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'''''The Prestige''''' is a 2006 <!--STOP! do not add genres. Per [[WP:FILMLEAD]], only the main genre identified by sources should be used.--> [[psychological thriller film]] directed by [[Christopher Nolan]], written by Nolan and his brother [[Jonathan Nolan|Jonathan]] and based on the [[The Prestige|1995 novel]] by [[Christopher Priest (novelist)|Christopher Priest]]. It stars [[Hugh Jackman]] as Robert Angier and [[Christian Bale]] as Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in [[Victorian London]] who feud over a perfect [[teleportation]]
The cast also features<!-- Per billing block in poster --> [[Michael Caine]], [[Scarlett Johansson]], [[Rebecca Hall]], [[Andy Serkis]], and [[David Bowie]] as [[Nikola Tesla]]. The film reunites Nolan with actors Bale and Caine from ''[[Batman Begins]]'' and returning cinematographer [[Wally Pfister]], production designer [[Nathan Crowley]], and editor [[Lee Smith (film editor)|Lee Smith]].
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==Plot==
<!--STOP! Per [[WP:FILMPLOT]], plot summaries should be under 700 words. Please don't expand this plot summary.-->
In 1890s London, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden work as
Unable to discern Borden's method, Angier hires a double, Gerald Root, to perform his
Angier realizes the diary is fraudulent but Tesla still manages to create a machine for him. However, instead of teleporting objects, Tesla's machine creates a duplicate of them a short distance away. Tesla is driven from Colorado Springs by agents of his rival, [[Thomas Alva Edison]], but has the machine delivered to Angier. He advises Angier to destroy it, saying it will bring him nothing but misery. Borden's wife, Sarah, is driven to suicide by his contradictory personality. Borden reveals to Olivia that he never loved Sarah and that he loves her more. Disgusted by Borden's inhumanity over his wife's death and the two magicians' feud, Olivia leaves. In London, Angier debuts "The Real Transported Man" using Tesla's machine.
Borden witnesses Angier fall through a trapdoor and drown in a water tank. Borden is discovered by Cutter and turned over to the police. He is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Lord Caldlow, an aristocrat, offers to adopt Borden's soon-to-be-orphaned daughter, Jess, so she is not sent to the [[workhouse]]s, in exchange for Borden's tricks. However, on meeting Caldlow, Borden realizes that it is Angier in disguise,
How each man performed the Transported Man act is revealed: "Alfred Borden" was an identity shared by a pair of identical twins; offstage when one was "Borden," the other was disguised as "Fallon". When Angier had shot off one twin's fingers, the other amputated his own fingers to maintain the disguise. The surviving twin loved Sarah while his brother
Meanwhile, when Angier used Tesla's machine, every performance created a new Angier, while the original drowned in a tank beneath the stage. Angier dies from his gunshot and drops his lantern, setting the theatre on fire. Borden picks up Jess at Cutter's workshop. In the burning theater, rows of tanks hold dead Angiers.<!--STOP! Per [[WP:FILMPLOT]], plot summaries should be under 700 words. Please don't expand this plot summary.-->
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* [[Hugh Jackman]] as Robert "The Great Danton" Angier / Lord Caldlow, an [[Aristocracy (class)|aristocratic]] magician. Nolan cast Jackman, stating that Angier "has a wonderful understanding of the interaction between a performer and a live audience", a quality he believed Jackman possessed.<ref name="Casting">{{cite news |author=Carle, Chris |title=Casting The Prestige |work=IGN |date=October 12, 2006 |url=http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/738/738782p1.html |access-date=March 5, 2007 |archive-date=September 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903025734/http://uk.movies.ign.com/articles/738/738782p1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Jackman based his portrayal of Angier on 1950s-era magician [[Channing Pollock (magician)|Channing Pollock]].<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=Cindy |title=Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman square off as rival magicians in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige |work=Sci Fi Weekly |date=October 18, 2006 |url=https://www.syfy.com/sfw/interviews/sfw13910.html |access-date=July 9, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061029122644/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw13910.html |archive-date=October 29, 2006}}</ref> Jackman also portrays Gerald Root, an alcoholic double used for Angier's ''New Transported Man''.
* [[Christian Bale]] as Alfred "The Professor" Borden / Bernard Fallon, a [[working-class]] magician. While Nolan had previously cast Bale as [[Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight trilogy)|Batman]] in ''[[Batman Begins]]'' (2005), he did not consider Bale for the role of Borden until Bale contacted him about the script. Nolan subsequently believed that Bale was "exactly right" for the part and that it was "unthinkable" for anyone else to play it.<ref name="Casting" /> Nolan suggested that the actors not read the original novel, but Bale ignored the advice.<ref name="Eyes">{{cite news |author=Jolin, Dan |title=You Won't Believe Your Eyes |pages=134–140 |work=Empire |date=September 29, 2006}}</ref>
* [[Michael Caine]] as John Cutter, the stage engineer (''ingenieur'') who works with Angier and Borden. Caine had previously collaborated with Nolan and Bale in ''Batman Begins''. Nolan noted that the part had been written "before I'd ever met" Caine.<ref name="Casting" /> Caine described Cutter as "a teacher, a father, and a guide to Angier". In trying to create the character's nuanced portrait, Caine altered his voice and posture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_10222.html |title=Interview: Michael Caine, 'The Prestige' |access-date=June 29, 2008 |author=Roberts, Sheila |work=MoviesOnline.ca |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223060729/http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_10222.html |archive-date=February 23, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Scarlett Johansson]] as Olivia Wenscombe, Angier and Borden's assistant. Nolan was "very keen" for Johansson to play the role, and when he met with her to discuss it, "she just loved the character".<ref name="Casting" />
* [[Piper Perabo]] as Julia McCullough, Milton the Magician's assistant and Angier's wife.
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== Production ==
[[Julian Jarrold]]'s and [[Sam Mendes]]'s producer approached [[Christopher Priest (novelist)|Christopher Priest]] for an adaptation of his novel ''[[The Prestige]]''. Priest was impressed with Christopher Nolan's films ''[[Following]]'' and ''[[Memento (film)|Memento]]'',<ref name="Marker">{{cite news |last=Toy |first=Sam |title=Magic marker |pages=137 |work=Empire |date=September 29, 2006}}</ref> and subsequently, producer Valerie Dean brought the book to Nolan's attention.<ref name="Shewman" /> In October 2000, Nolan traveled to the United Kingdom to publicize ''Memento'', as [[Newmarket Films]] was having difficulty finding a United States distributor. While in [[London]], Nolan read Priest's book and shared the story with his brother while walking around in [[Highgate]] (a location later featured in the scene where Angier ransoms Borden's stage engineer in [[Highgate Cemetery]]). The development process for ''The Prestige'' began as a reversal of their earlier collaboration: Jonathan Nolan had pitched his initial story for ''Memento'' to his brother during a [[road trip]].<ref name="Podcast">{{cite podcast
| url=http://traffic.libsyn.com/creativescreenwritingmag/ThePrestigeQandA.mp3
| title=The Prestige Q&A: Interview with Jonathan Nolan
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Editing, scoring, and mixing finished on September 22, 2006.<ref name="PrestigeDVD" />
Together with ''[[The Illusionist (2006 film)|The Illusionist]]'' and ''[[Scoop (2006 film)|Scoop]]'', ''The Prestige'' was one of three films in 2006 to explore the world of stage magicians.
== Themes ==
The rivalry between Angier and Borden dominates the film. Obsession, secrecy, and sacrifice fuel the battle, as both magicians contribute their fair share to a deadly duel of one-upmanship, with disastrous results. Angier's obsession with beating Borden costs him Cutter's friendship
Angier's theft of Borden's teleportation illusion in the film echoes many real-world examples of stolen tricks among magicians. Outside the film, similar rivalries include magicians [[John Nevil Maskelyne]] and [[Harry Kellar]]'s dispute over a levitation illusion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kawamoto |first=Wayne |title=Film Review: The Prestige |work=About.com |url=http://magic.about.com/od/magicinthemedia/fr/102206prestige.htm |access-date=November 1, 2006 |archive-date=November 5, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105203101/http://magic.about.com/od/magicinthemedia/fr/102206prestige.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Gary Westfahl of ''[[Locus (magazine)|Locus Online]]'' also notes a "new proclivity for mayhem" in the film over the novel, citing the murder/suicide disposition of Angier's duplicates and intensified violent acts of revenge and counter-revenge. This "relates to a more general alteration in the events and tone of the film" rather than significantly changing the underlying themes.<ref name="Locus-Westfahl">{{cite web |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |author1-link=Gary Westfahl |title=Seeing Double: A Review of The Prestige |work=[[Locus Online]] |url=http://www.locusmag.com/2006/Features/Westfahl_ThePrestige.html |access-date=April 5, 2007 |archive-date=May 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530032109/http://www.locusmag.com/2006/Features/Westfahl_ThePrestige.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
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Nicolas Rapold of ''[[Film Comment]]'' addresses the points raised by Shewman and Manugian in terms of the film's "refracted take on [[Romanticism]]":
{{Blockquote|Angier's technological solution—which suggests art as a sacrifice, a phoenix-like death of the self—and Borden's more meat-and-potatoes form of stagecraft
For Manugian the central theme is "obsession," but he also notes the supporting themes of the "nature of deceit" and "science as magic." Manugian criticizes the Nolans for trying to "ram too many themes into the story."<ref name="Manugian" />
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On the other hand, Dennis Harvey of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' criticized the film as gimmicky, though he felt the cast did well in underwritten roles.<ref>{{cite news |last=Harvey |first=Dennis |title=The Prestige |work=Variety |date=October 13, 2006 |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931858.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |access-date=October 15, 2006 |archive-date=October 18, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018081745/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931858.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Kirk Honeycutt of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' felt that characters "...are little more than sketches. Remove their obsessions, and the two magicians have little personality."<ref>{{cite news |last=Honeycutt |first=Kirk |title=The Prestige |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 16, 2006 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003254756 |access-date=October 15, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029221929/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=2201 |archive-date=October 29, 2006}}</ref> Nonetheless, the two reviewers praised David Bowie as Tesla, as well as the production values and cinematography. On a simpler note, Emanuel Levy has said: "Whether viewers perceive ''The Prestige'' as intricately complex or just unnecessarily complicated would depend to a large degree on their willingness to suspend disbelief for two hours." He gave the film a B grade.<ref>{{cite news |last=Levy |first=Emanuel |title=The Prestige |work=EmanuelLevy.com |date=October 15, 2006 |url=http://www.emanuellevy.com/search/details.cfm?id=3427 |access-date=October 15, 2006 |archive-date=July 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710094544/http://www.emanuellevy.com/search/details.cfm?id=3427}}</ref>
[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film three stars out of four, describing the revelation at the end as a "fundamental flaw" and a "cheat." He wrote, "The pledge of Nolan's ''The Prestige'' is that the film, having been metaphorically sawed in two, will be restored; it fails when it cheats, as, for example, if the whole woman produced on the stage were not the same one so unfortunately cut in two."<ref>{{cite
The film has grown in stature since its release.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2020/5/jfj030p0dzlzh0u97m5btusmavghk4|title=Critics' Poll: 'Mulholland Drive' Named Best Film of the 2000s|access-date=May 25, 2020|work=World of Reel|date=May 23, 2020|first=Jordan|last=Ruimy|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110141133/https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2020/5/jfj030p0dzlzh0u97m5btusmavghk4|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://geektyrant.com/news/10-years-later-the-prestige-is-still-christopher-nolans-best-film|title=10 Years Later, THE PRESTIGE Is Still Christopher Nolan's Best Film|access-date=May 25, 2020|work=Geektyrant.com|first=Ben|last=Pearson}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://collider.com/why-the-prestige-is-a-good-movie/|title=Why 'The Prestige' Is One of Christopher Nolan's Best Films|access-date=January 10, 2020|work=Collider.com|first=Phil|last=Pirrello|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110141206/https://collider.com/why-the-prestige-is-a-good-movie/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' named ''The Prestige'' as one of the best films of the 2000s.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-films-of-the-00s%2C35931/ |title=The best films of the '00s |access-date=July 11, 2013 |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=December 3, 2009 |first1=Keith |last1=Phipps |first2=Tasha |last2=Robinson |first3=Nathan |last3=Rabin |first4=Scott |last4=Tobias |first5=Noel |last5=Murray |archive-date=July 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712014703/http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-films-of-the-00s%2C35931/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was included in [[American Cinematographer]]'s "Best-Shot Film of 1998-2008" list, ranking at 36. More than 17,000 people around the world participated in the final vote.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=February 24, 2015|url=http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/News_Articles/News_304.php|title=American Cinematographer Poll Names Amélie Best-Shot Film of 1998-2008|work=The American Society of Cinematographers|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903101106/http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/News_Articles/News_304.php|archive-date=September 3, 2011}}</ref> In 2020, ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine ranked it among "The 100 Greatest Movies Of The 21st Century".<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 Greatest Movies Of The 21st Century: 70 - 61|publisher=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=January 11, 2020|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movies-century-page-4/|access-date=January 11, 2020|archive-date=January 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110141228/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movies-century-page-4/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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Some critics were disappointed with the score, acknowledging that while it worked within the context of the film, it was not enjoyable by itself.<ref name="PrestigeScoreRev" /><ref name="FilmtrackRev" /> Jonathan Jarry of ''[[Soundtrack.net|SoundtrackNet]]'' described the score as "merely functional," establishing the atmosphere of dread but never taking over. Although the reviewer was interested
Christopher Coleman of ''Tracksounds'' felt that though it was "...a perfectly fitting score," it was completely overwhelmed by the film, and totally unnoticed at times.<ref name="FilmtrackRev">{{cite web |url=http://www.tracksounds.com/reviews/the_prestige_david_julyan.htm |title='The Prestige' by David Julyan |access-date=July 17, 2008 |author=Coleman, Christopher |work=Tracksounds.com |archive-date=February 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217120819/http://www.tracksounds.com/reviews/the_prestige_david_julyan.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Christian Clemmensen of ''[[Filmtracks.com|Filmtracks]]'' recommended the soundtrack for those who enjoyed Julyan's work on the film, and noted that it was not for those who expected "any semblance of intellect or enchantment in the score to match the story of the film." Clemmensen called the score lifeless, "constructed on a bed of simplistic string chords and dull electronic soundscapes."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/prestige.html |title='The Prestige' (David Julyan) |access-date=July 17, 2008 |author=Clemmensen, Christian |work=Filmtracks.com |archive-date=February 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217184523/http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/prestige.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
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