Review of The Prestige (2006) by Ty E — 13 Dec 2018

Christopher Nolan's The Prestige is about two rival magicians who dedicate their lives to the craft of misdirection. Not only is the film about misdirection but the film itself is a misdirection to the audience. Throughout the entire movie there are sophisticated complications to this film that are often mistaken by the general viewers. Those complications help make this movie a "magical" yet intellectually invigorating cinematic display.

The two magicians, Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Borden (Christian Bale) begin as apprentices working together. They are good friends and have a common love and dedication to the art of misdirection. The friendship then becomes a hatred towards one another after a magic trick goes horribly wrong due to a knot Borden tied around Angier's wife causing her to die during one of their shows. The death of his wife causes Angier to make it his goal to end Borden's career and become the most successful magician of the time.

Most movies today follow a linear plot developing the story and characters one step at a time. The Prestige is not very straight-forward. It makes the audience think and come up with their own conclusions. The way the characters are developed is through flash backs and flash forwards that can be confusing. Although confusing, Nolan's ability to add detail makes the movie better each time you watch it because you almost always pick up something new that you didn't notice before. There are subtle clues through the movie that an experienced audience will pick up better after each time they watch it. These clues are not very direct and usually only the most vigilant viewers recognize them. They help provide added relationships to the main plot of the movie which is important because the movie itself doesn't have a very clear plot. Usually you are introduced with the important parts of a movie in a very clear manner. But because this movie is about magicians, details are often hidden.

One of the very first clues is the very beginning of the movie where it shows dozens of top hats laying on the ground. This very small clue directly ties to the ending of the movie and how exactly Angier was able to pull off his "Transported Man" trick. "The Prestige" is the name of the final act of the three steps to a magician's magic trick as explained in the movie. This is also represented by the hats laying on the ground. The other two are "The Pledge" and "The Turn". Even though these parts of a magic trick are just trying to explain to the audience how a magic trick works, it is also telling you how these acts relate to the plot of the movie. Here is the direct quote from the movie about these parts of a magic trick, "Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige"." In the movie "The Pledge" relates to the magicians and how they are just ordinary people with ordinary relationships. But then we see them do amazing things, that's the extraordinary, "The Turn". Then as we see these hats and how Angier was able to do something extraordinary with the teleportation machine, making the extraordinary the unexpected. At the core of this we want to understand how it works but above all, not wanting to know how it works. This is "The prestige" within the movie The Prestige.

Nolan portrays "The Pledge" as the two men who are famous entertainers, but are actually just ordinary guys. Like Olivia who is the girlfriend of Angier who then falls in love with Borden. Sarah, the wife of Borden who wants a normal family life. Cutter, the wise old man who is able to form most of Angier's famous tricks but still unable to figure out Borden's tricks These characters show us they are all just ordinary people or in this case to the films plot, they are the "The Pledge". Each of the individuals however do something extraordinary, Angier is able to pull off one of the greatest magic tricks of all time. Borden has a secret that gives him the upper-hand throughout the entire film that you don't figure out until the end. Sarah, who can no longer handle the lies and misdirection's leading to her suicide. Olivia, who leaves both men due to the overzealous addiction to magic. These examples show the characters taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary, "The Turn".

With small clues throughout the movie they build a foundation for what lies in the end. Even if you can pick up these small clues though the movie they will only be helpful if you understand the famous saying, "The more you look, the less you see." Nolan's twist at the end often leaves the audience in a numb-minded state trying to figure out exactly what just happened. Once you are able to process what exactly just took place you see the true beauty to the development of this movie. The fact you are just as entertained the second time you watch this movie, gives it a quality most films are unable to achieve.