The Prestige
What is the greatest magic trick you’ve ever seen?
Earlier this year, the very successful independent film, “The Illusionist,” starred Edward Norton and boasted grand expressions of magic and illusion. “The Illusionist” was a film about an audience trying to determine if the artistic magic they were witnessing was actually real or not. In Christopher Nolan’s new thriller, “The Prestige,” the art of a magic trick is analyzed to perfection by the main characters. “The Prestige” is a film that features magicians trying to attain what some audiences might actually refer to as real magic. Much like the characters in his film, the Great Christopher Nolan has directed a film that could be considered magic all by itself.
Set during the turn-of-the-century London, “The Prestige” tells the story of two talented magicians in a fight for becoming the world’s greatest magician. Hugh Jackman plays Rupert Angier; a striving but stylish competitor of Alfred Borden. Christian Bale portrays Borden as a successively talented but very rugged unpolished magician. The war ensues between the two friends when a tragic accident during a trick helps Angier garner hatred for his partner. They quickly separate and begin trying to ruin each other by sabotaging their stage performances. This repeated tactic becomes more and more engaging as the outcome becomes more and more deadly.
From this grudge, the fight to attain the greatest magic trick becomes an obsession. Some great sequences involve the two magicians trying to unlock and read the secrets they’ve hidden in their journals. The men even encounter the great inventor, Nikola Tesla, (the incredibly talented David Bowie) in hopes to create what we know as real magic. As the obsession grows along with the anger, the two men begin trying to out-trick even themselves, creating a conflict that will have audiences scratching their heads until the film’s astonishing and compelling climax.
Also among the two talented lead performances are a handful of equally impressive supporting roles. Performances by Michael Caine as the backstage assistant named Cutter and Scarlett Johansson as the on-stage beauty named Olivia take this film to another level. These two performances are keys to understanding the gravity of the rivalry. Both characters garner more importance by taking matters into their own hands during the later parts of the film. The reactions of these two characters will unlock personal vendettas and alliances that confound an overall importance to the humanity featured in the film. Without these characters, the relationships wouldn’t have taken such a powerful presence at center stage in the film.
With such an elaborate construction and complex characters, “the Prestige” is film will undoubtedly make you think. As the camera pans over a forest full of black top-hats during the opening scene of the film, Alfred Borden is heard reciting his much repeated line of great importance. He simply asks, “Are you watching closely?” From this line, its almost as if Nolan is encouraging his audience to pay close attention for the secrets of the film, much like a magician would before performing his greatest magic trick.
Much like a magic trick, “The Prestige” is full of twists, turns, deceptions, and artistically visual elements of trickery. It’s a film that is well worth multiple viewings. This is not to say that a single viewing of the film won’t deliver it justice. In fact, the real intricacies of the film can be further explored once the film has been seen in its entirety. For what is revealed in the final moments of the film is not only emotionally satisfying, it’s hair-raising.
As Cutter states in the early stages of the film, “Every great magic trick consists of three acts.” Almost fittingly, the third act is called The Prestige. “This is the part with the twists and turns,” he says, “where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you’ve never seen before.”
“The Prestige” is a film that was made by a man who can actually do what other filmmakers pretend to do. Since film-making is much like magic, this could possibly be one of the greatest magic tricks ever performed. Let’s just hope this film creates a rivalry between the world’s greatest filmmakers, so they can start making more quality films like this one.
The Prestige
Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images
Runtime: 128 min.
Starring: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis and David Bowie
Directed by Christopher Nolan
