter him, but the magician foments political revolt to overthrow the monarchy, before he is completely destroyed by the monarchy. An adaptation of a short story "Eisenheim the Illusionist", by Steven Millhauser, Pulitzer prize in 1997.