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The Prestige (2006)

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From Time Out London

With ‘Following’, ‘Memento’, ‘Insomnia’ and the uncommonly smart blockbuster ‘Batman Begins’, Christopher Nolan has established himself as a filmmaker fascinated by the fluid, tricksy contingencies of memory, identity, narrative and time: the way we depend on the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, and the little slips and dodges, ignorant or willed, that allow us to keep those stories straight – at least for a while. Selfhood emerges from these films as a rickety trick, an illusion dependent on misdirection and oversight. Apt, then, that the director’s latest is a story about magicians.

Nolan’s first period picture, ‘The Prestige’ shares the fractured chronology common to his earlier work. Based in turn-of-the-last-century London, the plot centres on two ambitious young illusionists: flashy, easygoing Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman, abetted, as in ‘Batman Begins’, by Michael Caine) and the more original but less extrovert Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). Fellow apprentices turned bitter rivals after a grisly onstage accident, their escalating feud is a game of cat and mouse played out in a hall of mirrors, set in cramped prison cells and Colorado expanses as well as theatres, as they compete to deliver the most spectacular version of a teleportation trick that calls for something like real magic.

Jackman and Bale make impressive tango partners, neither wholly sympathetic nor villainous, each drawing out the synergy between his character’s personality and his onstage style. It’s a handsome film, too, beautifully photographed by Wally Pfister in a chocolate-and-cinnamon sepia palette flashed with electric blue. But ‘The Prestige’ languishes in a structural Catch-22 of its own making. Explicitly modelled on the pattern of a magic trick, it’s also bound to the rules of the mystery thriller genre; yet the one relies on lingering uncertainty, the other on full disclosure. And in devoting so much room to hollow romantic subplots, the film ends up breaking two of the magician’s cardinal rules: not only does it tell you how it’s all done, it takes so long about it that you’ve got time to look up its sleeves and work it out for yourself.

Author: Ben Walters

Time Out London Issue 1890: November 8-15 2006

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User reviews of this film

Magmabulle said...

Posted on Jun 09 2008 11:46 A very clever story, in fact almost too clever with all the twists, but not bad. One might also see it as a fascinating study of human obsession. Finally, I really do wish that David Bowie sticks to doing music.

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michael said...

Posted on Jun 03 2008 14:51 Throughout this project I will be indulge in the studying the past and present processes acting upon the Kent coastline. Herne Bay is a very important part of coastline because it shows many ways of coastal erosion, looking at photos from the past we can see how much the coastline has retreated in a few years. It is a very dynamic part of coastline.
Reculver was approximately built in 79AD, at this time Reculver was 1Kilometer from the sea. It was built by the Romans to protect them. But natural erosion has occurred over many of hundreds of years. There were sea defences put in by Trinity House after buying the towers. They built groynes, they also in 1866 used ragstone blocks to stop erosion. At this present time there isn’t much land left before the castle will collapse because of erosion.
There are many land forms on top of these today, the remains of the Roman fort, the Saxon church and the twin towers are a Scheduled Ancient Monument run by English Heritage. Close by are the modern additions which include three caravan parks (mainly with large static caravans), an amusement arcade, a shop, a public house and the Information Centre run by the Kent Wildlife Trust. There are a scattering of houses and farm buildings along the coast with most development concentrated from Bishopstone Glen westwards. The Coast has been eroding at a very fast speed, which is an erosion rate of 1.5 to 2.0 metres per year.
You would expect to see many different types of erosion including Vertical cliff retreat which works by the sea under cutting the cliff cause the overhanging cliff to collapse. The reason why you would expect to sea this because

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Mr Mustard said...

Posted on Jan 09 2008 17:46 This is a fantastic tale. It starts as an intriguing psychodrama and ends up part HG Wells, part Aleister Crowley (with maybe Jean Louis Borges and Cronenberg darkly whispering from the wings). The horrific implications of its conclusion have been rattling around in me ever since the credits rolled. My only issue with The Prestige is that yet again in a Nolan film woman are sacrifical lambs -hanged, drowned, sliced, diced or bludegeoned as plot devices to propel their troubled male protagonists in to an obsessive quest. None the less, Nolan has proved once again that he is the true heir to that other great cinematic chronicler of the Quest, John Boorman.

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Technoguy said...

Posted on Jan 09 2008 15:46 This is an impressively staged and mounted film and the acting substantially backs up this director's vision.It's based on an impressive novel with a screenplay done by the director and his brother.It has framing devices that uses Angier's(Jackson's) Journal and Bordern's(Bale's) diary.The leading character's are two rival magicians out to steal each other's secrets.There is an intellectual thoroughness about the film saying the essence of a magic trick is the pledge,the turn and the prestige.We have multiple narratives and multiple timelines to build up a complex tale that seems to function as a magic trick. There is the use of stage doubles on both sides though this is not always immediately apparent. then there is the spiritualist and materialist perspectives.The magicians are closer to people who conduct seances and put large crowds in a trance.The real wizards are the scientists like Tesla who are in a parallel world of pioneering electricity.His great rival is Thomas Edison.They were the AC and DC pioneers of their age.
Angier holds Bordern responsible for the death of his wife and stage partner.Later Bordern is blamed for the death(murder?) of Angier. They both at times share the same woman(Johansson).Nolan treats it all like a massive jigsaw which he slowly and by sleight-of-hand assembles.The framing devices present multiple points of view,all subjective.Metaphors of deception are turned into visual metaphors.Things dont just disappear they have to come back as in the 'Transported Man' or the dove.They sabotage each others acts or secretly watch each other's acts.Real magicians have to get their hands dirty as the mentor( Caine) says..Angier gets a double to keep up with Bordern's act.This double soon gets out of control and becomes Angier's achilles heel.Tricks,lies,secrets interfere with both magician's love lives.Angier enlists Tesla's(Bowie) help to build a trick to rival Bordern's.There is a massive twist at the end,one of many of the director's narrative tricks up his sleeve. Not at all convincing.By misdirections find directions out? I really enjoyed Bale's and Rebecca Hall's acting.Some reality got lost in the flash backwards and the flash forwards as well as Tesla's clone machine?
However the trouble is that our beliefs in each character get eroded,our emotions unable to cross the multiple narratives/framing devices/timeshifts. We become like betrayed partners in a relationship due to the tricks,lies and secrets that have taken the place of love. Despite the impressive display there is a hollow core. He has learned all the techniques of directing apart from the depiction of emotion

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don't bother said...

Posted on Oct 04 2007 00:18 this film was crap.
don't watch it.
it annoys me when i just think about it.
what a waste of time.

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gegegegege said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 15:05 oh yes state of the art piece of work spectacular

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yen said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 15:04 heeeeeeeeeee heeeeee this film is so funny

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THE 1 said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 15:02 NEVER EVER EVER WATCH THIS FIL COZ U WILL DIE

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sami said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 15:00 NOOOOOOO!!!!! noooo!! I NEVER WANTED IT 2 END...NOOOO!! MY LIFE IS OVER!!

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BEN said...

Posted on Sep 20 2007 14:58 fantbulous recording the actors were simpily outstanding... a blow out film better than all the others..
films will never be the same again.. absolutly mind bobbling... if you dont own the film you dont own a life.. stting and lighting work is truly out of this world.. but then again some people may say that it is very POO!!

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