Simon Magus (2001)

Synopsis: Set in a small village in late 19th century Europe, SIMON MAGUS is a dark fable of love, demonology, and supernatural business practices. Simon Magus (Noah Taylor) is both visionary and outcast, a man possessed by strange dreams that include mystical conversations with a demonic presence... Set in a small village in late 19th century Europe, SIMON MAGUS is a dark fable of love, demonology, and supernatural business practices. Simon Magus (Noah Taylor) is both visionary and outcast, a man possessed by strange dreams that include mystical conversations with a demonic presence named Sirius (Ian Holm). Believing him to be possessed by the Devil, Simon's fellow villagers taunt and persecute him as he performs menial tasks for them to earn his daily bread. The village elders won't even allow Simon to pray with them in temple. The village is in a state of economic crisis. The traditional through trade has been siphoned off by the newly constructed railroad, and without its own train station, Simon's village is cut off from the outside world both economically and socially. Power and prosperity belong to the man who can build the railway station, but the local squire, a poetry-loving aesthete (Rutger Hauer) owns the land by the railroad and must be petitioned to grant the rights to it. Two men approach the squire with plans for a railway station. Ruthless merchant Maximilian Hase (Sean McGinley) seems the obvious choice for the man to bring the village into modern times: a florid, fatuous businessman who already owns half the town. His only rival is Dovid, a young Jewish scholar (Stuart Townsend) with no experience in business. Dovid hopes that his ambitious plan to build the railway station will unite the village, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile alike, as well as convince the beautiful widow Leah (Embeth Daviditz) to marry him. Leah is suspicious of Dovid’s courtship, convinced that he’s really in love with young Sarah (Amanda Ryan). Unbeknownst to Leah, Sarah is becoming involved with the Squire, who, despite being much older than her, shares her love of literature and poetry. Hase is furious that Dovid has decided to compete with him, and attempts to sabotage his rival's plan with a ruse designed to play on anti-Semitic sentiment among the town's Gentiles. Simon's unusual position in the village gives him access to the secrets of the people and Hase takes advantage of Simon's vulnerability and enlists him as a spy and traitor against Dovid. Simon, mocked and abused by his own people, seems eager to turn against them at first, but there's more than meets the eye. Simon becomes both pawn and player in Hase's scheme, foiling the plan with his unsuspected cunning. British writer/director Ben Hopkins' first feature film is a mix of horror, fantasy and romance and misty atmosphere reminiscent of the work of Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam. In a world of repression and superstition, chaos and magic can surface at any time. -- © 2001 Fireworks Pictures [More]