Yes, yes, I liked the movie. But what I'd really like to mention first is Hollywood's continued tendency for coincidence. Or is "coincidence" too generous a term? The year 2006 saw three major motion pictures about stage magicians and their legerdemain--Woody Allen's "Scoop," set in the present, and "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige," set in the nineteenth century. What's more, "The Illusionist" stars one of my favorite actors, Edward Norton, while "The Prestige" stars a host of big names, like Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and David Bowie. Heck, two of the films, "Scoop" and "The Prestige," even co-star Scarlett Johannson. I mean, what are the odds?
Fortunately, I not only liked "The Prestige," I liked the other two films as well. Maybe I'm just a sucker for magic acts.
Anyway, to really begin, let's start with what the title means. The word "prestige" derives from several earlier sources, as noted here from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary: "F. (orig. pl.): deceits, delusions, juggler's tricks <>." In the parlance of today's performers, the "prestige" refers to the final segment of a magician's act. The first stage is the "setup" or the "pledge"; the second is the "performance" or the "turn"; and the third stage is the "prestige," where the magician actually carries out the illusion. The movie "The Prestige" pretty much follows this pattern. So, as with "Scoop" and "The Illusionist," expect more than cinematic sleight of hand from this film.
Co-written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan ("Memento," Insomnia," Batman Begins") and adapted from a novel by Christopher Priest, "The Prestige" recounts a rivalry between two London stage magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), known as The Great Danton, and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), known as The Professor. The story unfolds in a series of sometimes confusing flashbacks after Borden's conviction for the murder of Angier.
We get the backgrounds of the two men as they break into the business of magic together and as they move on to an intense hatred of one another that starts when Angier accuses Borden of (accidentally) killing his wife during a stage performance. From that point on, Angier and Borden sabotage one another's act, each trying to upstage the other and become in the public's eye the greatest magician in the city, in the country, in the world.
Borden is clearly the better magician, his "Transported Man" illusion something that Angier dedicates his life to learning or stealing. Angier, however, is the better showman, more capable of captivating and delighting his audience. It isn't long before their rivalry becomes deadly.
Along the way we meet John Cutter (Michael Caine), who designs and constructs the apparatuses for illusion; Julia Angier (Piper Perabo), Angier's wife and assistant; Sarah Borden (Rebecca Hall), Borden's wife; and Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johannson), Angier's new assistant after his wife dies and the object of some romantic interest. Most enigmatic of all are the celebrated, real-life scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, almost unrecognizable), and his assistant, Alley (Andy Serkis). People of the day considered Tesla's experiments with electricity "real magic," and these experiments come to play an ever-increasing role in Angier's life.
The movie, the plot, and the characters are all about misdirection. Secrets, tricks, and lies abound, and the story would have us ask what is real and what isn't. When do we and the performers stop "performing"? When is anybody actually himself? Whom can one trust, when, and under what conditions? It is unclear if even the characters themselves understand who they are.
Fortunately, I not only liked "The Prestige," I liked the other two films as well. Maybe I'm just a sucker for magic acts.
Anyway, to really begin, let's start with what the title means. The word "prestige" derives from several earlier sources, as noted here from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary: "F. (orig. pl.): deceits, delusions, juggler's tricks <>." In the parlance of today's performers, the "prestige" refers to the final segment of a magician's act. The first stage is the "setup" or the "pledge"; the second is the "performance" or the "turn"; and the third stage is the "prestige," where the magician actually carries out the illusion. The movie "The Prestige" pretty much follows this pattern. So, as with "Scoop" and "The Illusionist," expect more than cinematic sleight of hand from this film.
Co-written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan ("Memento," Insomnia," Batman Begins") and adapted from a novel by Christopher Priest, "The Prestige" recounts a rivalry between two London stage magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), known as The Great Danton, and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), known as The Professor. The story unfolds in a series of sometimes confusing flashbacks after Borden's conviction for the murder of Angier.
We get the backgrounds of the two men as they break into the business of magic together and as they move on to an intense hatred of one another that starts when Angier accuses Borden of (accidentally) killing his wife during a stage performance. From that point on, Angier and Borden sabotage one another's act, each trying to upstage the other and become in the public's eye the greatest magician in the city, in the country, in the world.
Borden is clearly the better magician, his "Transported Man" illusion something that Angier dedicates his life to learning or stealing. Angier, however, is the better showman, more capable of captivating and delighting his audience. It isn't long before their rivalry becomes deadly.
Along the way we meet John Cutter (Michael Caine), who designs and constructs the apparatuses for illusion; Julia Angier (Piper Perabo), Angier's wife and assistant; Sarah Borden (Rebecca Hall), Borden's wife; and Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johannson), Angier's new assistant after his wife dies and the object of some romantic interest. Most enigmatic of all are the celebrated, real-life scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, almost unrecognizable), and his assistant, Alley (Andy Serkis). People of the day considered Tesla's experiments with electricity "real magic," and these experiments come to play an ever-increasing role in Angier's life.
The movie, the plot, and the characters are all about misdirection. Secrets, tricks, and lies abound, and the story would have us ask what is real and what isn't. When do we and the performers stop "performing"? When is anybody actually himself? Whom can one trust, when, and under what conditions? It is unclear if even the characters themselves understand who they are.
Yes, yes, I liked the movie. But what I'd really like to mention first is Hollywood's continued tendency for coincidence. Or is "coincidence" too generous a term? The year 2006 saw three major motion pictures about stage magicians and their legerdemain--Woody Allen's "Scoop," set in the present, and "The Illusionist" and "The Prestige," set in the nineteenth century. What's more, "The Illusionist" stars one of my favorite actors, Edward Norton, while "The Prestige" stars a host of big names, like Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and David Bowie. Heck, two of the films, "Scoop" and "The Prestige," even co-star Scarlett Johannson. I mean, what are the odds?
Fortunately, I not only liked "The Prestige," I liked the other two films as well. Maybe I'm just a sucker for magic acts.
Anyway, to really begin, let's start with what the title means. The word "prestige" derives from several earlier sources, as noted here from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary: "F. (orig. pl.): deceits, delusions, juggler's tricks <>." In the parlance of today's performers, the "prestige" refers to the final segment of a magician's act. The first stage is the "setup" or the "pledge"; the second is the "performance" or the "turn"; and the third stage is the "prestige," where the magician actually carries out the illusion. The movie "The Prestige" pretty much follows this pattern. So, as with "Scoop" and "The Illusionist," expect more than cinematic sleight of hand from this film.
Co-written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan ("Memento," Insomnia," Batman Begins") and adapted from a novel by Christopher Priest, "The Prestige" recounts a rivalry between two London stage magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), known as The Great Danton, and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), known as The Professor. The story unfolds in a series of sometimes confusing flashbacks after Borden's conviction for the murder of Angier.
We get the backgrounds of the two men as they break into the business of magic together and as they move on to an intense hatred of one another that starts when Angier accuses Borden of (accidentally) killing his wife during a stage performance. From that point on, Angier and Borden sabotage one another's act, each trying to upstage the other and become in the public's eye the greatest magician in the city, in the country, in the world.
Borden is clearly the better magician, his "Transported Man" illusion something that Angier dedicates his life to learning or stealing. Angier, however, is the better showman, more capable of captivating and delighting his audience. It isn't long before their rivalry becomes deadly.
Along the way we meet John Cutter (Michael Caine), who designs and constructs the apparatuses for illusion; Julia Angier (Piper Perabo), Angier's wife and assistant; Sarah Borden (Rebecca Hall), Borden's wife; and Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johannson), Angier's new assistant after his wife dies and the object of some romantic interest. Most enigmatic of all are the celebrated, real-life scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, almost unrecognizable), and his assistant, Alley (Andy Serkis). People of the day considered Tesla's experiments with electricity "real magic," and these experiments come to play an ever-increasing role in Angier's life.
The movie, the plot, and the characters are all about misdirection. Secrets, tricks, and lies abound, and the story would have us ask what is real and what isn't. When do we and the performers stop "performing"? When is anybody actually himself? Whom can one trust, when, and under what conditions? It is unclear if even the characters themselves understand who they are.
Fortunately, I not only liked "The Prestige," I liked the other two films as well. Maybe I'm just a sucker for magic acts.
Anyway, to really begin, let's start with what the title means. The word "prestige" derives from several earlier sources, as noted here from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary: "F. (orig. pl.): deceits, delusions, juggler's tricks <>." In the parlance of today's performers, the "prestige" refers to the final segment of a magician's act. The first stage is the "setup" or the "pledge"; the second is the "performance" or the "turn"; and the third stage is the "prestige," where the magician actually carries out the illusion. The movie "The Prestige" pretty much follows this pattern. So, as with "Scoop" and "The Illusionist," expect more than cinematic sleight of hand from this film.
Co-written, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan ("Memento," Insomnia," Batman Begins") and adapted from a novel by Christopher Priest, "The Prestige" recounts a rivalry between two London stage magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), known as The Great Danton, and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), known as The Professor. The story unfolds in a series of sometimes confusing flashbacks after Borden's conviction for the murder of Angier.
We get the backgrounds of the two men as they break into the business of magic together and as they move on to an intense hatred of one another that starts when Angier accuses Borden of (accidentally) killing his wife during a stage performance. From that point on, Angier and Borden sabotage one another's act, each trying to upstage the other and become in the public's eye the greatest magician in the city, in the country, in the world.
Borden is clearly the better magician, his "Transported Man" illusion something that Angier dedicates his life to learning or stealing. Angier, however, is the better showman, more capable of captivating and delighting his audience. It isn't long before their rivalry becomes deadly.
Along the way we meet John Cutter (Michael Caine), who designs and constructs the apparatuses for illusion; Julia Angier (Piper Perabo), Angier's wife and assistant; Sarah Borden (Rebecca Hall), Borden's wife; and Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johannson), Angier's new assistant after his wife dies and the object of some romantic interest. Most enigmatic of all are the celebrated, real-life scientist and inventor, Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, almost unrecognizable), and his assistant, Alley (Andy Serkis). People of the day considered Tesla's experiments with electricity "real magic," and these experiments come to play an ever-increasing role in Angier's life.
The movie, the plot, and the characters are all about misdirection. Secrets, tricks, and lies abound, and the story would have us ask what is real and what isn't. When do we and the performers stop "performing"? When is anybody actually himself? Whom can one trust, when, and under what conditions? It is unclear if even the characters themselves understand who they are.
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