(2006, 130 min) Unique in its flashback and flash-forward style, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's The Prestige enlists the considerable talents of Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale and Michael Caine as the principals in this confounding and delightful cinematic tale. A story-driven drama, thriller and fantasy piece all rolled into a tight and cohesive script is greatly aided by the photography of Wally Pfister, who evokes the late 1800s with golden and sepia tones. Alfred Borden (Bale), and Robert Angier (Jackman) are aspiring magicians and friends in England, who as they are given chances to perform on their own, transform into bitter and paranoid rivals. The designer and construction expert, Cutter (Caine), is the older man who is a close friend to both men. Cutter must watch as these men endure an early tragedy in the loss of Angier's wife and assistant Julia (Piper Perabo), in an illusion gone awry. Borden meets and marries Sarah (Rebecca Hall), a loving wife who witnesses her husband slip into an obsession as he tries to better Angier.
The central theme and piece of the film are an act called "The Transported Man," in which one illusionist disappears and almost instantaneously reappears in a distant location from the stage. Each man stages a version of this illusion, and here is where the film unveils a crucial plot element with the introduction of the genius scientist, Nikola Tesla (David Bowie). In a version of the Tesla coil, huge electrical discharges are displayed in a controlled environment. This device captures the imagination of Angier, (and later Borden), who contracts Tesla to construct a similar device for his "Transported Man" scenario. Is this invention simply an awe-inspiring display or does it hold the secret of "The Prestige?" The third act of this marvelous film reveals many mysteries in stunningly beautiful ways.
© TLA Entertainment Group
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