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

Well, The Prestige is coming out this Friday, and I'm very excited.

Im suprised there hasn't been very many reviews released yet, it seems like Flags of our Fathers is getting all the reviews (good and bad) over at Rotten Tomatoes.

I hope the movie is well received and makes money so Nolan can continue to do both small and large scale pics.

Roeper and A.O. Scott gave it two thumbs up.

~T

That's Bowie? Wow. I never would have recognised him. Even knowing its him, I'm having difficulty believing it.

What sort of films do you like?

A friend of mine who does a LOT of reading told me that the novel The Prestige is really fantastic. He's very excited about the movie.

The first paragraph of this review:

http://murphysmoviereviews.net/2006Films/prestige.html

has me very excited.

Just came back from the theater and all I have to say is; brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I haven't seen a better film this year since back on June 28th. Nolan is a genius.

The film was great, after the initial bad reviews on Rottentomatoes I was a little worried, many said the film was hard to follow.

I did not think it was at all hard to follow, and the film will reward multiple viewings.

"Are you watching closely?" is the absolute right way to describe this film. About midway through, I had the film figured out and yet, the film made me disbelieve certain things about it, even though it's all right there...in front of you! And that's the trick of the film and the trick of magicians themselves.

But, the real story is about obsession and devotion to one's craft and how far you're willing to go.

Another great and entertaining film from Christopher Nolan. Three and a half stars....Easily one of the best films this year.

Amazing film.

Spoiler below:

The way Fallon was always in shadow and his face was obscured tipped me off they they were twins but I second guessed myself when Olivia made a point that the fingers of the other man in the trick were also missing, not realizing the lengths the brothers were willing to go to keep up the illusion. I really need to see it again to focus on how Bale plays both sides of the same coin.

9/10 for me..wife gave it a 4/10.

My wife brought up a really interesting point on the way home from seeing this movie...early on, when Angier's wife dies, we are led to believe it's because of negligence on the part of Borden. However, my wife pointed out that it might have been Borden's twin who tied the knot, and perhaps he had never done it before, which led to the death of Angier's wife.

I thought that was an interesting theory...think there's any truth to it? The movie never really says either way, as far as I can remember.

Chris,

For the entire day, I've been thinking about nothing else but this film and that theory is definitely in the realm of possibility...and it would just go to show the audience just how devoteed the Borden brothers where to their craft, even during a sad and tragic event one of them ended up causing...if said person did in fact screw up with the knots.

Still, that theory is sound.

Another example is the scene where Borden escorts Sarah home and she won't let him in and when she turns around, he's there in the apartment. Again, at first, it seems like magic but thinking back on it, it was the two brothers, devoteed totally to the art...and this is how far they took their devotion. Astounding, I say.

As for the ending Adam, you go it. The last shot was just to show how many times he did the act...how far he was willing to kill himself for the admiration and respect of the audience he so greatly desired. It's sad to see what both men lost in the end of this game....that's the most interesting aspect of the film....how far they took it.

Great film.

Nolan always presents you with a conflicted protagonist, and you're not sure if you should root for him or not. No matter what though, it's always an interesting journey.

During every trick, I always felt a sense of dread building, particularly when the dove trick is about to be performed and a few volunteers from the audience are called up...

The performances were awesome; I thought Bowie's Tesla was wonderfully restrained and underplayed. The look on his face as he's getting in the carriage after the building is set fire was very memorable.

I can't remember October being such a great month for movies, with this and The Departed already out.

Chris, I pointed that out to my wife as well. He honestly doesn't know because he wasn't there But which one is Fallon and which one is Alfred?

Chuck,

The answer to your question might have to do with Bale's left eye brow in the film. This is how my wife picked up on the fact that Borden was a twin. I figured it out a totally different way (Bale's mannerisms and one particular shot with him in the Fallon costume.).

Alfred's left eyebrow has a line throw it where hair is missing. Fallon's does not. Or is it vice versa? This is what my wife says. I'll find out later today when I go back.

Yes, there was the matter of the vertical line of missing hair in the left side of left eyebrow that kept coming and going for one of the Bordens.

So what did Angiers do with all those bodies? The "Xerox machine before its time" was a cheat that didn't quite sit well with me. It might get better if I see it again.

Where did Olivia go? Perhaps I lost track of who sent her away for whom.

I accidently posted this thread in the review but meant it to be here. No one I didn't get any replies. No one saw it!

Saw it last night, I had not been looking forward to a movie this much since Pirates 2 and it was every bit as good as I had hoped. Fiancee loved it too. We loved the twist and turns.

I need someone to do a me a favor though, I am not 100% sure I got the very very end, like the literal last 2 seconds. Michael Caine is narrating again and he stops on a single word and it shows (If I remember right) another copy of Hugh Jackman dead in a tank right? So what was that last shot telling us the audience? We already knew he had been killing the copies so if there was another underlying point to that last narration and that final quick shot, I think we missed it.

Still an excellent movie, and it needs another viewing!

See post #12

They trade off constantly. He says as much when he 'confesses' to Angier. So, both play Fallon at any given time. They also both play each other, which is why he honestly couldn't remember what knot he tied...his brother tied it.

I mostly didn't care for the film. Well done, well acted...but, nothing worth anything. Both main characters are pricks. Neither of them is essentially worth spending time with, and neither becomes better. The 'trick' is ok...but, nothing mind blowing. Add to that, the Tesla thing is both annoying and, apparently real. No trick at all, and never explained. Sort of a cop out if you ask me.

As for supporting characters - they are all cardboard cut outs. No depth, no nothing. And Johannsen just goes away near the end! Too funny...and, you know what? I couldn't have cared less.

I guess despite the cleverness, I didn't care for the film because I didn't care for anything or anyone in it.