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All reads, rates and r... er, comments greatly appreciated ... :-)
Hola!
All reads, rates and r... er, comments greatly appreciated ... :-)
Member since:29.03.2005
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For a good year or so, this film was sitting on my shelf unloved and unwatched - when I was eventually drawn to it after I realised it had been directed by Christopher Nolan (of Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight ...), I discovered just what I'd been missing. For my money, this is simply an outstanding film in so many ways. A strong cast produce performances to match reputations while the plot twists and turns, skillfully keeping its secrets from the viewer. Stylistically too, The Prestige is a great success. It captures the look and feel of the era, when Magic, Trickery and Science were rather less distinct than we consider them now.
The "prestige" of the title alludes to the final act of the typical tripartite magic trick. First comes "the Pledge", in which the magician shows the audience something apparently quite regular, ordinary, like a hat, a coin or watch, or a box, and demonstrates its normality. Secondly, "the Turn"; the magician makes something extraordinary happen - the coin vanishes, the lady in the box is sawed in half. Then "the Prestige" - what
the film calls "... the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance ...". Here, the lady is put back together again and revealed (all having gone accordingly) to be quite unharmed. This is how the audience sees it, at least - for the magician, this is the hard part, the part where one needs to make the "magic" happen.
This third part, the Prestige, is the secret which drives the film. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play friends-turned-rivals magicians, who after the tragic events which open the film, push and test each other again and again to establish just how far they'll go to master their art.
We open the film in a courtroom; Bale's character Alfred Borden is being tried for the murder of Robert Angier (Jackman). From here, the story rewinds, and switches between different times within the pair's rivalry. Furthest back, the two are shown competing in London, with Borden's "ultimate act" at the centre of the story. Some time after this, we see Angier in Colorado attempting to unearth the secret behind Borden's masterful illusion, which some claim is "real" magic. Most recently, the story focuses on Borden in his prison cell, reading the departed Angier's diary.
This back-and-forth narrative structure works extremely well. With the principal characters reading each other's diaries, the plot is able to switch seamlessly between different times and build up an ever-deepening, multi-layered picture. As the film nears its climax, this complex storytelling pays off, as Nolan delivers twist after turn, revealing the true extent of the story. Though he didn't go to the extent he went to with Memento in terms of telling the story backwards, this non-chronological approach is a major part of this film; the watcher is only shown a little of the bigger picture each time, and as such, the resolution of the film is all the more powerful when it arrives, bringing all the composite pieces of the plot together as it does. Like all the best films of this type, featuring some kind of suprise, or "twist" ending, the film is a different proposition on second viewing, as so many of the things that seemed minor on first sight take on a new and more consequential significance. I also liked the way that some important areas of the film are left open to interpretation; several key moments can be seen in a different light if one chooses, creating a number of different levels on which the film can be seen.
Nolan seems a meticulous, painstaking director who nonetheless appreciates flair and face-value visual effect. These two concerns are united wonderfully in The Prestige; it can be viewed as a visually stunning, well-acted story of rivalry, whilst also possessing such depth and ambiguity as to reward those who would wish to consider it further. A mention should certainly go to the supporting performances as well, without which the film would not have such depth and possibility. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, Rebecca Hall and Andy Serkis all play their parts exquisitley, providing a strong, intriguing stage for Bale and Jackman to take the centre of.
The DVD also contains a number of well-worthwhile extras, most notably a feature entitled "The Cinematic Slight of Hand of Christopher Nolan", in which the director discusses some of the key decisions and thought processes that ran behind the film. With a film with so many layers as this, this is a genuinely insightful extra that really contributes and brings something more to the DVD.
I'm a big fan of Christopher Nolan's films, and though others may have been lauded more, this is almost certainly the most purely enjoyable and engaging one I've seen, and the one to which I'll return the most.
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Production Year: 1999 - Drama, Thriller - Director: M. Night Shyamalan - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Olivia Williams, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mischa Barton, Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
The Prestigeattempts a hat trick by combining a ridiculously good-looking cast, a highly ... more
regarded new director, and more than one sleight of hand. Does it pull it off? Sort of. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play rival magicians who were once friends ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Prestigeattempts a hat trick by combining a ridiculously good-looking cast, a highly ... more
regarded new director, and more than one sleight of hand. Does it pull it off? Sort of. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play rival magicians who were once friends ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 1 to 3 weeks...
Is there a secret you would kill to know? In this electrifying, suspense-packed thriller ... more
from director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento), Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play magicians whose cutthroat attempts to better each other plunge them ...
Advantages: Atmospheric historical drama. Wonderful costumes and sets. Disadvantages: Twists fore-shadowed early in the film too often missed first time around.
MAFARRIMOND 15.04.2007 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Prestige (DVD)
Advantages: Two rivals with one thing in common: Each has something hidden in plain sight. Disadvantages: None. Art house film marketing for major release due to it's all-star hollywood cast.
Coyote98 24.11.2006 (24.11.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Prestige (DVD)
![The Prestige [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78143330.jpg "The Prestige [DVD] [2006]")
Jan 2nd, 2009
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