The Prestige [Blu-ray]

"The Prestige", based on a novel by Christopher Priest, is a movie that surprised me. I had heard that some people liked it, and that some people hated it, but I didn't expect "The Prestige" to be the kind of film that makes you want to watch it again immediately, just to be certain you didn't miss anything. And that is exactly what happened in this case...

This film, directed by Christopher Nolan, is a drama set in late 19th century London that has some ingredients that can only be described as fantasy. All the same, the spectator won't be able to shake off the feeling that what he is watching is real, due to the excellent way in which the actors, the director and the scriptwriters managed to bring Priest's novel to life.

The title of this movie has to do with one of the three acts of which every outstanding magic trick consists. The first act is "The Pledge", when the magician shows you something seemingly ordinary. The second act is "The Turn", when the thing that seemed ordinary is turned into something extraordinary. The last act is "The Prestige", the act that crowns the magic trick and makes it unique. Magicians live and die for "The Prestige", and that act is somehow at the center of this story.

The main characters in this film are two magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), that due to a tragedy go from friendly rivals to fierce enemies. The quest of each one of them is to best the other, no matter the cost, notwithstanding the means. Who is the best magician, who can really achieve "The Prestige"? And will he live to boast about it?

On the whole, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie, and that I would gladly watch it a third time. Highly recommended...

Belen Alcat

The Prestige (2006)
Drama, Mystery, Thriller, 130 minutes
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie

Christopher Nolan takes chances in an industry which usually plays it safe. The Dark Knight was so much more than a comic book adaptation and Inception was not a typical blockbuster. These stories had mass appeal, but Nolan treated his audiences with respect. Both films have a complexity which is lacking in most popular movies.

If you go back to 2000 and take a look at Memento, you can see that Nolan has always believed that his audience was capable of figuring things out. One of his most complex films is The Prestige and I had to include it in this list. I've resisted the temptation to include multiple entries by one director for the most part, but Nolan is an exception because his films are so diverse. He's not using an established formula or focusing on one genre. In that respect, he's like a modern Stanley Kubrick.

Cutter (Caine) explains that a magic trick consists of three parts: The pledge looks at something, the turn alters that thing and the prestige is the payoff. One example would be seeing a bird in a cage (the pledge), seeing it disappear (the turn), and finally seeing the magician produce it from his pocket (the prestige).

The whole film plays out like a magic trick.

The Prestige is a complex story, set in Victorian England, with one significant twist and a number of minor surprises. It deals with the story of two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale). Borden inadvertently ties a knot which results in the death of Angier's wife when she fails to escape from a tank of water. The ensuing rivalry lasts for the remainder of their lives.

The two both enjoy periods of success, but are continually striving to find the ultimate trick. Both men become obsessed with success and each has a deep desire to outdo the other. We are shown other magicians and learn that success often comes at a high price. It may even result in the magician keeping secrets off the stage which limit his personal freedom.

Eventually, Borden comes up with a trick that Angier can't figure out. It involves Borden entering a box on one side of the stage and emerging from a box on the other side of the stage moments later. He calls it The Transported Man.

In an attempt to come up with something even better, Angier visits Nikola Tesla (Bowie) in Colorado. As you may know, Tesla was an inventor who experimented a great deal with electricity. Angier asks him to build a machine which might be used in his act. Unfortunately, science is not completely predictable. Tesla delivers, but Angier has to be willing to pay a high price that goes beyond money.

I don't think I need to say any more about the plot. Bale's performance is superb and I think it's the best of his career. Jackman is also very convincing and the supporting cast is flawless. I'm always impressed by Rebecca Hall, but Bowie's cameo as Tesla was a revelation. Michael Caine holds the whole thing together and has important scenes at the beginning and end of the film.

Although the running time is in excess of two hours, you'll barely notice. There's always something important happening on the screen. What elevates this film to the level of greatness is its replay value. The first time you see it, you'll miss the relevance of some of the dialogue. On repeat viewings, you'll see how clever the screenplay is. The big reveal is hinted at in the first 20 minutes of the film and you'll smile when you realize what you missed. Like Scorsese's Shutter Island, events have new meaning when you see them with full knowledge of the facts. It's clever stuff.

SUper bon film , un des meilleur que jai vue , en francais , je suis satisfait a 100% bye