Why The Prestige Is A Masterpiece

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLBvgB9NIco

无作者

Intro

In June of 2005, Batman Begins released.It was met with critical acclaim and financial success.And it was here where Christopher Nolan officially hit the mainstream.He wasn’t quite a household name yet, but his trajectory was clear.Just over a year later, in October of 2006,his next project was released and it was completely unexpected.It wasn’t the Batman sequel some fans may have been hoping for.Instead, it was a project over half a decade in the making.A film adaptation of the 1995 novel, The Prestige.It tells the tale of two magicians completely obsessed with their craft.Eventually becoming locked in a bitter rivalry that’ll cost each greatly.Initially, The Prestige was poorly received by critics, with middling reviews.However, in recent times, it’s gained widespread admiration from fans everywhere.Because of this acclaim, I hesitate to call The Prestige underrated.But it still doesn’t often come up in the same breath as some of Nolan’s other projects.

Works like Inception, The Dark Knight, or Interstellar.And it absolutely should.I don’t think I’d ever been more motivated to rewatch a movie,then I was the second the credits began to roll on The Prestige.Why was this the case?And how did critics manage to get it so wrong on release?Today we’ll find the answers to those questions, and in the coming months,I’ll be diving into each film in Christopher Nolan’s stellar filmography.If that sounds interesting to you, subscribe for more content like this.Now, without further ado, let’s get into why The Prestige is a masterpiece.

The Pledge

In October of 2000, while promoting his second film, Memento,Nolan was introduced to a book called, The Prestige.The Prestige is a 1995 novel written by Christopher Priest.A year later (in 2001), the rights to a film adaptation were purchased by Aaron Ryder,a producer at Newmarket Films.At the same time, Priest had offers from Sam Mendes, who was coming off of 7 Oscar nominations.But Priest’s decision to go with Nolan was mostly motivated by the fact,that he wanted to give a lesser known storyteller a chance.In late 2001 however,Christopher Nolan became busy with the post-production on his third film, Insomnia.So he enlisted the help of his brother, Jonathan Nolan.And over the next 5 years, the brothers would collaborate on the script.I also just want to get this out of the way now,the film version of The Prestige is very different from its source material.From major plot elements, to characters, to plot structure, and even the tone and atmosphere.

The point is, this video won’t be a dissection on the similarities and differences between the two.I am reading the book in the process of making this video,but that’s going to be largely irrelevant.Christopher Priest did go on to describe the film as extraordinary and brilliant. though.So that’s good.Approval from the author is always a good sign.After wrapping up Insomnia, Nolan considered getting to work on The Prestige.However, he was then given the keys to the Batman franchise.Once Batman Begins finally wrapped up though,pre-production seriously began on The Prestige.Nolan was able to get both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale on board,and the final draft of the script was completed in early 2006.With production getting underway just three days later.Much of the same crew returned from Batman Begins.Including Wally Pfister as cinematographer, Lee Smith as editor,and Nathan Crowley as production designer.David Julyan even returned from Insomnia to do the soundtrack for The Prestige.

And this is his best soundtrack yet in my opinion.Following and Memento definitely had solid scores,but the music in The Prestige plays a much larger role overall.The way the music builds during suspenseful sequences,really sells the impact of these moments.Lee Smith also did a great job in the editing room for The Prestige.This is yet another nonlinear story by Christopher Nolan.So naturally, the editing is an essential piece of the way this story is told.The sequencing is incredible all throughout.On my first viewing, I had no trouble keeping up with where we were in time.And yet I wasn’t very impressed by this fact; it seemed so effortless.It was only on my second viewing that I was able to pick out why the editing was so effective.And it only increased my appreciation for this film as a whole.This story is largely told through characters reading another character’s diary.At the very beginning chronologically are the events within Borden’s diary,which are being read by Angier.

And the events closer to the end chronologically take place within Angier’s diary,which is being read by Borden.Beyond this, there are also events taking place within the narrative’s present day.Which depict Borden’s time in prison.This could’ve been incredibly complex,but instead I found it pretty easy to follow because of the way the story is layered.We don’t jump wildly between these timelines.Instead, we seamlessly transition through narration,representing one of the protagonists reading the others diary.If we’re going further in time, we don’t jump two levels down from Borden’s diary,to his time in prison, or vice versa.Instead, the story takes it one layer at a time.For example, in the opening sequence.We start in what is the film’s present day, with Borden in prison.He receives Angier’s diary and begins reading it.This takes us back to somewhere in the middle of the timeline,with Angier’s journey to find Nikola Tesla.Angier then begins reading Borden’s diary,

which takes us all the way back to the beginning of our story.Rather than simply saying this narrative employs nonlinear storytelling,it’d be more accurate to say it employs layered chronology.I’m not sure if there’s another term for this but that’s what I’ve elected to dub this style of storytelling.The editing for The Prestige would already be impressive,but on top of this layered chronology,many sequences intercut scenes in order to increase the pace of the narrative and build drama.One that immediately comes to mind, is the sequence where Borden convinces Root to blackmail Angier.That conversation is cut between the actual show where Root does this.These could have easily been two separate scenes,and that would likely have supplied the necessary drama.However, by intercutting the conversation with the performance in this way,it ups the pace and therefore the energy and tension are multiplied as well.One of the best things The Prestige has going for it though, are the visuals.

And this is largely due to two men.The aforementioned Wally Pfister and Nathan Crowley.Crowley also did the production design on Batman Begins.Coming up with designs like the Batmobile and the general aesthetic of Gotham.The Prestige is a period piece, taking place in turn-of-the-century London.Capturing this setting accurately required a great deal of research and effort on Crowley’s part,and he absolutely delivered.The aesthetics of The Prestige are spot on, and at no point did I doubt the time period or setting.It also helps that I find this particular time period especially fascinating.The second man I mentioned though, Wally Pfister, served as cinematographer.He had been working with Nolan for years at this point,and would continue to work with him on his next four projects.I would consider The Prestige to be his best work thus far however.The film is technically sound from a visuals standpoint and gorgeous from beginning to end.

Highlights include each scene taking place during a performance.The good shows are energetic and have a level of theatricality.This creates a contrast to the comparatively boring shows.This is essential from a narrative standpoint,because of the dichotomy it creates in our protagonist.With one being a showman and the other being a technician.There are also some very powerful shots here.I’ll highlight two briefly.The first is this one of Borden reading Angier’s journal with tears in this eyes.It’s simple but incredibly emotional, especially on a second viewing.And the second shot I’d like to mention is Angier’s bow under the stage.I really don’t have much to add about this one, it mostly speaks for itself.It perfectly encapsulates Angier’s character and his motivations.So much so that it genuinely gave me chills on my second viewing.

The Turn

A big reason why both of the aforementioned shots work so well though,are the performances.The protagonists are played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale,and both do a phenomenal job.Hugh Jackman plays Robert Angier,initially an amateur magician who comes from a wealthy family.After a trick goes wrong however, his wife drowns.And he becomes locked in a bitter rivalry with Alfred Borden, played by Christian Bale.Borden is a better magician than Angier,but what Angier lacks in technical prowess, he makes up for in showmanship.The biggest difference between the pair is their motivations though.While we may initially assume that Angier is motivated by the memory of his wife,he plainly states that this isn’t the case.As Angier explains in his final moments,He performed his tricks in order to observe the audience’s reaction.The look on their faces was his motivation and reward.That’s why he felt it was necessary that he be the Prestige in the new transported man trick.

He needed to be on that stage at the end of that trick, or else it wasn’t worth it.Since this is stated in the closing moments of the narrative,we don’t fully realize the impact of certain moments upon first viewing.In particular, Angier’s bow from under the stage.Throughout this story, Angier loses himself however.Due to his obsession, he loses his morals.While his actions early in the story seem justified,as the narrative progresses, he becomes more and more unhinged,until he is completely irredeemable.Once he receives the cloning device, he doesn’t hesitate in killing his clone.And does so each time he performs the real transported man.This begs the question though, why did Angier need to kill the clone each time?Couldn’t he have just cloned himself once and performed the trick each night with a double?This definitely would’ve been possible but I believe there’s two reasons he didn’t do the trick this way.

Firstly, there is the possibility that the double betrays him, like what happened with Root.Admittedly, this is unlikely seeing as the double is himself though.The second reason he may have done it this way,is because he couldn’t stand the thought of taking in the applause from beneath the stage anymore.By killing the clone, you no longer have to worry about that.This is definitely an extreme way of solving that issue,but Angier may have underestimated how intense it was.Earlier in the film, Cutter played by Michael Caine,spoke to a sailor who went overboard once.The man said that drowning felt like going home.Cutter said this in order to bring Angier some sort of comfort after his wife’s death.This may have caused Angier to assume that he was getting rid of his clones in a relatively painless way.However, this couldn’t be further from the truth.In the final moments of the narrative, Cutter tells Angier what the sailor actually told him.

The sailor didn’t describe drowning as going home,instead, he said it was agony.And this drives home just how lost Angier has become.He clones himself each night, only to dispose of the clones in the most agonizing way possible.All for the sake of getting Borden’s attention so that he can exact his revenge.Also keep in mind that Angier’s revenge plan is genuinely insane.He frames Borden for his own murder and then adopts Borden’s daughter.In a sick way mirroring how Borden took away what was most precious to him.As Borden says in this moment though, this isn’t a competition; it’s not about winning and losing.It’s a little girl’s life at stake.In doing this, Angier has clearly gone way too far.While he started off as the more sympathetic of the pair,he only fell further and further throughout this narrative,until he was unrecognizable from the man we met in the opening.Driven mad by his obsession with illusion and his desire for revenge.On the opposite side of things, there’s Borden.

Borden is a skilled magician who is wildly ambitious.While he lacks Angier’s showmanship,he clearly is more skilled, and seems to be more devoted to the craft in general.Borden is primarily motivated by his love for the craft itself.He is obsessed with magic and illusion,he loves it more than anything, even his wife.Just as Angier did however, through Borden’s obsession, he also loses something.He lost his purpose.During Angier’s final moments, he explains his motivations to Borden.He enjoyed observing the audience’s reaction.It gave him purpose.Borden never understood this however.He loved illusion and lived every second of his life for the sake of it.Yet lost the point of all this effort.Speaking of his living each waking second for the sake of illusion,A detail I only just noticed on my most recent viewing,takes place in the scene where Olivia offers Borden’s notebook to Angier.She says that she’s seen makeup and wigs backstage.She assumes that this means Borden is using a double.

Angier believes that these items were left out intentionally though in order to misdirect Olivia.In reality though, it’s neither.The makeup, glasses, and wigs were used for Fallon.The amount of subtle foreshadowing to Fallon’s true identity throughout this story,is amazing honestly.And can only really be appreciated on repeat viewings.Something I enjoyed trying to do on these repeat viewings,was to see which Borden brother was in each scene throughout the film.And this is entirely possible,as there are many minute differences between the brothers.For example, the brother that is in love with Olivia is far more ambitious, hot-headed, and obsessed with magic.Meanwhile, the brother who is in love with Sarah, is far more calm and collected.It’s this dichotomy however, that leads to the greatest tragedy in this narrative.Despite the many differences between Angier and Borden,their actions lead to similar fates.

They’re wives tragically pass, and each then follows their wife in similar fashion.Angier’s wife drowned, and while the final Angier was shot,a majority of Angier’s lives ended through drowning.And, as Tesla stated earlier in the movie…”They’re all your hat, Mr. Angier.”, If each one is his hat, then each Angier is the real one.So I don’t think it’d be a stretch to say that Angier overall died by drowning.Meanwhile, Borden’s wife, Sarah, died after discovering the truth about Borden.And this is the tragedy I previously mentioned.She likely felt that she was going crazy due to Borden’s fickle nature.Some moments telling her he loved her, and meaning it.And other times he clearly loved something else more than her.Whether that be magic or Olivia.And, before we move on, I briefly want to mention Rebecca Hall’s role as Sarah Borden.Aside from Christian Bale’s performance as the Borden brothers,I think Rebecca Hall’s performance here is the most impressive to me in the film.

She has some of the toughest scenes for a few reasons.Firstly, this story takes place over the course of a few years.Rebecca Hall has to capture the changes in her character’s mentality throughout this time period.She also was given some of the most emotional moments here.Her argument with Borden where she confronts him with the fact that she knows his truth,was a highlight for me.The sadness she feels and torture she’s undergone up to this point,is not lost on the audience.And this is why her eventual suicide hits as hard as it needed to emotionally.Borden’s obsession drove her to alcoholism and eventually suicide,due to his unwillingness to break the illusion.”No, Alfred stop, this isn’t you.”, “Stop performing.” The cost of obsession really is the primary theme here.Both characters are obsessed with their craft and with exacting revenge on one another.In Angier’s case, he puts forth his time, money, relationships, and morals for this cause.

Borden, on the other hand, gave every single aspect of his life for his craft.In either case, was it worth it?Clearly not.Both lost everything, with only one of the Borden brothers left standing in the end.However, in a way, this rivalry was almost essential.Both pushed each other far beyond what they could even comprehend by themselves.Borden had the talent, but needed that push towards showmanship.And Angier had the charisma, but needed the motivation to get his hands dirty.It’s as Angier says after accomplishing an impossible trick.

The Prestige

“Mans reach exceeds his imagination.”, In the opening moments of The Prestige, we’re familiarized with the three acts of a magic trick.The first act is the pledge, where the magician presents something ordinary.The second act is the turn, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.And the final act is the Prestige,where the trick is completed and the impossible is accomplished.And the film follows this same three act structure.Focusing on the Prestige itself, it’s described as the hardest part.The third act is where everything has to satisfyingly come together to complete the trick.And this is accomplished within the narrative.The moment when Borden returns to his daughter was a brilliant, emotional conclusion.However, the film goes beyond simply completing the trick.Instead, we also get the explanation on how it was accomplished.Throughout the narrative, there are two major questions posed,how did Borden accomplish the transported man?and how did Angier replicate it?

And the answers to these questions are where many of the critics complaints came from.More so with the answer to the latter question.For a majority of its runtime, The Prestige exists firmly within a reality like ours.We suddenly get sci-fi elements though with the machine Angier uses.Many believe that this reveal cheats.And, while I can see how this could be off-putting, I actually think that was the point.Consider this line from Borden.”The secret impresses no one.” “The trick you use it for is everything.”, By showing the audience the mechanics behind the tricks,we were bound to be disappointed.We didn’t actually want the answers, we wanted to be fooled.Borden simply having a twin brother is too simple.And Angier using a cloning machine is too complex.I believe that this perceived letdown of a conclusion was entirely intentional.The narrative perfectly reflects the three acts of a trick,as well as the result of revealing the secret behind it.The Nolan brothers were the magicians,

and the drama, rivalry, and tragedy of the last two hours was the trick.With the final moments showing us how it was all possible.When viewed through this lens, I don’t find the ending disappointing at all.In fact, it’s incredibly impressive.The Prestige quickly became one of my favorite Nolan films the second the credits began to roll.And it seems to get better and better upon each rewatch.It tells a complex narrative while still keeping the audience engaged.It has interesting characters and nuanced themes.On a technical level, it’s well-executed and the visuals are spectacular.All of this not to mention the performances,which are some of the best of these actors careers.In terms of Nolan’s career,The Prestige kept his hot streak alive, as he was able to turn a profit once again.At this stage in his career, it seemed as though Nolan could do no wrong.With his next project however, Nolan would do something he had never done before.A sequel.

While it didn’t do insanely well at the box office,Batman Begins was still a hit.Soon after it’s release, Nolan was asked to return to direct a sequel.And he had some ideas in mind.Next time we’ll be taking a look at The Dark Knight.One of the most acclaimed and culturally significant films of the 21st century.If that’s something you’d like to see, let me know in the comments,and subscribe for more content like this.Thanks for watching.

--- 由 vCaptions 生成 ---