The Illusionist

A shabby but dignified magician named Monsieur Tatischeff tries to find an audience in a world of fifties rock and roll and consumerism. A relic from the days of spectacle, he is forced to book increasingly far-flung shows just to earn a living. His lonely journeys bring him to Edinburgh, where he meets a poor Gaelic lass who naively believes that he is, in fact, magic.

Charmingly innocent, the girl sees Tatischeff as the conjurer he wants to be, not the relic everyone thinks he is, and he lovingly buys her new shoes and dresses to replace her tattered rags. Guilelessly, she believes he pulls them out of thin air, so he secretly takes on night shifts at gas stations and department stores to support her and to keep her dream alive.