My favourite detail is that each magician's fate mirrors that of their wives: Julia drowns, as do 100 Angier clones, and Sarah hangs herself, like how Borden is hung.
Never made the Borden connection! I immediately picked up on Algiers, because it came acoss as a self punishment for not being able to save her. Almost like he wanted to experience it over and over because he went mad. The Borden detail slipped right by me though.
judging by the comments i’ve seen on videos, pretty much nobody did. and with the reviews so high it’s hard to believe anyone picked up on it. feels obvious after tho.
@@rvnlvr0599it’s probably because Christian Bale was nowhere as big back then, so the obvious lack of a big actor playing the supporting role of Fallon wasn’t as immediately obvious as it is now. That or maybe I was a clueless teen the first time I watched it back then, haha
Great choice and review. I am always struck that Angier never enjoyed the prestige in the end - it was his duplicate who got the applause. The obsessive lengths he went to were self-defeating. Very sad, tragic and horrific.
Especially because the whole reason he went to Tesla in the first place was that he wanted the applause that the actor he’d hired to double him was getting.
it's never really certain that he dies in the trick, in our point of view, yes it's the one is the machine that dies and the transported one lives, but to him, the clones has the exect same memories and life as the original, so the clone will never know it wasn't the original, so as he says in the movie "he never knows if he will be the one getting the applause or the one drowning". You might say he confirms that the original stays in place and the copy transports, but in the scene where he shoots the copy we have no certainty that the one who got shot was in fact the copy or the original. For all we know the original might be the one constantly getting the applause
Another foreshadowing point in this movie, one of my favorite lines early on is a conversation between Cutter and the judge in Borden's case: Cutter: "This device was not made by a magician but by a _Wizard_ " Judge: "I'm sure behind it all there's just some disappointing trick" Cutter: "Most disappointing, because there is no trick. This device actually does what we only pretend to do!" ...This is hinting that there's going to be a science fiction element later in the movie. Fun Trivia: the Judge is Daniel Davis, who was (Holodeck) James Moriarty in two episodes of TNG!
I'll never not gush about this film. It's obvious that this movie deserves the accolades it's given, but, somehow, it is among the least recognized of the Nolan works. That said, thank you for giving it the spotlight it is owed! Great video!
The Prestige is the only movie which I have finished and then immediately started at the beginning and watched completely through again. The end reveal was such a WFT? moment for me that I HAD to watch it again right away to understand what I had just watched while the events were fresh in my mind. Personally, this is my favorite Nolan film.
Christopher Priest’s novel has a slightly different ending, and I recommend people read it before watching the film. FYI, Chris - who passed away last month - left a fantastic legacy of provocative novels, and I would especially recommend The Glamour and The Affirmation to those new to his work.
I read The prestige before the film was even made I think, and I would never have thought anybody could make a decent job of bringing it to film, but Nolan did. I'm sorry to learn that Christopher Priest recently died, especially as I recently read what will then probably remain his last entry, Airside, which I'm sorry to say left me utterly disappointed. However, I'd also recommend other books from his: The separation, The inverted world, The space machine and The dream archipelago. Although the short stories in that last one are of different quality, there are some which are amazing.
One aspect about Angier killing his duplicate comes up near the end of the movie. Angier doesn't really understand how the machine functions. He believes he is risking his life whenever he steps into the machine. He never understood that the duplicate would also share the memories until the point the duplicate is created, because he still has all the memories, he thinks he is still the original. Him killing the duplicates by drowning might be an expression of him viewing them as less than human, so he doesn't feel the need to give them a less painfull death. Additionally it might also be an expression on how much he hates to share the spotlight.
One other aspect of Angier's solution which I think is very ironic is that his version is not actually a magic trick any more. It is the real thing, and so much more than a magic trick as it could be of use in real life.
One of the most tragically poignant parts of this movie is how at first the viewers are led to believe Borden is a cheating, amoral husband, and a liar who claims one day he loves Sarah, and the next day claims he loves Olivia. Upon rewatching it, there is a deep truth to everything we thought had been Borden's lies. "Part of me loved Sarah, but part of me never did, part of me always loved you, Olivia." This was one of the true sacrifices of two men sharing 1 life, and the exact moment "Borden" made the tiniest misstep from that very straight and narrow line, the moment he wanted just one tiny piece of an actual life for himself, was at least a part of his/their downfall.
I’ve watched every Nolan film made prior to Tenet. Sorry Dark Knight fans but the Prestige is his best film, bar none! I loved this film and have watched it multiple times over the years, each time coming away with new tidbits of information about it. It’s a shame it hasn’t gotten the critical or commercial praise it deserves. Thank you for bringing this film up in a review. Perhaps it will find a new audience!
Watched Pressythingy lots of fine acting, but didn't think that much of the story. Nolan just can't have an everyday bad outcome in a relationship. Like Tenet, Interstellar or Inception the sci-fi element puts the characters out of normal earthly situations. While still trying to tell a human story about connection and/or loss. Tenet the bonds of friendship, Inception the bonds of love for a wife. Interstellar the bond of a parent to child. They are all broken and they all end, but they always end with a twist.
The magic is in the foreshadowing. Particularly the bits that aren’t shoved in your face. That’s how you get such a strong reaction at the end, it’s basically a form of subliminal messaging. That’s the magic. Nolan does this with all his films.
I highly recommend reading the book. It is fantastic because it adds an extra layer of horror when the reader learns what was really happening to Angier throughout the story.
Two Bordens, quiet and loud. Loud B tied the other knot, Angiers wife cant slip it. Quiet B likely went to the funeral and kept the journal, so in fact could never truthfully say which knot was tied. Angiers kept asking the wrong twin.
Angier doesn't kill the duplicate, he kills himself falling through the trap door, and the duplicate from each trick assumes his life. The fact that each time, each version of Angier does the trick knowing he's going to drown show's his resolve for revenge.
It seems like many people are forgetting that angier tells Borden at the end of the film that he never knew if he'd be the one who goes into the tank or the one that appears on stage. Angier doesn't realize he's a clone because it's the seamless memory between the original who activates the machine and the clone who appears on stage.
Keep in mind Angiers already tried the duplicate route, hiring an actor. He even says that because he was always under the stage in that version, he couldn't really enjoy the crowds response. So that alludes already to why he killed his duplicates.
This move is WILD. Love it. Just rewatched it last month. It's in my top 10 for sure. When he says he always wondered if he will be the man under the stage or the Prestige, it gave me chills. That was originally in reference to when he was using the drunk stand in duplicate for the Prestige and he had to sit underneath while the stand in took all the credit. With the machine, it must have been ten fold. One of them would be dying/drowning while the copy took all the credit. Awesome movie, thanks for bringing it back to light!
Yes! We share the same interpretation about this movie. Borden chose the hard way and Angier couldn't. The answer is not only ethics (not killing the duplicate) but to carry out the daily process of continually deceiving the audience, like that Chinese illusionist. Humility, hard work and perseverance, that is the Prestige, the definitive trick.
How the machine seemed to work was that the original was left in the center of it and duplicate was created outside of it. Which means that the first version which had a trapdoor to waterbox drowned the original Angier and he knew that would happen (he designed the system) so he literally sacrificed himself for the prestige. Multiple times because next clone always sacrificed itself for the new version. One could say that is choosing quite a hard way. Borden brothers naturally had their own vices. It's hard to not think that the other brother killed Angier's wife in their personal desire to 'improve' a trick which from audiences perspective would not have improved anything because who cares what type of knot it was outside people doing the trick? That is also reckless endangerment of others and killing an aide (and your friends wife) when you are not the Houdini of that trick who is endangering themselves. So none of the protagonist were especially clean or ethical in their actions. Maybe the other brother was depending which scenes was Alfred and which was Frederick.
I love the shot right after Borden kills Angier. As the warehouse burns, we see row upon row of drowned Angier duplicates. I think the messages of the film are really about the costs of rivalry and seeking revenge. The old saying, "he who seeks revenge dies a thousand deaths" is literally visualized here, and it's brilliant.
Saw the Prestige first time last night. Great movie of type that leaves you thinking about it and needs more than one viewing when you try to pick out clues you missed first time.
The Prestige is a wonderful film, end of the day the manipulation of space and time. when all it was. was an identical twin act. Angier drove himself insane, because he couldn't or wouldn't see the truth
The "where's his brother?" line i always saw as a parallel to anjier more than bordan. Bc he had to literally kill his other self every time, despite him being the one not willing to kill birds at the start.
At the end Angier says he never knew which Man was going to live or die, as in the machine was random as far as who it teleported. This is what he said took courage and that he knew what sacrifice was. So, while a long shot, the end Angier could still be the original but even he would never know.
Great analysis. Always think also that he is dead in the middle of the film. If he transport himself on the machine he is dead by gunshot on the first use. If he stays in the same place he is drowned 😢. So very sad
There is something I've never seen anyone talk about. After seeing the teleported man from Angier, Borden says to Fallon: that's it we are finished. But why? They are twins they can always perform a new and better teleported man. All they have to do is flourish it a little.
its to tell the audience the Bordens are not aware that Angier also has a twin, whereas Angier was on to Bordens secret right after the knot incident and the china man performance
If anyone played Remnant: From the Ashes, there's a level called Leto's Laboratory where the player finds a malfunctioning teleportation device, and must use it many times, only to later find a pile of burnt bodies in the basement. The first time you see it, a body falls out of a chute right in front of you, and adds to the pile. It's all environmental storytelling and not directly explained to you, but it eventually becomes clear that those bodies are the player, each time we teleport a new copy is made and the original is burnt. It always reminded me of this movie
I would suggest the book as much as the movie. The author, Christopher Priest, recently passed away, and all his work is fresh and creative and engaging.
They came out at the same time. The funny thing is, I went to one thinking it was the other. The ad for the one I thought I was see came on during the preview and I was laughing at my own mistake. They were both great. But this one is my favorite.
Great breakdown, I had done a paper on this movie in college about the Economic Commentary. The poor twins who achieve their success by love of the craft self sacrifice and discipline…coming up from nothing; Hugh Jackman comes from money he goes back too in the end. He is into the Show the recognition. In the end Hugh Jackman does mass production of himself dying slowly his view on having blood on his hand. I only got a ‘B’ on the paper
I love the film, and would recommend a reading of the book too, though with the perspective of them being two different tellings. Even having seen it several times, reading the book made my next watch all the more appreciative of Bale's portrayals of each twin's own (very different) temperament (and each's attempt to conceal the difference for sake of the Prestige). And Jackman's portrayal throughout is key to the power of the Angier's final line.
Angier wasn't willing to share his life with a duplicate the way Borden shared one life with his twin. For him, killing one Angier version every show was easier than going through sharing his life with one twin. Angier craved the sole spotlight.
Thank you for this walk-through of the pledge, the turn, and the prestige of both of the magic tricks in The Prestige. It's an amazing mystery solving adventure and a revenge tale throughout the movie, becoming a horror story once the audience reaches the ending. It is very well acted by Jackman and Bale. I'm also a fan of the music of the late Bowie and was pleasantly surprised by his portrayal of Tesla.
SPOILER: Honestly, the biggest question I was left with after the final scene was wondering why Angier kept all the dead duplicates in the water tanks. Seems like it would have been easier to simply dispose of the bodies rather than have to acquire a brand new tank each time and risk discovery. Maybe it was just a directorial decision to provide a more jarring visual impact of what he was doing.
Given the time period, I wonder if it would have been equally difficult to keep disposing of the bodies; he would always have had to do it entirely by himself, no easy task, and employ a reliable method with a very low risk of discovery, since if just one duplicate was found it would mean disaster (so the disposal method would have to be either total, or a near zero chance of discovery, but the latter would likely mean going somewhere outdoors, eg. attaching weights and dumping in a deep lake). You're probably right though re the greater viual impact. Afterall, eventually he would run out of space with so many cubicles, and unless he was the only person involved in making the cubicles, surely someone would eventually ask why he kept ordering ever more of them.
This scene always left me with questions, but I kind of like its ambiguity. The film has many elements, but this one seems like true horror and reminds me of the tone of the first Alien.
Angiers only remembers going into the “teleporter” every night, and appearing across the concert hall… it feels like he’s done this 60 times. The copy has zero memory of ever falling into that tank to drown. Thus he FEELS invulnerable, even though INTELLECTUALLY he knows he’s going to drown that night (each night he does drown and a new copy is made).
I really enjoyed your review of this, i never looked at it that he himself died each night but he was willing take the chance that he might and to let the duplicate die. Its my absolute favourite movie, I will say I am an identical twin.
The duplicate wasn't killed in his trick. The man who goes into the machine dies, the duplicate is the prestige. Every time he did the trick he knew he was going to drown to death
Doesn’t he say at the end to Borden to show how ferrying it is and how much he is willing to sacrifice that there is always some doubt as to whether he is killing himself or the duplicate?
One thing you missed Dave, in trying to understand the magic. Angier apparently wasn’t the one who died every time he did the trick. Strangely, it was random. Remember the line “it took courage getting into that machine every night, not knowing if I’d be the man in the box (tank) or in the prestige”
What a great interpretation of this movie. I have seen this movie quite a bit and enjoy it every time and even noticed and liked a lot of the parts of the movie you focused on, but when you brought the story arcs of the twin brothers up in comparison to Hugh Jackman's character's duplicates it was like my mind exploded. For some reason the image of 3 intertangled circules popped into my head when you finished the comparisons. I also never even considerd any correlations between the dupllicates and the twins. Great video
I felt like the movie is a contemplation on "how far will you go...?" - I thought it was extremely well cast and overall well made. The fact that that both obsessed magicians are played by actors who are well-known for being very dedicated to capturing the characters they are playing makes the movie an even more interesting watch to me.
I just randomly remembered this movie last week and decided to watch it with my wife. It was way better than I remembered and she loved it also! What odd timing that this video should pop up now!
One of my favorite movies....shows the hardships of life, along with the rewards, and to never underestimate the amount someone will go to enact revenge if driven to do so, and how a life that is often a tragic one is usually our own doing.
Yeah. I didn't pay attention well enough myself. A lot of the movie was lost on me unfortunately. I will need to watch it again but if it requires intense thought then I need to read the book not watch the movie.
I don't think this interpretation is accurate though. He literally tells Borden at the end of the film that he never knew if he'd be the one in the tank or the one on the stage. Because of the seamless memory between the original that activates the machine and the clone that appears on the stage, he never truly understands how the machine works. From his perspective, he steps into the machine and it's a 50/50 chance if he ends up in the tank or on the stage.
I'm here because I've just watched this film few days ago. And yes, this is one of the best films I've ever seen. I cannot believe I took so long to watch it. I'm not the one that use to rewatch movies but with this I just have to. And everytime it gets better. But a couple things that I loved the most about this movie since the first time I saw it were: 1) You can't tell who is good or evil or how good or how evil. Both did terrible things. Did any of them really won? 2) How it was portrayed that one was a better magician and the other a better showman. Angier's last lines were powerful. Borden/Fallon was proud of their sacrifice for making a good trick, but Angier's comeback was that he never understood why they were magicians in the first place.
It's great that you have brought out this amazing, nearly 20 year old, classic and reminded people why it was so great. I would however like to challenge your conclusion (based purely on my own perspective which is, as is Nolan's genius, not necessarily the truth) *SPOILERS AHEAD*: I believe Angier to be the epitome of the unreliable narrator. He lies about his name and identity, pretending to be an American when he is not. He pretends to be working class, which he is not. The entire story is told from the perspective of Freddy (not Fallon) reading Angier's diary and, in effect, his lies. It was Albert and Freddy (Alfred) that pointed towards Tesla as the key (to the diary, not the trick) and as a middle finger to Bourden, Angier lied about the results of Tesla's machine making him think he had succeeded, knowing Bourden would not be able to resist finding out how the trick was done. In fact, I believe that Angier went back to Gerald Root and convinced him to do the trick with him for a substantial amount, all leading up to that final performance where he killed Root and finally got to feel what it was like not being 'the man in the box'. We never actually see any bodies clearly other than possibly one, and knowing how Nolan likes to cement his films in realism, I don't believe he was trying to make us believe that Nikolai Tesla actually made a magical electrical sparky machine that duplicated things. Instead, throughout the film we are told that Magicians, and especially Angier who is the weaker magician but better showman, are not to be trusted. For me, the machine never worked. Angier just wanted Bourden (and us) to think it did to play his hand at the end. A special mention has to go to Bale who portrayed Albert and Freddy so well that it is actually possible to tell which twin is playing Bourden at any one time (Albert being the more cautious and Freddy being the more reckless who ends up being hanged).
Jesus, finally I found someone talking about this. That was my interpretation of the film and I was shocked of how unpopular of a theory this was, when in reality it's the most realistic one and surely more believable than the existence of a magic transportation machine. It seems like in the end Nolan really tricked almost all of the viewers. First let's make them believe there is a simple trick to the transportation, then make them think that the whole illusion was that there was no trick and the machine really works. I think making people believe that was the illusion itself, to let you believe something magical really occurred when in reality it's all explainable without having to deep into science-fiction. That's literally what an illusion consists of and ironically it seems like everybody fell for it in the end (given all the explanations and analysis people gave). I don't even know if Nolan did it on purpose. He certainly played a lot on that line between real and not real, without giving any conclusive explanation (something we see in all of his filmography by the way). It looks like he never wanted to give conclusive evidence that the machine worked, which is something he would do only if the machine didn't work in the first place but wanted make people believe it did (again, to literally illude the audience). I also can't wrap my head around the people that didn't understand everything we see may never took place. For as far as we know, each diary is full of lies and written only to trick the other magician. This basically means neither of them may have ever encountered Tesla in the first place, but wrote about him to trick the other one into thinking they did. Basically everything we see in the film is a narrative written to fit an illusion to make it look real to the other magician, and to us as well. I mean, every interpretation is valid, whether the Tesla machine is valid or not, but as I said i'm shocked of how unpopular this view is, despite it making the most sense from a logical standpoint and, as far as I know, not having any legit plot holes.
@@naky_6984 Well said and thank you for giving me a sanity check. Up to this point I was feeling as if I was the only person seeing it this way. I love that Nolan has movies that can be interpreted in different ways in an almost 'make your own ending' fashion, but from my side, the endings to this and Inception are clear as day. Again, thanks for the response and I agree wholeheartedly.
@@Siosal01 thank you as well, you managed to put into words what I had in my mind this whole time. I finally feel comforted knowing I'm not the only person who caught these things. Like you said, it really gives you a sanity check :)
Fantastic video. I'm a huge fan of this film and have seen it many times, but you have provided many additional, wonderful insights that I hadn't really considered. Thanks for that. Time for a rewatch!
Holy shit. This is one of my favorite movies ever. I’ve watched it at least 25 times and always said it was one of my desert island films because of its non-linear structure it bounces around in time so much that I can’t remember what will happen next. But until now I always thought Angier was killing his duplicate every night. I never realized that in reality he was committing suicide every night, which is so much darker and makes the agony he goes through a thousand times worse. Thank you for this insight. Wow.
I remember when I first watched this sitting forward in my seat and realising that I was actually holding my breath at that reveal. An amazing movie in all aspects
My biggest regret about this film was that I was too young to comprehend it, and when I was old enough to find out what it was about, I already knew what the twist was
The thing I respect about this movie, is it is one giant magic trick. The first time you view it, it will never be viewed the same way again ever afterward. Because by the end of the first watch you know the twist. It is amazing.
One of my favourite movies, it stands out to me as one of 3 movies ever where as soon as it was over the first time I saw - I immediately rewatched it without a moments delay to pick up on what I missed while it was all fresh in my mind
The book is rather different in many ways. Spoilers for the book ahoy: About half the book is set in Victorian England, the other half is present day, focusing on the descendents of Borden and Angier. The "Borden's Diary" section becomes clear after a bit that it is two people writing it, and using it to communicate back and forth, despite staying in the first person. The name "Alfred" Borden is eventually revealed to be a compounding of the names "Albert" and "Frederick" Borden. The Tesla device doesn't copy exactly. It teleports the user, first by moving his "soul" or spirit" then his physical body. It leaves behind a husk, an immobile, "mummified" or calcified, inert body or "corpse". So whenever Angier uses it he has to hide the residual body to avoid suspicion or awkward questions. Olivia meanwhile has figured out Borden's secret, he pays her off to keep quiet, which she does. (Major plot spoilers:) On one night during Angier's show, Borden sneaks backstage and finds the engine for the device. Fearing it will start a fire in the theater he stops it, in the middle of Angier's act. This causes the device to not complete the transfer and splits Angier in two, one a mostly insubstantial ghostlike being, the original becomes more lethargic, less lively and mentally less focused. Borden flees after running into the "ghost" and is never caught backstage, and thus is never arrested. (Even bigger spoilers, ROT-13 protected:) obql!Natvre trgf zber culfvpnyyl fvpxyl naq pbecfryvxr naq riraghnyyl qvrf. Bar bs gur Obeqraf vf zheqrerq yngre ol tubfg!Natvre, jub nyfb uhagf qbja gur bgure Obeqra, ohg qvffvcngrf pbzcyrgryl orsber ur pna npuvrir uvf eriratr.
After learning a little about magic history you see that Chung Ling Soo (the fail of magician) is an actual historical figure. His real name was William Ellsworth Robinson. He was an American who took on the persona of a Chinese magician. The man, in reality, was constantly putting on the show of being something he wasn't.
While never stated in the movie, in the book, the brothers are named Albert and Frederick, which they merged into Alfred. One of the things that is absolutely sure is that Angier is a fake no matter how you interpret the duplication. In the original test, the "original" (i.e. the one still in the machine) shoots and kills the "duplicate". In all other performances, the "original" is drowned and the one that appears several yards away lives.
Yes, the movie where Batman and Black Widow team up to beat Wolverine. Truly the best Comic book movie ever made.
How Original.
@@rzn2258how original
My favourite detail is that each magician's fate mirrors that of their wives: Julia drowns, as do 100 Angier clones, and Sarah hangs herself, like how Borden is hung.
Never made the Borden connection! I immediately picked up on Algiers, because it came acoss as a self punishment for not being able to save her. Almost like he wanted to experience it over and over because he went mad. The Borden detail slipped right by me though.
I was lucky enough not to realize Fallon was Borden til the end.
Same here
judging by the comments i’ve seen on videos, pretty much nobody did. and with the reviews so high it’s hard to believe anyone picked up on it. feels obvious after tho.
@@BrewedCoffeeBean it's a magic trick
@@rvnlvr0599you're too smart
@@rvnlvr0599it’s probably because Christian Bale was nowhere as big back then, so the obvious lack of a big actor playing the supporting role of Fallon wasn’t as immediately obvious as it is now. That or maybe I was a clueless teen the first time I watched it back then, haha
Great choice and review. I am always struck that Angier never enjoyed the prestige in the end - it was his duplicate who got the applause. The obsessive lengths he went to were self-defeating. Very sad, tragic and horrific.
Especially because the whole reason he went to Tesla in the first place was that he wanted the applause that the actor he’d hired to double him was getting.
In the end he convinced himself that he could be the new duplicate, a delusion that didn't come from Tesla or anywhere else. He went mad essentially.
it's never really certain that he dies in the trick, in our point of view, yes it's the one is the machine that dies and the transported one lives, but to him, the clones has the exect same memories and life as the original, so the clone will never know it wasn't the original, so as he says in the movie "he never knows if he will be the one getting the applause or the one drowning". You might say he confirms that the original stays in place and the copy transports, but in the scene where he shoots the copy we have no certainty that the one who got shot was in fact the copy or the original. For all we know the original might be the one constantly getting the applause
I was thinking about this movie just earlier today. Very original and disturbing. David Bowie as Tesla could have been a movie in itself.
Another foreshadowing point in this movie, one of my favorite lines early on is a conversation between Cutter and the judge in Borden's case:
Cutter: "This device was not made by a magician but by a _Wizard_ "
Judge: "I'm sure behind it all there's just some disappointing trick"
Cutter: "Most disappointing, because there is no trick. This device actually does what we only pretend to do!"
...This is hinting that there's going to be a science fiction element later in the movie. Fun Trivia: the Judge is Daniel Davis, who was (Holodeck) James Moriarty in two episodes of TNG!
Cutter is paid by Angier to add that sense of mystique he is in on Angiers final plans
I'll never not gush about this film. It's obvious that this movie deserves the accolades it's given, but, somehow, it is among the least recognized of the Nolan works. That said, thank you for giving it the spotlight it is owed! Great video!
The Prestige is the only movie which I have finished and then immediately started at the beginning and watched completely through again. The end reveal was such a WFT? moment for me that I HAD to watch it again right away to understand what I had just watched while the events were fresh in my mind. Personally, this is my favorite Nolan film.
I've always thought that Insomnia was the Nolan movie that's often overlooked. I find it excellent.
Yes!
Forever my favourite Nolan film! 💙
The dark knight
Unbreakable (2000) and The Prestige (2006) have two of the greatest and most underrated twist endings of the 21st century.
My bro-in-law is a magician and he demanded we watch The Prestige with him. It was amazing, but needed a second watch to fully understand.
i absolutely LOVE ThePrestige.
This is exactly how beaming in Star Trek works... Food for thoughts
Every film of Nolan’s is, at the very least, an experience and always worth watching multiple times. My favourite director by far for many years.
Mauler isn't wrong, the Prestige is probably the best movie of the modern era
been very few great films in the 21st century - this one is certainly one of them, though
The best existential horror (borderline cosmic horror) movie of the new millennium (maybe)
Yea i watched this coz of Longman i fully agree wiv u both.
Agreed.
he sure is gay tho
The Prestige (2006) > The Illusionist (2006)
Facts
tis true but both are great
Deep Impact (1998) > Armageddon (1998)
Mission To Mars (2000) > Red Planet (2000)
Btw both were twisted and awesome in unique manner.
Never got why there were two magic movies from the 1800's in 2006. Edward Norton, love him in Fight Club but he is kinda overrated now.
Christopher Priest’s novel has a slightly different ending, and I recommend people read it before watching the film. FYI, Chris - who passed away last month - left a fantastic legacy of provocative novels, and I would especially recommend The Glamour and The Affirmation to those new to his work.
I read The prestige before the film was even made I think, and I would never have thought anybody could make a decent job of bringing it to film, but Nolan did. I'm sorry to learn that Christopher Priest recently died, especially as I recently read what will then probably remain his last entry, Airside, which I'm sorry to say left me utterly disappointed. However, I'd also recommend other books from his: The separation, The inverted world, The space machine and The dream archipelago. Although the short stories in that last one are of different quality, there are some which are amazing.
One of my favorite Nolan films and one of his most underrated films.
One aspect about Angier killing his duplicate comes up near the end of the movie. Angier doesn't really understand how the machine functions. He believes he is risking his life whenever he steps into the machine. He never understood that the duplicate would also share the memories until the point the duplicate is created, because he still has all the memories, he thinks he is still the original.
Him killing the duplicates by drowning might be an expression of him viewing them as less than human, so he doesn't feel the need to give them a less painfull death. Additionally it might also be an expression on how much he hates to share the spotlight.
One other aspect of Angier's solution which I think is very ironic is that his version is not actually a magic trick any more. It is the real thing, and so much more than a magic trick as it could be of use in real life.
In the end he convinced himself that he could be the new duplicate, a delusion that didn't come from Tesla or anywhere else. He went mad essentially.
lol there are zero duplicates, pay attention
@@geert574try to explain it. Especially when he first demonstrates the trick to Cutter.
Nolan's best and most satisfying film
One of the most tragically poignant parts of this movie is how at first the viewers are led to believe Borden is a cheating, amoral husband, and a liar who claims one day he loves Sarah, and the next day claims he loves Olivia. Upon rewatching it, there is a deep truth to everything we thought had been Borden's lies. "Part of me loved Sarah, but part of me never did, part of me always loved you, Olivia." This was one of the true sacrifices of two men sharing 1 life, and the exact moment "Borden" made the tiniest misstep from that very straight and narrow line, the moment he wanted just one tiny piece of an actual life for himself, was at least a part of his/their downfall.
I’ve watched every Nolan film made prior to Tenet. Sorry Dark Knight fans but the Prestige is his best film, bar none! I loved this film and have watched it multiple times over the years, each time coming away with new tidbits of information about it. It’s a shame it hasn’t gotten the critical or commercial praise it deserves. Thank you for bringing this film up in a review. Perhaps it will find a new audience!
Watched Pressythingy lots of fine acting, but didn't think that much of the story. Nolan just can't have an everyday bad outcome in a relationship. Like Tenet, Interstellar or Inception the sci-fi element puts the characters out of normal earthly situations. While still trying to tell a human story about connection and/or loss. Tenet the bonds of friendship, Inception the bonds of love for a wife. Interstellar the bond of a parent to child. They are all broken and they all end, but they always end with a twist.
Yes Nolan's finest film in my opinion - perfectly formed movie.
The Prestige is in my top 5 movies of all time. It is SOOO good.
The magic is in the foreshadowing. Particularly the bits that aren’t shoved in your face. That’s how you get such a strong reaction at the end, it’s basically a form of subliminal messaging.
That’s the magic. Nolan does this with all his films.
I almost drowned twice… it was not ‘peaceful’. I was terrified
The Prestige and the Illusionist are two of my favorite stage magician movies. Both have very different tones but both are great in their own ways.
For me Momento is his best work. I know it’s a smaller, lower budget film but it’s just so clever
I don't... remember... that one.
Portraits are hung. Men are hanged.
Speak for yourself;)
Classic Picard season 2 writer blunder 😄
Thank you
"They said you was hung!" "And they was right." Never fails to make me laugh.
so.. my portrait was hung... and accurage
I highly recommend reading the book. It is fantastic because it adds an extra layer of horror when the reader learns what was really happening to Angier throughout the story.
Two Bordens, quiet and loud. Loud B tied the other knot, Angiers wife cant slip it. Quiet B likely went to the funeral and kept the journal, so in fact could never truthfully say which knot was tied. Angiers kept asking the wrong twin.
Angier doesn't kill the duplicate, he kills himself falling through the trap door, and the duplicate from each trick assumes his life. The fact that each time, each version of Angier does the trick knowing he's going to drown show's his resolve for revenge.
My favorite thing about this film is that the story structure itself follows the stages of a magic trick.
It seems like many people are forgetting that angier tells Borden at the end of the film that he never knew if he'd be the one who goes into the tank or the one that appears on stage. Angier doesn't realize he's a clone because it's the seamless memory between the original who activates the machine and the clone who appears on stage.
Soma has entered the chat
Keep in mind Angiers already tried the duplicate route, hiring an actor. He even says that because he was always under the stage in that version, he couldn't really enjoy the crowds response. So that alludes already to why he killed his duplicates.
This move is WILD. Love it. Just rewatched it last month. It's in my top 10 for sure. When he says he always wondered if he will be the man under the stage or the Prestige, it gave me chills. That was originally in reference to when he was using the drunk stand in duplicate for the Prestige and he had to sit underneath while the stand in took all the credit. With the machine, it must have been ten fold. One of them would be dying/drowning while the copy took all the credit. Awesome movie, thanks for bringing it back to light!
This is a very good movie, Well done Dave.
Indeed a masterpiece.
Yes! We share the same interpretation about this movie. Borden chose the hard way and Angier couldn't. The answer is not only ethics (not killing the duplicate) but to carry out the daily process of continually deceiving the audience, like that Chinese illusionist. Humility, hard work and perseverance, that is the Prestige, the definitive trick.
How the machine seemed to work was that the original was left in the center of it and duplicate was created outside of it.
Which means that the first version which had a trapdoor to waterbox drowned the original Angier and he knew that would happen (he designed the system) so he literally sacrificed himself for the prestige. Multiple times because next clone always sacrificed itself for the new version. One could say that is choosing quite a hard way.
Borden brothers naturally had their own vices. It's hard to not think that the other brother killed Angier's wife in their personal desire to 'improve' a trick which from audiences perspective would not have improved anything because who cares what type of knot it was outside people doing the trick? That is also reckless endangerment of others and killing an aide (and your friends wife) when you are not the Houdini of that trick who is endangering themselves.
So none of the protagonist were especially clean or ethical in their actions. Maybe the other brother was depending which scenes was Alfred and which was Frederick.
I love the shot right after Borden kills Angier. As the warehouse burns, we see row upon row of drowned Angier duplicates. I think the messages of the film are really about the costs of rivalry and seeking revenge. The old saying, "he who seeks revenge dies a thousand deaths" is literally visualized here, and it's brilliant.
Saw the Prestige first time last night. Great movie of type that leaves you thinking about it and needs more than one viewing when you try to pick out clues you missed first time.
The Prestige is a wonderful film, end of the day the manipulation of space and time. when all it was. was an identical twin act.
Angier drove himself insane, because he couldn't or wouldn't see the truth
The "where's his brother?" line i always saw as a parallel to anjier more than bordan. Bc he had to literally kill his other self every time, despite him being the one not willing to kill birds at the start.
At the end Angier says he never knew which Man was going to live or die, as in the machine was random as far as who it teleported.
This is what he said took courage and that he knew what sacrifice was.
So, while a long shot, the end Angier could still be the original but even he would never know.
Great analysis. Always think also that he is dead in the middle of the film. If he transport himself on the machine he is dead by gunshot on the first use. If he stays in the same place he is drowned 😢. So very sad
There is something I've never seen anyone talk about. After seeing the teleported man from Angier, Borden says to Fallon: that's it we are finished.
But why? They are twins they can always perform a new and better teleported man. All they have to do is flourish it a little.
its to tell the audience the Bordens are not aware that Angier also has a twin, whereas Angier was on to Bordens secret right after the knot incident and the china man performance
If anyone played Remnant: From the Ashes, there's a level called Leto's Laboratory where the player finds a malfunctioning teleportation device, and must use it many times, only to later find a pile of burnt bodies in the basement. The first time you see it, a body falls out of a chute right in front of you, and adds to the pile. It's all environmental storytelling and not directly explained to you, but it eventually becomes clear that those bodies are the player, each time we teleport a new copy is made and the original is burnt. It always reminded me of this movie
I would suggest the book as much as the movie. The author, Christopher Priest, recently passed away, and all his work is fresh and creative and engaging.
They came out at the same time. The funny thing is, I went to one thinking it was the other. The ad for the one I thought I was see came on during the preview and I was laughing at my own mistake. They were both great. But this one is my favorite.
Great breakdown, I had done a paper on this movie in college about the Economic Commentary. The poor twins who achieve their success by love of the craft self sacrifice and discipline…coming up from nothing; Hugh Jackman comes from money he goes back too in the end. He is into the Show the recognition. In the end Hugh Jackman does mass production of himself dying slowly his view on having blood on his hand. I only got a ‘B’ on the paper
I love the film, and would recommend a reading of the book too, though with the perspective of them being two different tellings. Even having seen it several times, reading the book made my next watch all the more appreciative of Bale's portrayals of each twin's own (very different) temperament (and each's attempt to conceal the difference for sake of the Prestige). And Jackman's portrayal throughout is key to the power of the Angier's final line.
Angier wasn't willing to share his life with a duplicate the way Borden shared one life with his twin.
For him, killing one Angier version every show was easier than going through sharing his life with one twin.
Angier craved the sole spotlight.
Thank you for this walk-through of the pledge, the turn, and the prestige of both of the magic tricks in The Prestige. It's an amazing mystery solving adventure and a revenge tale throughout the movie, becoming a horror story once the audience reaches the ending.
It is very well acted by Jackman and Bale. I'm also a fan of the music of the late Bowie and was pleasantly surprised by his portrayal of Tesla.
One of the best movies I've watched. The acting is supreme.
Still in my collection. Still watch it every other year.
SPOILER: Honestly, the biggest question I was left with after the final scene was wondering why Angier kept all the dead duplicates in the water tanks. Seems like it would have been easier to simply dispose of the bodies rather than have to acquire a brand new tank each time and risk discovery. Maybe it was just a directorial decision to provide a more jarring visual impact of what he was doing.
Given the time period, I wonder if it would have been equally difficult to keep disposing of the bodies; he would always have had to do it entirely by himself, no easy task, and employ a reliable method with a very low risk of discovery, since if just one duplicate was found it would mean disaster (so the disposal method would have to be either total, or a near zero chance of discovery, but the latter would likely mean going somewhere outdoors, eg. attaching weights and dumping in a deep lake).
You're probably right though re the greater viual impact. Afterall, eventually he would run out of space with so many cubicles, and unless he was the only person involved in making the cubicles, surely someone would eventually ask why he kept ordering ever more of them.
This scene always left me with questions, but I kind of like its ambiguity. The film has many elements, but this one seems like true horror and reminds me of the tone of the first Alien.
Angiers only remembers going into the “teleporter” every night, and appearing across the concert hall… it feels like he’s done this 60 times. The copy has zero memory of ever falling into that tank to drown.
Thus he FEELS invulnerable, even though INTELLECTUALLY he knows he’s going to drown that night (each night he does drown and a new copy is made).
It is simply one of my favorite movies. Every time it’s on I watch. Every time…because I can’t help it.
I concur regarding your assessment of "The Prestige." It's a superb film. Casting Bowie as Tesla... Brilliant!
This has always been one of my favorite movies. As you watch it and realize all the horrible twists that in the end each man inflicted on themselves.
I really enjoyed your review of this, i never looked at it that he himself died each night but he was willing take the chance that he might and to let the duplicate die. Its my absolute favourite movie, I will say I am an identical twin.
The duplicate wasn't killed in his trick. The man who goes into the machine dies, the duplicate is the prestige. Every time he did the trick he knew he was going to drown to death
Ok nevermind you clarified that
Doesn’t he say at the end to Borden to show how ferrying it is and how much he is willing to sacrifice that there is always some doubt as to whether he is killing himself or the duplicate?
@@makasete30 Exactly. The movie implies that it is random 50/50.
I never actually saw this film. Your passion for movies and movies has always been clear but this is a showcase for that love.
One thing you missed Dave, in trying to understand the magic. Angier apparently wasn’t the one who died every time he did the trick. Strangely, it was random. Remember the line “it took courage getting into that machine every night, not knowing if I’d be the man in the box (tank) or in the prestige”
One of my favourite of his films
What a great interpretation of this movie. I have seen this movie quite a bit and enjoy it every time and even noticed and liked a lot of the parts of the movie you focused on, but when you brought the story arcs of the twin brothers up in comparison to Hugh Jackman's character's duplicates it was like my mind exploded. For some reason the image of 3 intertangled circules popped into my head when you finished the comparisons. I also never even considerd any correlations between the dupllicates and the twins. Great video
I felt like the movie is a contemplation on "how far will you go...?" - I thought it was extremely well cast and overall well made. The fact that that both obsessed magicians are played by actors who are well-known for being very dedicated to capturing the characters they are playing makes the movie an even more interesting watch to me.
I watched it Many year ago. It was awesome. Great story, great acting, great direction, great ending . Must watch.
I just randomly remembered this movie last week and decided to watch it with my wife. It was way better than I remembered and she loved it also! What odd timing that this video should pop up now!
One of my favorite movies....shows the hardships of life, along with the rewards, and to never underestimate the amount someone will go to enact revenge if driven to do so, and how a life that is often a tragic one is usually our own doing.
One of my alltime favourite films. I could watch this masterpiece over and over - and to top it all the actors are perfect and brilliant in it.
Holy shit, I didn’t think that the original Angier died. Each one voluntarily killed himself for the sake of the act? Daaaaaark.
Yeah. I didn't pay attention well enough myself. A lot of the movie was lost on me unfortunately. I will need to watch it again but if it requires intense thought then I need to read the book not watch the movie.
I don't think this interpretation is accurate though. He literally tells Borden at the end of the film that he never knew if he'd be the one in the tank or the one on the stage. Because of the seamless memory between the original that activates the machine and the clone that appears on the stage, he never truly understands how the machine works. From his perspective, he steps into the machine and it's a 50/50 chance if he ends up in the tank or on the stage.
Good to hear you’re doing well dave 👍miss your commentary on events
One of my absolute favorite movies; thanks for the outstanding review Dave. Cheers.
Oh damn, I've seen this movie multiple times and there's a few observations there which went right over my head.
That is the only Nolan film I can watch without feeling bored
I'm here because I've just watched this film few days ago. And yes, this is one of the best films I've ever seen. I cannot believe I took so long to watch it. I'm not the one that use to rewatch movies but with this I just have to. And everytime it gets better.
But a couple things that I loved the most about this movie since the first time I saw it were:
1) You can't tell who is good or evil or how good or how evil. Both did terrible things. Did any of them really won?
2) How it was portrayed that one was a better magician and the other a better showman. Angier's last lines were powerful. Borden/Fallon was proud of their sacrifice for making a good trick, but Angier's comeback was that he never understood why they were magicians in the first place.
It's great that you have brought out this amazing, nearly 20 year old, classic and reminded people why it was so great.
I would however like to challenge your conclusion (based purely on my own perspective which is, as is Nolan's genius, not necessarily the truth) *SPOILERS AHEAD*:
I believe Angier to be the epitome of the unreliable narrator. He lies about his name and identity, pretending to be an American when he is not. He pretends to be working class, which he is not. The entire story is told from the perspective of Freddy (not Fallon) reading Angier's diary and, in effect, his lies. It was Albert and Freddy (Alfred) that pointed towards Tesla as the key (to the diary, not the trick) and as a middle finger to Bourden, Angier lied about the results of Tesla's machine making him think he had succeeded, knowing Bourden would not be able to resist finding out how the trick was done.
In fact, I believe that Angier went back to Gerald Root and convinced him to do the trick with him for a substantial amount, all leading up to that final performance where he killed Root and finally got to feel what it was like not being 'the man in the box'. We never actually see any bodies clearly other than possibly one, and knowing how Nolan likes to cement his films in realism, I don't believe he was trying to make us believe that Nikolai Tesla actually made a magical electrical sparky machine that duplicated things. Instead, throughout the film we are told that Magicians, and especially Angier who is the weaker magician but better showman, are not to be trusted.
For me, the machine never worked. Angier just wanted Bourden (and us) to think it did to play his hand at the end. A special mention has to go to Bale who portrayed Albert and Freddy so well that it is actually possible to tell which twin is playing Bourden at any one time (Albert being the more cautious and Freddy being the more reckless who ends up being hanged).
Jesus, finally I found someone talking about this. That was my interpretation of the film and I was shocked of how unpopular of a theory this was, when in reality it's the most realistic one and surely more believable than the existence of a magic transportation machine.
It seems like in the end Nolan really tricked almost all of the viewers.
First let's make them believe there is a simple trick to the transportation, then make them think that the whole illusion was that there was no trick and the machine really works. I think making people believe that was the illusion itself, to let you believe something magical really occurred when in reality it's all explainable without having to deep into science-fiction.
That's literally what an illusion consists of and ironically it seems like everybody fell for it in the end (given all the explanations and analysis people gave).
I don't even know if Nolan did it on purpose. He certainly played a lot on that line between real and not real, without giving any conclusive explanation (something we see in all of his filmography by the way).
It looks like he never wanted to give conclusive evidence that the machine worked, which is something he would do only if the machine didn't work in the first place but wanted make people believe it did (again, to literally illude the audience).
I also can't wrap my head around the people that didn't understand everything we see may never took place. For as far as we know, each diary is full of lies and written only to trick the other magician. This basically means neither of them may have ever encountered Tesla in the first place, but wrote about him to trick the other one into thinking they did.
Basically everything we see in the film is a narrative written to fit an illusion to make it look real to the other magician, and to us as well.
I mean, every interpretation is valid, whether the Tesla machine is valid or not, but as I said i'm shocked of how unpopular this view is, despite it making the most sense from a logical standpoint and, as far as I know, not having any legit plot holes.
@@naky_6984 Well said and thank you for giving me a sanity check. Up to this point I was feeling as if I was the only person seeing it this way.
I love that Nolan has movies that can be interpreted in different ways in an almost 'make your own ending' fashion, but from my side, the endings to this and Inception are clear as day.
Again, thanks for the response and I agree wholeheartedly.
@@Siosal01 thank you as well, you managed to put into words what I had in my mind this whole time.
I finally feel comforted knowing I'm not the only person who caught these things.
Like you said, it really gives you a sanity check :)
I love this film, and the ending took me totally by surprise.
In the movie he says that he never knew which one he would be. Like it was random which original made it through.
Fantastic video. I'm a huge fan of this film and have seen it many times, but you have provided many additional, wonderful insights that I hadn't really considered. Thanks for that. Time for a rewatch!
Holy shit. This is one of my favorite movies ever. I’ve watched it at least 25 times and always said it was one of my desert island films because of its non-linear structure it bounces around in time so much that I can’t remember what will happen next. But until now I always thought Angier was killing his duplicate every night. I never realized that in reality he was committing suicide every night, which is so much darker and makes the agony he goes through a thousand times worse. Thank you for this insight. Wow.
I remember having an argument about this movie with someone on IMDb who didn't understand it
I always wondered if Angiers used the machine to clone gold because at the end of the movie he is pretending to be a rich nobleman.
He is not pretending to be rich. He was always using the name Angiers to try and become famous separate from his lordship.
Brilliant film, with huge re-watchability. A definite masterpiece.
I remember when I first watched this sitting forward in my seat and realising that I was actually holding my breath at that reveal. An amazing movie in all aspects
My biggest regret about this film was that I was too young to comprehend it, and when I was old enough to find out what it was about, I already knew what the twist was
Dave: I'm not going to do a complete plot breakdown here"
Also Dave: * does a complete plot breakdown * 😅
The thing I respect about this movie, is it is one giant magic trick. The first time you view it, it will never be viewed the same way again ever afterward. Because by the end of the first watch you know the twist. It is amazing.
One of my favourite movies, it stands out to me as one of 3 movies ever where as soon as it was over the first time I saw - I immediately rewatched it without a moments delay to pick up on what I missed while it was all fresh in my mind
I've always loved The Prestige. After viewing it the first time I had to watch it again the very next day.
Nolan movies have a nice complexity to them
*hanged.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Memento at the beginning. My favorite Nolan film.
The book is rather different in many ways. Spoilers for the book ahoy:
About half the book is set in Victorian England, the other half is present day, focusing on the descendents of Borden and Angier. The "Borden's Diary" section becomes clear after a bit that it is two people writing it, and using it to communicate back and forth, despite staying in the first person. The name "Alfred" Borden is eventually revealed to be a compounding of the names "Albert" and "Frederick" Borden.
The Tesla device doesn't copy exactly. It teleports the user, first by moving his "soul" or spirit" then his physical body. It leaves behind a husk, an immobile, "mummified" or calcified, inert body or "corpse". So whenever Angier uses it he has to hide the residual body to avoid suspicion or awkward questions. Olivia meanwhile has figured out Borden's secret, he pays her off to keep quiet, which she does.
(Major plot spoilers:) On one night during Angier's show, Borden sneaks backstage and finds the engine for the device. Fearing it will start a fire in the theater he stops it, in the middle of Angier's act. This causes the device to not complete the transfer and splits Angier in two, one a mostly insubstantial ghostlike being, the original becomes more lethargic, less lively and mentally less focused. Borden flees after running into the "ghost" and is never caught backstage, and thus is never arrested.
(Even bigger spoilers, ROT-13 protected:) obql!Natvre trgf zber culfvpnyyl fvpxyl naq pbecfryvxr naq riraghnyyl qvrf. Bar bs gur Obeqraf vf zheqrerq yngre ol tubfg!Natvre, jub nyfb uhagf qbja gur bgure Obeqra, ohg qvffvcngrf pbzcyrgryl orsber ur pna npuvrir uvf eriratr.
I’ve read the book as well, which is the version I prefer.
After learning a little about magic history you see that Chung Ling Soo (the fail of magician) is an actual historical figure. His real name was William Ellsworth Robinson. He was an American who took on the persona of a Chinese magician. The man, in reality, was constantly putting on the show of being something he wasn't.
Love that film
Obsession is the seed of insanity.
While never stated in the movie, in the book, the brothers are named Albert and Frederick, which they merged into Alfred. One of the things that is absolutely sure is that Angier is a fake no matter how you interpret the duplication. In the original test, the "original" (i.e. the one still in the machine) shoots and kills the "duplicate". In all other performances, the "original" is drowned and the one that appears several yards away lives.
I've just saw this movie this year and I love it