Review: The Inventor - A Story of Determination and the Seed of Ideas
“The Inventor was sparked by the idea that Leonardo da Vinci probably had bad days as well as good. He banged his knee, jumped for joy, whispered softly, wept, got frustrated, and felt anger. He was human after all. I began to see him not as the sage as always depicted, or the other extreme—the scatterbrain who invents crazy contraptions—but as a real person struck with ideas beyond the technical, intellectual, and the societal capabilities of his time.”
The Inventor is not only a cute movie but one that generates gratitude and curiosity. Gratitude in that the technological staples that we enjoy today are thanks to the collective innovative energy of thinkers of the past.
To be able to think beyond the normal and create possibilities is a skill. A rare and possibly profitable skill. The relationship between Patron and Artists spans centuries since creativity of any kind requires funds and those funds must come from a source willing to invest money and time. The extent to how far the creator can go depends on the boundaries of the patron. These limits can greatly dampen progress as the artist can find themselves in the middle of civil or social battles. What the artist sees may be quite frowned upon by others. It’s up to the artist to continue to stay on their expected path or to forge their own ways. For Leonardo Da Vinci, it’s a precarious dance that had to be constantly choreographed. He had to do what pleases the patron but also never lose focus on his passion on finding the meaning of life.
The Inventor is a sweet, multi-layered movie of Leonardo Da Vinci (voiced by Stephen Fry) during the last few years of his life. In this mix of 2D animation and stop motion animation, we see the struggles that Da Vinci had during this time. As Da Vinci was applauded and awarded for his artistic pieces, his other engineering projects were scoffed or completely discouraged by the patrons of the Church. Only when working under the patronage of King Francis I (voiced by Gauthier Battoue) that he sees the possibility of freely working on his innovations. Except he quickly finds that he may be working in a different country for a different King, but the restrictions remain on the same. However, there is one major difference in France and that is in the keen foresight of Princess Marguerite de Navarre (voiced by Daisy Ridley).
There are many adorable moments in the movie in the form of physical comedy and witty dialogue. A particular crowd favorite was the very loving grave digging couple. The couple are knee deep in digging graves but still find the romantic spirit to flirt and dance with another. Even as a corpse is slowly being dragged away. Yes, grave-robbing is depicted in the film amidst the songs and silly antics. Da Vinci would indeed utilize the service of grave robbers to procure corpses for his dissection experiments. With these experiments, he would analyze human anatomy and see if he could decipher the sense that gave us life. The movie plays it equally beautiful and mortifying. Da Vinci has good intentions but at the same time, these corpses were people who did not consent to have their bodies treated this way. The doll-like character designs with textures of wool, beaded eyes, and soft pastel colors help soften the edges of the macabre.
The movie occasionally plays with this dueling sides of good intentions and actual ramifications. As Da Vinci and Princess Marguerite de Navarre do what they can to build their “ideal” city, they create their “ideal” city under their own vision of what makes a city “ideal”. The film does not delve too deeply into it but were the livelihoods of the French citizens taken account of? Would this set up help the citizens live more comfortably? Did they actually converse with the citizens on what their take would be?
It’s a question that stirs up curiosity and this stirring up of curiosity is the true heart of the movie. It is a theme that plays strongly throughout the whole film. Da Vinci was a curious person who sought ways to find answers. He didn’t get all of the answers right, but his discoveries and notes have become the seeds of thoughts and inspirations for the future innovators.
For someone who has a strong aversion to learning anything history (memorizing dates, yuck), this curiosity to research the life of Da Vinci is pretty profound. The Da Vinci Code did not stir that need within me, The Inventor did.
The Inventor delivered a story in a sweet and visually astounding stop motion format showing the world of Da Vinci as envisioned by Jim Capobianco. It is a visual piece that is welcoming even during the dark bits. The little stories that pepper the movie has also piqued the curiosity. Stores like, did Da Vinci actually build a mechanical lion (he did) and who was Princess Marguerite de Navarre?
After watching the film, it is easy to see how much love and passion that Jim Capobianco had for studying Da Vinci. From his short film, Leonardo in 2009 to this animated movie, there is no question that Capobianco took the spirit of determination to heart. During The Inventor, a particular scene stands out that seems to show how important Da Vinci was to Capobianco. In the scene, Da Vinci’s assistant, Luigi d’Aragona, is dutifully by Da Vinci’s bedside as they talk about the future and what needs to be done. It’s a small but emotionally heavily scene. Even more heavy as the voice of Luigi is Jim Capobianco himself.
The appreciation for this legend of a creator can be felt even more in the final segment with the beautiful performance of Princess Marguerite de Navarre and the daughters as planets. Only five planets are represented but there is a heavy sense of being on the precipice of discovery. Despite some of the gloom and the reality, it is a sense of positivity to encourage ideas to create and discover more. Even if some of the ideas can be a bit too much for modern times.
Da Vinci is legendary name that people heard of. They may know the connection to the Mona Lisa, and the character in Ever After but not much else. I am one of those people. Da Vinci’s influence has been so humongous that it’s easy to just let it envelope around you and move forward. The Inventor was like taking a refreshing pause today to appreciate what’s around us and beyond. It was a pleasure to see a side of the Da Vinci through the mind of someone who admired and studied this great character.
For more information and screening info:
Website: https://www.TheInventorFilm.com
Twitter: @TheInventorfilm
Facebook: @TheInventorFilm Instagram: @theinventorfilm
THEATER INFO & TICKETS LINK: https://www.bluefoxentertainment.com/films/the-inventor
“The Inventor was created with a combination of stop-motion puppet and hand drawn animation. Why stop-motion and not computer graphics? If any subject matter is right for the handcrafted filmmaking arts, it is a story about Leonardo da Vinci: an artist, craftsman, and inventor who worked with his hands. Stop-motion is the primary medium we used to recreate his warm, hand-hewn world, rather than force the cold precision of a computer to do the same. Leonard’s own story inspired us to take this artisan approach, and my collaborators and I could not resist the charm of building a Renaissance world in miniature and creating this story around it.”
