Retro Film Review: The Prestige (2006)
Christopher Nolan might not be the best, but he is certainly the most successful Hollywood director today, at least if the success is judged by favour of critics, rabid fan base and ability to deliver box office hits. Nolan has built this reputation by applying Spielberg's formula of conventional summer blockbuster being followed by more personal, more "artsy", more "important" and less conventional film. This started with Batman Begins, which was followed by The Prestige, a 2006 period science fiction thriller.
The film is based on the eponymous 1995 novel by Christopher Priest. The novel dealt with the world of stage magic and the script, co-written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, has a three-part structure that corresponds to a magician's trick: "the pledge" (presenting an apparently ordinary object that is not), "the turn" (where the ordinary object turns out to be extraordinary), and "the prestige" (the final completion of the illusion). The plot is set in London at the end of the 19th century and is depicted from three different perspectives across three different time periods.
The main characters are Alfred Borden (played by Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (played by Hugh Jackman), two magicians' apprentices striving to become the greatest illusionists of their time. However, their path to fame is interrupted by a tragic accident that temporarily halts their careers, puts an end to their friendship, and turns them into lifelong enemies. Over time, Borden and Angier become famous and acclaimed magicians, but their careers are overshadowed by mutual animosity and rivalry, compelling them to steal tricks from one another, resorting even to murder.
In The Prestige, much like in Memento, Nolan demonstrates a talent for making a complicated and atypical narrative structure comprehensible to viewers. Although the foundation of the story is illusion—quite a complex one—audiences will not feel deceived, and the conclusion will make logical sense.
Alongside a very good screenplay, the film benefits from a brilliant and quite diverse cast. Bale and Caine—who had previously collaborated with Nolan in "Batman Begins"—are joined by Hugh Jackman in a role of an obsessed artist, which is somewhat atypical for that actor's career. David Bowie appears as Nikola Tesla in just a few scenes but leaves a strong impression.
On the other hand, some solutions in the film may not have been the most fortunate—such as the excessive use of handheld camera which was intended to lend a touch of realism to a film dedicated to illusion. Additionally, the music by David Julyan cannot be said to have contributed significantly to the film's atmosphere or created a Victorian illusion as effectively as the set design, costumes, and a series of authentic artefacts.
However, even this imperfect illusion is still light-years ahead of the illusions offered by bloodless and uninspired Hollywood blockbusters, making Nolan's The Prestige well worth watching.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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