If you’ve been paying close attention, you’ll notice that this is the first repeat director so far on my blog. Christopher Nolan, the mind behind Interstellar, The Prestige, and many more phenomenal films, is known for his unique topics and screenplays, and The Prestige 100% follows this pattern. Nolan likes to flip concepts on their heads, keep you guessing, and wow the audience with practical effects and unique camera techniques. He puts momentous attention into every minuscule detail, every line, and every shot. Nolan’s screenplays are often fresh concepts, guaranteed to get you confused along the way and The Prestige may be his most simple plot of all, but it will still have you questioning everything until the final scene.
Now I want every reader to have a similar experience I had with this film–which was knowing basically nothing about it–as even the slightest of spoilers I believe may have a negative impact on one’s viewing experience. So, I mostly want to focus on the brilliance of Christopher Nolan that shines through this film. But for a slight introduction, featuring a stacked cast, The Prestige is based on the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest and set in 1890s London, at the peak of the wonder of stage magic. At this apex, we find two apex predator magicians, Robert “The Great Danton” Angier, played by Hugh Jackman (above right), and Alfred “The Professor” Borden, played by Christian Bale (above left), who constantly compete and attempt to sabotage each other’s careers.
At the very beginning of the film, we learn what a “prestige” is in the world of magic. As Michael Caine’s character, John Cutter, describes it, “Every magic trick consists of three parts, or acts. The first part is called ‘the pledge.’ The magician shows you something ordinary. A deck of cards, a bird, or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it, to see that it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But, of course, it probably isn’t. The second act is called ‘the turn.’ The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you’re looking for the secret, but you won’t find it, because, of course, you’re not really looking. You don’t really want to know. You want to be… fooled. But you wouldn’t clap yet, because making something disappear isn’t enough. You have to bring it back. That’s why every magic trick has a third act. The hardest part. The part we call…the prestige.”
This opening monologue is where Nolan’s meta-cinematic ideals are placed on full display, and you don’t even realize. The first lines tell you the basic synopsis of any impressive magic trick, and why those steps are important. But it also gives commentary about why magic (or film, or any kind of entertainment) is so important to people. “You’re looking for the secret, but you won’t find it, because, of course, you’re not really looking…you want to be fooled.” Nolan places this line as it is pertinent to the story of the film, but also to the audience’s viewing experience. For most of the duration of The Prestige, I kept asking myself, “Where is this going?”, at the edge of my seat truly intrigued about what may happen next because really, it was often hard to tell. I thought I was really looking but as Cutter says, I want to be fooled. Nolan is telling us the answer is right in front of us the entire time, but we don’t want to acknowledge it. This is what I believe makes Christopher Nolan so distinguished from other directors; his ability to utilize multiple dynamics of film narrative to give a story so much forward momentum that you wouldn’t dare look away, that even when he presents all the clues right in front of you, you want to be fooled. You are at his mercy until the final shot, which gives you the answer, even though you already know it.
Seriously though, The Prestige is one of my favorite recent watches. Although I really didn’t tell you much about it, trust me it is worth your time, and watching Nolan’s other films is even more worth it. He is one of the greatest directors and filmmakers of our time, and his filmography is still growing.
Image Sources:
While I was familiar with your last blog on Cars, I was not familiar with The Prestige until you mentioned it. However, I am familiar with the movies Now You See Me, which are also about magic tricks. If you have seen that movie, what are some of the similarities and differences between them? Regardless, this movie sounds incredibly interesting, and I will check it out! Thanks for the recommendation!