Prestige, The (2006)
Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Award-winning actors Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson star in The Prestige, the twisting, turning story that, like all great magic tricks, stays with you. Two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman), a
charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden (Bale), a gifted illusionist, are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong. Now the bitterest of enemies, they will stop at nothing to learn each other's secrets. As
their rivalry escalates into a total obsession full of deceit and sabotage, they risk everything to become the greatest magician of all time. But nothing is as it seems, so watch closely. And be prepared to watch it again and again.
Every Magic Trick Has Three Acts:
The Pledge - The promise to amaze.
The Turn - The mind-bending illusion.
The Prestige - The shocking climax.
Storyline: In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert
blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his
competitor with tragic consequences. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
User Comment: girlwithpen from United States • I couldn't help myself. I just kept saying "wow, what a beautifully crafted film," all the way home, and around my house when I arrived home. I have not been so captured and
entertained in a long time. I was especially enamored with the screen writing and how tightly and beautifully the visual metaphors tied in with the writing, and with the impact of the human message about obsession, competition and retribution carried to
the extreme.
One can relate to this personal human struggle for victory over another at all costs on a much grander scale, as the two magicians could easily be symbolic of how leaders of countries come to blows with each other, at the expense of their women and
children -- something we struggle with right now in our world. There are deeper layers of this film that will be uncovered over time.
Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Sir Michael Caine all contributed stunning, emotional performances. Rebecca Hall, who played Sarah to Bale's Alfred Borden, turned in a highly charged performance as well, making Scarlett Johansson's Olivia flat in
comparison. And although some people thought the plot line a bit tedious, I found it to be refreshingly complex and engaging, while not being so complex as to lose you. If you can't follow this one, you've been watching television too long. And who cares
if the illusions are mundane or scientifically unbelievable? Isn't that what both movies and illusions ask us to do? To suspend disbelief? Meantime, there's a message in its madness. Hello.
The film is visually moody and evocative, easily transporting you into the time period. What more could you ask for? A film is a visual medium and this one is a visual ten. The acting is superb as well as the plot. It keeps you interested; it keeps you
guessing right to the shocking but most appropriate end.
It asks you, what is one willing to sacrifice for the "prestige?"
I think this one's an Oscar definite.
Summary: This movie fills the screen and your mind.
--- JOYA ---
º º