The Prestige

Prestige, The (Christopher Nolan, 2006)

THE SCOOP
Director: Christopher Nolan
Plot: Robert and Alfred are rival magicians. When Alfred performs the ultimate magic trick, Robert tries desperately to find out the secret to the trick.

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Thriller
Awards: Nom. for 2 Oscars - art direction, cinematography.
Runtime: 130min
Rating: PG for violence and disturbing images.

IN RETROSPECT
Christopher Nolan is a young, up-and-coming director who's immensely talented and one to look out for in the near future. His brilliant work for the critically-acclaimed masterpiece, Memento (only his third film), has put him into the limelight, and also has heaped pressure on him to produce the goods. He met our expectations in the dark, philosophical Batman Begins, but in The Prestige, he succeeds only to a certain extent. The Prestige is an overrated film, although there are traits of Nolan's signature style in certain shots. The problem lies in the way he executed the film's storyline.

Admittedly, the story is fresh and interesting (it's rare for filmmakers to touch on the subject of magicians and their tricks). However, Nolan decides to use the technique of 'separate time-lines' to drive the story along (a method made successful in Alejandro Inarritu's 21 Grams). He unnecessary makes it complex and confusing viewers at the same time. The Prestige starts out badly, leaving a paltry impression, and requiring something dramatic or special to lead the film out of its trapdoor. While it gets generally better, it's doesn't always engage the viewer.

Christian Bale and Michael Caine are well-cast and are a delight on screen, but not Scarlett Johansson (a waste of talent; if she keeps appearing in meager roles, then it's all style but no substance), or Hugh Jackman (who shows what a limited actor he really is). The twist at the end is somewhat expected and executed in average fashion, not the kind that leaves you stunned like in The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects. We are told that a magic trick consists of three acts: the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige. It's the final act that leaves us unimpressed.

SCORE: 7/10
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Last updated: 2010-05-02 06:28:57 by eternality_tan

THE PRESTIGE

According to Webster's New Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionary, the word prestige "is a noun that means a delusion, an illusion, a juggler's trick, from praestinguere, to darken, to obscure."

Christopher Nolan's latest feature film certainly possesses those characteristics, but it is much, much more. THE PRESTIGE is a brilliantly conceived, beautifully executed character study concerning two rival magicians obsessed with outdoing one another in shadowy, gas lit, Victorian England. Clearly this is the kind of movie hack director M. Night Shyamalanadingdong wants to make but proves repeatedly incapable of doing due to his egregious lack of talent. However, in the deft hands of Mr. Nolan we get a motion picture masterpiece so rich in texture that it succeeds in being part murder mystery, part drama, part suspense, part fantasy and part science fiction all at once.

Abracadabra! Even Houdini couldn't have pulled this rabbit out of a hat.

Just as you would expect from a world-class magician, THE PRESTIGE is clever, tricky, and deceitful, but be advised that many of the magical moments are not unveiled in a straightforward chronology. This complexity is extremely rare, especially given the plethora of insipid sequels, prequels and remakes that dominate the nation's theater screens today. It is also risky to make today's audiences have to pay attention and to actually think. However, it is precisely this combination of rarity and risk that makes THE PRESTIGE so rewarding and why it is the kind of movie that is best enjoyed by not knowing too much going in. Accordingly, I will refrain from giving any additional information other than to reiterate that THE PRESTIGE is one of the best movies of the year and that I fully expect it will garner serious, well-deserved Oscar consideration.

One last thing -- I thought it would be fun to close with this quote from Mark Ramsey's review at Moviejuice.com:

"THE PRESTIGE is absolutely one of my favorite movies this year. It's original and engaging and most of the twists aren't nearly as obvious as Jodie Foster's reasons for choosing pants over a skirt."

Ouch.

(I kinda wish I had written that)

(Read Less...)

Robert A. Nowotny

The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, 2006)

***
USA
A compelling enough look into the rivalry of two turn-of-the-century London magicians, though it's too solemn to be much fun and too taken with itself to be taken seriously.

THE PRESTIGE (2006)

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Is there a secret you would kill to know? In this electrifying, suspense-packed thriller from director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Momento), Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play magicians whose cutthroat attempts to best each other plunge them into deadly deceptions. Scarlett Johansson also stars as the stage assistant who's both a pawn and player in their rivalry. A brilliant supporting cast (including Michael Caine and David Bowie). An ingenious story. An outstanding payoff. Once you see The Prestige, you'll want to see it again. Watch closely.

FILM REVIEW: Much of the nature of film is illusion; filmmakers often conjure up great drama and misdirection to move audiences through the story journey that they wish to take them on. "The Prestige" is a movie that is based on a practitioner that also utilises many of the same techniques, the magician. Popular in the Victorian era, magicians would wow audiences with misdirection and sleight of hand to make the unbelievable believable. Upon reviewing this latest film from director Christopher Nolan, I would have to say that he has accomplished the exact same feat. "The Prestige" is a complicated, thrilling story of two magicians who want to out-do each other's magic tracks to be best, but the plot itself is pulling a magic trick of its own. No, there isn't a traditional twist ending as such, but a revelation of how Christian Bale's character Alfred Borden pulls the ultimate magic trick, not just on his rival Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) but on us as the audience watching this incredible story. It's a great film, and may appear convoluted with its jumping back and forth from the past and the present, but by the end, it's a magic trick well worth seeing.
Robert Angier and Alfred Borden are two wannabe magicians working for illusion engineer Cutter (Michael Caine) at the outset of the story. They are friends, but already Borden's desire to make better, original magic tricks leads to some friction, but ultimately, it's when Borden ties the wrong knot on Angier's wife's hands during a magic trick which subsequently leads to her death that the two men become bitter rivals, with Angier doing whatever it takes to best Borden. The trouble really starts when Borden creates the best magic trick the world has ever seen, The Transported Man, where he seems to enter one door and appear out of another on the opposite side of the stage in the blink of an eye. Cutter suspects Borden is using a double, but Angier sees no evidence of it. As a result, Angier seeks out Tesla, one of the 20th century's most brilliant and reclusive physicists who creates a machine capable of teleporting a man from one place to another instantly. However, the machine has one interesting side-effect; in addition to transporting that person from one place to another, it leaves the original person in the machine behind, in effect making a duplicate person. Unable to resolve this issue, Angier uses the machine to create the illusion of transporting elsewhere, while killing off the duplicate in the act by drowning him in a water tank under the stage. When Borden sneaks in under the stage to figure out how he does it, he stumbles across the water tank but is unsuccessful in breaking Angier out of the tank before he dies. Borden is caught by Cutter who is actually unaware of what Angier has done, and Borden is sentenced to death. However, in the biggest trick of all, it turns out Borden did use a double, his twin brother, who both decided to live the life of Borden and while one is getting hanged, the other hunts down Angier (who is still alive but in hiding) and exacts his revenge.
The plot of "The Prestige" is simple, but it's told in a complicated fashion. Utilising techniques Nolan has used in previous films of not presenting a linear plot-line, the film at first criss-crosses between the present with Borden on death row and the past with Angier trying to figure out the secret behind Borden's magic trick. The two plot lines are linked together by both magicians reading each other's diaries; at first it's a little confusing to follow but as the film moves along it becomes more clear, particularly when both magicians deceive each other, even when both plot lines are out of synch (that may sound odd but watch the film and you'll get what I'm talking about). Ultimately the two men meet face to face again in the present in a very clever ending, that's also a little creepy as it's set in the warehouse where Angier stored all his dead duplicates from The Transported Man magic act.
Hugh Jackman by and large carries most of the story and does an exceptional job as the obsessed magician who wants to negate any lingering doubts that he is a true magician but is thwarted at every attempt to do so by Borden. Christian Bale plays a more enigmatic, but no less tricky magician in Borden, offering a more zen-like at times, crazy in others performance that also features the ultimate obsession driving his character. Michael Caine is always good, playing the illusion engineer Cutter who ultimately moves his loyalties between the two men, particularly in the end when he discovers that Angier effectively put Borden on death row and had no intention of doing anything about it. Scarlett Johansson is also good in her supporting role as the assistant who works for both magicians, who is also playing games with each of them to get what she wants.
Christopher Nolan has made some intriguing films that have defied genre and film conventions, but with The Prestige he seems to have taken it up a notch or two, presenting a story that goes to the heart of what film is all about. He seems very aware of the power of illusion and how it plays a part in film, and as such, the structure of the film ultimate resembles a magic act itself. It's very clever, well shot, well performed and just plain well done (but make sure you bring your thinking cap, this isn't escapist fare designed to whittle away a few hours of your life). There's even room for some outstanding visuals, particularly with Tesla's transporting machine which is a spooky, yet glorious looking invention, especially with the ripples of alternating current emanating from its various wires and boxes.
"The Prestige" is a thrilling, intelligent film that will keep you hooked until the end.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The transfer of this DVD is quite spectacular. The image is crystal clear, sharp and vibrant, with the colours particularly outstanding, especially in the darker, night sequences not showing any sort of noticeable evidence of mpeg artefacting. The soundtrack is outstanding; the sequences where the 'machine' is turned on and surges of alternating current flash across the screen they also erupt through the surround sound system which is impressive. Dialogue sounds great. Overall, a spectacular transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: There are only a handful of extras on this disc but what they are quite worthwhile. There is a five part documentary called "The Director's Handbook" which chronicles the journey director Christopher Nolan took to get the film made. Much time is spent on the idea of magic and magicians, as well as 'Tesla', the man responsible for a number of important discoveries of the 20th Century but wasn't taken seriously in his day (and of course is a featured character in the film). This documentary is quite good and makes for a nice complement to the main feature. There are also a number of production still and artwork, a theatrical trailer, as well as subtitles (Arabic, English, English for the hearing impaired). Overall, a worthwhile, but small collection of extras.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.

FILM RATING: 8/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 7/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 8/10 

(Read Less...)

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

The Prestige

The Pledge
The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't.

In the beginning, director Christopher Nolan shows us what to expect from the ending, which one of the lead actors die. Then we get introduced to Jackman and Bale who were apprentices to a geat magician before they got famous. A tragedy happens during one of the show and their rivalry begins to grow. Michael Caine, the illusion designer decides to follow Jackman as his partner and agent for his shows. Both these rivals’ differences are plainly evident: Jackman has natural showmanship, while Bale is a natural magician and both lack what the other has. The same goes for their acting ability. Jackman’s screen presence is undeniably prominent but his acting skills are quite no match for Bale’s. Just like his role in the movie, Michael Caine is as reliable as ever to watch.

The Turn
The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary.
Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, ...

The rivalry gets bitter, violent and almost fatal. Instead of using the conventional sequential storytelling, Nolan utilizes his trademark Memento-ish out of sequence storytelling as the narrative form. They were handled well, structured properly in order that the audience would be able to follow and understand the flow. The best trick is revealed in the form of the gorgeous Scarlett Johansson where she is the show stealer in the best form of eye-candy, distracting me from whatever is happening around her. Even the not-bad-looking Piper Perabo and Rebecca Hall were quickly forgotten. The best trick is of course, only in my humble opinion.

...that's why there's a third act called,
The Prestige
this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before.

The ending of the film given in the opening teases the audience to think that they knew what was going to happen. That is of course, the greatest trick that Nolan has ever pulled. Things get more complicated when Jackman is unable to emulate one of Bale’s tricks. He gets (mis)led to meet David Bowie and Andy Serkis where it is told that they know the secret to the trick. What the audience expected to expect (are you reading closely?) may not be what it seemed to be.

Rating: 8/10
A good magic show warrants a standing ovation from the audience and a fast traveling word of mouth.

Check out the posters. Wickedly cool!

Last updated: 2009-08-11 09:09:49 by joekhor