The Prestige (2006): Watch It Closely!

Are you watching closely?

 

Every cinema has a bottom line- some are weak, poor; while some are strong and captivating. In my short “career” of “watching movies” this bottom line is one of those rare ones which i regard to reflect the whole movie in the most effective way. But this movie has another tag line-

 

A Friendship, That Became a Rivalry…A Rivalry, That Became a Battle.

 

It’s poor itself, no doubt… but seems poorer against that tag line.

 

Well, from wikipedia… a short note about the movie-

 

The Prestige is a 2006 period film directed by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan from Christopher Priest’s award-winning 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rivalrous stage magicians in fin de siècle London. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, a competitive one-upmanship ensues with tragic results.

 

The film features Christian Bale as Alfred Borden, Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. It also stars Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis, and Rebecca Hall. The film reunites Nolan with actors Bale and Caine from Batman Begins, and returning cinematographer Wally Pfister, production designer Nathan Crowley, and film score composer David Julyan.

 

I was amazed to know that the original novel by Christopher Priest from which the movie is adapted is an epistolary novel, means a novel written as a series of documents. The usual form is letters, although diary entries, newspaper clippings and other documents are sometimes used in that kind of novel. the word adaptation indeed make a negative effect on the innovation and skill and immense talent of Christopher Nolan.

 

I have watched this movie 4 times. And each time, I found myself to be spellbound. Although the shock to watch the twists and turns for the first time gradually disappeared, I felt exited to notice the tricks done by the director behind the camera.

 

This movie has an introductory part in the beginning where Harry “John” Cutter, Angier’s stage engineer explains the three parts of a magic trick- “Are you watching closely? 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.”

 

Now you’re looking for the secret… but you won’t find it because you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know the secret… You want to be fooled. .”

 

And, this dialogue portrays the whole movie, yes, each part of it. This movie is a magic trick itself. And the director has made that movie in such a way that it has all those three parts- the pledge, the turn and.. The Prestige. And you will be fooled to watch the film for the first time because You want to be fooled! And, you will be happy to be fooled…. trust me!

 

What I liked most about the movie:

 

The style of direction, the out-of-the-world twists and turns, performance of Christian Bale, … ummm almost everything!

 

What I didn’t like at all:

 

The machine made by Nicola Tesla and his work-area- both seemed funny.

 

The sequence to be remembered:

 

when a child asked Borden “Where is it’s brother?” after a vanishing bird cage illusion. I don’t know why actually. But I loved this part.

 

The shot to be remembered:

 

one of the last shots where all the glass tanks with dead bodies of “Angier” were panned in a dark ambiance.

 

Rating:

 

8.5/10 (or should I give the whole ten?)

 

Recommendations:

 

This is a must-see… and please watch it more then one time. In the second and/or third watch, you’ll find something interesting which you haven’t noticed earlier- I’m assuring you.

 

Other recent movies on magic:

 

The Illusionist, The Scoop