*** Official The Prestige Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Chris Atkins]

Josh:

I really feel like I need to see the film again before engaging in too much discussion...there were so many layers to the film (not to mention the excellent editing that took us into the future and past very quickly) that I feel like I need to see the film again before I can comment intelligently.

 

[Tim Glover]

Same here.

 

[BrettGallman]

I absolutely loved this, but I'll admit I was a bit thrown when the supernatural element popped up during the final act of the film. It still worked for me in the end, though. I'm really looking forward to seeing this one again next month.

 

[Josh.C]

I completely understand where you're coming from with that Statement Chris. This film, more than any other in 2006, perplexed me. I just had a wierd feeling about it. My comments will probably change after a second (and maybe third) viewing, and I'm hoping it works better for me.

I've been struggling for a long time on how to voice my issues with the film, and the post above was my best attempt. I will chime in again after it comes to DVD.

JC

 

[Southpaw]

Just saw this movie and immediately had to find the discussion thread about it. I enjoyed reading all of your comments, insights and theories. Awesome flick. One of the best I've seen in quite a while. I can't wait to go back and watch it again.

 

[Rakesh.S]

how come neither actor was nominated for an oscar? There were so many crappy movies last year and this was a diamond in the rough, with great performances all around.

 

[Southpaw]

I was thinking that too Rakesh. This movie was overlooked during awards season.

 

[Rhett_Y]

Me and the wife thought the same thing.. That might explain why he kept saying he doesn't remember which knot he tied... because he wasn't there it was the twin.

We rented both the illusionist and the prestige, we both like the prestige better. Both were good but the prestige had us guessing the whole way thru. Like others have said, the illusionist played it's hand out way to early. We already had it figured out pretty early on. Oh well they both entertained us!

R~

 

[Marianne]

Like many others I figured out most of the "twists" during the movie. Just need to watch it again to get all the nuances.

My understanding of the Borden "twins" is that they were duplicates, not brothers. Where is the evidence that they were brothers?

Borden had already visited Tesla at some time in the past. He could have used the machine and ended up with a duplicate. But the difference between Borden and Angier is that Borden could live with the idea of having a duplicate and, in fact, profited from it. He didn't need the machine any more. The Bordens would have been identical at the time the machine was used but might have developed different personalities over time.

Borden only gave the name of Tesla to Angier under extreme stress, but might have realized that Angier couldn't handle having a double and it would drive him crazy.

Some have said that Tesla and his assistant didn't know about the duplicates. But my theory is that they knew but were trying to get as much money out of Angier as possible before revealing the effect. When Angier challenged them they used the cat knowing Angier would discover the duplication.

As to which of the Angiers drowned each time, it didn't matter because they were identical and interchangeable.

 

[Malcolm R]

Same here. I just watched the film this week and didn't think they were brothers, either.

EDIT: OK, after some additional research and recollection, it was explained that the existence of "Borden's machine" was just a red herring from Borden to Angier. But the origins of Borden's double were still rather ambiguous. He never called him "brother" or anything like that. He was always "my assistant."

I need to read the book.

 

[DavidPla]

But wouldn't duplicates be the exact same not only in appearance but in personality as well? An EXACT copy? It wouldn't make sense to me that they would suddenly just change in personality unless one of them went off to war or something. It's clear that the "twins" have very different personalities. One was the smarter, quieter and more loving while the other angry, impulsive and willing to do anything.

 

[Joe D]

They are twins, not duplicates.

Alfred/Borden start out way too poor to afford any machine built by Tesla, but the movie also starts out with Alfred/Borden stating that they have a great trick, but the world isn't ready for it (translation, they aren't headlining a show and they don't have a big enough audience to bring out the trick.)

 

[Sean Bryan]

I like the idea that they were duplicates, but I always took it as them being identical twins.


Well, that doesn't mean a thing. In the context of the movie, one was always pretending to be the assistant. How exactly would they have been able to keep up their trick if they publicly called each other "brother"?

 

[Marianne]

I don't suggest that Borden purchased one of Tesla's machines - but he might have used it as part of an experiment when he visited Tesla at some point. Let's say he used the machine, nothing appeared to happen, then he went outside and there was his duplicate wandering around.

As to the difference in personalities, we don't know how long ago this possible duplication happened. They would have been the same at the time of duplication, but could have developed differently from that point onward.

 

[DavidPla]

But what doesn't make sense about that is why WOULD the other develope differently? It doesn't seem the two separated from each other at all so they mustn't have had too many different experiences. I mean, if I had a duplicate of me around, he'd be interested in the same women, be friends with the same people, react the way I would unless something really tragic happened to him that I never experienced before I was duplicated which doesn't seem to be the case in the movie.

 

[Kevin Grey]

Just saw this on DVD last week (read the book about a year or so ago though). Really good movie.

Anyway, earlier in the thread people were commenting that they didn't like using Jackman as his own double. Personally I loved this idea because it was Nolan following the precepts of the film and putting the "secret" of Borden in plain sight by using a similar technique with Angiers.

Nolan did about as good as could be expected with the Borden twin angle but it was the weakest part of the film for me because there is no easy way to film around it without casting a different actor. The shots were way too fleeting for a character as important as Fallon which clues the audience early on that something is up. And it's worse for anyone interested in movies if, like me, you can't help but identify actors/actresses when they appear and if you've seen them before which won't work with Fallon.

 

[John Stell]

I rewatched it last night and during the "explanation" scene it is Hugh Jackman's character that says "brothers" upon being shot by "Fallon." I think the film's implication here is that Alfred and Fallon are brothers. They actually care about each other, whereas Jackman plans to drown 100 duplicates of himself in the name of the the Prestige.

 

[Tim Glover]

Watched The Prestige again tonight. This was my first home viewing-having only seen it once theatrically.

I enjoyed it a bit more and caught more this time around. I was less bothered by Angier's double...

Michael Caine was terrific as usual.

Solid film. Sometimes the dialogue was a bit hard to hear so I used the subtitles some.

8/10

 

[NovaBlitz]

Here's the mistake you're making in your assumption. Jackman did'nt go to America looking for a cloning machine, he went looking for a teleporter, the "cloning" was an accidental byproduct of the research, but, with clever thinking, worked just as well.

As for the twin argument, Jackman, after being shot, says "a twin?" but that does'nt necessarily mean it was so. It most likely was a twin but I, personally, at first, thought that Bale had made a copy of himself just as Jackman did with the Tesla. However, instead of killing him, he treated him like a brother and instead they crafted the ultimate magic trick together.

Now, why they did'nt simply both play their own roles whenever they desired (there did'nt seem to be any real need for either to sleep with each others women) is still somewhat of a mystery to me.

There does'nt seem to be any good reason why Alfred could'nt be Alfred and Fallon could'nt be Fallon whenever they needed to be. I understand they decided to each play their respective roles for certain periods of time, but when they use the trick to seduce women, that's breaking the rules, so why not break them when more important things are at stake?

 

[RickER]

Remember when they went to see the old Chinese man and one of the Bale twins said the old man was playing a part, that he was always in character. He said he couldnt be a frail old man and do the things he did. The twins were in character, playing the part of one guy all the time. If ANYONE knew the secret it was over!