Synopsis

At a time when magicians are idols and celebrities of the highest order, two young magicians set out to carve their own paths to fame. The flashy, sophisticated Robert Angier is a consummate entertainer, while the rough-edged purist Alfred Borden is a creative genius who lacks the panache to showcase his magical ideas. They start out as admiring friends and apprentices under the watchful eye of illusion designer, Cutter. But when trick goes terribly awry and claims the life of Angier's wife, they become enemies for life, each intent on outdoing and upending the other. Trick by trick, show by show, Angier and Morden's ferocious competition builds, until it knows no bounds, even utilizing the fantastical new powers of electricity and the scientific brilliance of Nikola Tesla. Angier's obsession to know the secret of Morden's greatest illusion, "The Transported Man" will bring him undone. Eventually the rivalry between the Victorian era magicians will have the lives of everyone around them hanging in the balance.

What The Critics Say

"This is grand, half-crazy fun, and Jackman and Bale are committed to their parts: Genuine madness glints in their eyes." Ty Burr BOSTON GLOBE "This dazzling and spellbinding tale about the intense rivalry between two magicians in London tutors us in the art of watching closely." Frederic and Mary Ann SPIRITUALITY AND PRACTICE "Take the movie's first words to heart: watch closely. You'll be well rewarded." David Ansen NEWSWEEK "The Prestige” is the kind of thought provoking film that keeps you guessing until the very end, something that most films fail to do. This intricate tale uses behind the camera sleight of hand to create an intriguing film that peppers you with clues about the outcome. I’m not telling much about this intricacy, leaving the pleasure to you, the viewer, to figure out what’s going on – if you can. Chris Nolan has firmly established himself as an innovative, A-list director who knows how to tell a story. I give it an A-." Robin Clifford REELING REVIEWS "It is good for magic to be, in effect, confounding. It is not so good for a movie about magic to be confusing." David Elliott SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

"The film is lavishly mounted, set-wise, costume-wise, makeup-wise and special-effects-wise. But the magicians themselves are cold and devious, and the chill permeates the whole film." Andrew Sarris NEW YORK OBSERVER "The Prestige gets to be a bit of a grind after a while, despite all the finery and the elegantly detailed atmosphere." Michael Phillips CHICAGO TRIBUNE "The first words in the dazzling The Prestige are, 'Are you watching closely?' You'd better be." Chris Hewitt ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS "This dazzling film and first-rate thriller holds you spellbound and doesn't let go." Pete Hammond MAXIM "a dazzlingly complicated narrative; indeed, it might prove a little too complicated for many viewers." Andy Klein LOS ANGELES CITYBEAT

The Inside Story "The Presige" reunites the star of "Batman Begins" Christian Bale with not only the acclaimed filmmaker and the director of the same film, Christopher Nolan (London Critics Circle Best Director of the Year Award winner) but also cinematographer Wally Pfister (Moxie Best Cinematographer Award winner); production designer Nathan Crowley (Art Director on "Mission: Impossible 2" & "Braveheart") and, editor Lee Smith A.C.E. (AFI Award winner for "Dead Calm", "The Piano" & "Two Hands"). "the cast list is superb and one that should send cinemagoers scurrying to their local theatres. Three strong performances from women are a feature of the film. Scarlett Johansson (Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award winner); Piper Perabo (who will next be seen alongside Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore and Lauren Graham in "Because I Said So") and Rebecca Hall (2002 Ian Charleson Award winner). One cast member who may not be recognised by the audience is Commandeur dans L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, David Bowie who plays the genius, Nikola Tesla. Iconic actor Michael Caine needs no introduction at all. The six time Academy Award ® winner who picked up the best supporting actor for "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "The Cider House Rules" can, at the time of writing, be seen in the exceptionally entertaining film, "Children Of Men" in which he co-stars with another Golden Globe wiiner, Clive Owen. Good as the supporting cast are, which by the way also includes Andy Serkis ("The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy and "King KOng"), the focus of attention for audiences will be on Bale and 1999 'Australian Star of the Year' Hugh Jackman. It is the intense rivalry that drives "The Prestige" which was adapted from the novel of the same name by prolific author Christopher Priest ("Short Circuit" & "Mona Lisa"). According to Michael Caines character Cutter, the magician’s ingeneur (one who designs illusions behind-the-scenes): "Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called 'The Pledge': the magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called 'The Turn'. The magician makes his ordinary something do something extraordinary. Now, if you're looking for the secret . . . you won't find it. That's why there's a third act called, 'The Prestige'. This is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before. He also asks, "Are you watching closely?" And you'll need to be if you have any hope of working out exactly what the third act 'The Prestige" will reveal. Making a film based on two magicians and their intense rivalry is a bit out of character for director and film-maker Christopher Nolan, but those who see this intriguing, trickly film will agree he was up to the job. "Traditionally, I think filmmakers have avoided the subject of magic because there is this feeling that if you’re not seeing it live that it’s too easy to get the wool pulled over your eyes," says the associate producer of the internationally acclaimed hit film "Memento", Emma Thomas. "But Chris started with the idea that movies are already a kind of magic trick; and instead of concentrating on the magic shows themselves, the story is all about what happens behind the scenes in the lives of two driven magicians who are devoted to and obsessed with creating the most baffling illusions." Christian Bale who plays Alfred Borden recalls: "After 'Batman Begins', I had really hoped to find some very high quality scripts, some really good movies, but I was not finding myself surrounded by them. Then, I read "The Prestige". I thought it was a very original, unique piece about a rivalry that knows no limits; and because magicians are involved, you never know what’s real and what isn’t, which makes for a fantastic thriller. It’s so layered, you have to peel it apart. I already knew that Chris is one of the smartest directors around, and that working with him is like having a very solid foundation on which to build a beautiful house; and I really fancied doing a movie with him that would be so different from Batman." So impressed was he with the script, he rang Nolan. "I called Chris and said, 'Whatever you’re thinking, and you can tell me where to go, but I’m just going to lay it on the line. This is the one of the best bloody scripts I’ve ever read and I want to do it.' I think my passion for it bowled him over." Australian actor and X-Men star Hugh Jackman plays the obsessed rival Robert Angier. It's true to say that Jackman was the actor Nolan immediately thought of for the role. "When Hugh gets on stage," Nolan said, "he truly comes to life. He’s extraordinarily comfortable being up there and so knowledgeable about his relationship with the audience. That’s exactly what this character needed; and Hugh presents Angier with a sincerity that’s extremely winning." Like Bale, Jackman too was hooked once he read the script. "It irks me to even say this, but Borden is technically a much better magician," Jackman begrudgingly admits. "My character can sell a trick to an audience with far more skill, but Borden is an inventive genius. When things go wrong between them, Angier has two conflicting responses. On the one hand, he begins to loathe Borden, to hate him, to want vengeance for what he has done, but on the other, he is driven by a competitive obsession to be better than Borden. So all of Angier’s anger and hate, all his darkness and sadness become focused on one thing; finding out Borden’s secrets." To better underpin his role Jackman did an intense study into the colorful history of magic from 1900 to the present day. "I found it to be an incredibly mysterious and interesting world," he says. "There is something about magicians that makes them different from non-magicians. They do everything alone, because they don’t want to share their secrets, and they are intensely competitive. They’re fascinating people which makes them great characters." And great characters they are. All of them, including David Bowies (The Elephant Man) role as Tesla. "Chris has always been a fan of Bowie," explains Aaron Ryder, "and we felt we needed the kind of persona and weight that Bowie carries as a superstar for Tesla." Emma Thomas adds: "He was just so perfect for the role that we couldn’t imagine anyone else who could pull it off, and then, Chris managed to wrangle a meeting with him in New York, which we were all very nervous about." So how did Nolan win him over? "I simply went and explained to him why he was the only person in the world who could play this part, Nolan recalls, "and luckily, he agreed to do it." I suspect audiences will be pleased Bowie took the role too. He makes a great Tesla. The Real Men Behind The Magic Magicians Ricky Jay and Michael Weber were brought in to train the cast in the classic magician’s skills of prestidigitation and misdirection. However, because the magic tricks in "The Prestige" simply provide the backdrop for the story of Angier and Borden’s hazardous rivalry, and are not intended to fool the film’s audience, Jay and Weber’s main task was to give the cast a deeper sense of how magicians think, move and perform. Jay heads the company 'Deceptive Practices', which provides expertise in magic, con games and card tricks for films involving everything from illusions to gambling. On "The Prestige", he was thrilled to find himself with such devoted and curious students. "One of the greatest pleasures for us was working with Christian and Hugh, who both had remarkable energy and an amazing willingness to practice and rehearse. These guys were terrific in terms of the attention they paid to detail," says Jay. As for the story, Jay thinks that, for all its fantastical twists and turns, it rings quite true to a magician. "Those kind of competitions between magicians really did exist," he remarks. "That was a time in London when five or six magicians would be playing at theatres right next to each other on the same night, a time that has never been duplicated in the history of magic. It’s also interesting because that was a time when there was a strong relationship between early cinema and magic. A lot of the people who worked on the development of the motion picture camera were also magicians. Since then, people have become suspicious of any magic done on film, but one of the things we’ve tried to with this film is bring out the idea that there was a lot of integrity to magic in those days, so it kind of brings everything back full circle." Says producer Aaron Ryder ("The Mexican" & " Donnie Darko") of Jay and Weber’s contributions: "We felt very lucky to have these two on board. They worked with Hugh and Christian extensively, bringing them a little bit more into what is normally an incredibly secretive brotherhood. Still, they basically agreed that they would teach only the tricks that were necessary for the script, and they wouldn’t give away too many secrets!" The Verdict "A clevery crafted film, "The Prestige" demands your full attention. If you intend attempting to work out what really is happening in "The Prestige", you will have to "watch closely" for there is much sleight of hand aimed at distracting the viewer away from what is the best illusion of all. One point I found very impressive is the inclussion of Nikola Tesla (a man who truly was an incredible genius), and the connection to the man he once worked for, Thomas Edison. While all the cast perform superbly, it is the ongoing rivalry beween the characters played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, that drives this film. Both give exceptional performances as Alfred Borden and Robert Angiers, respectively. "The Prestige" is an intrguing and impressive tale of tragedy, one which I suspect many cinemagoers will find quite entertaining. Remember these words spoken early in the film by illusion designer, Cutter: "Are you watching closely?" Make sure you are! Solid 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE PRESTIGE" stars .......
MO Award & TONY Award winner Hugh Jackman ["Swordfish", "Kate & Leopold", "Van Helsing" and "X-Men 1, 2 & 3"]; Christian Bale ["Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "Laurel Canyon", "Reign of Fire" and "Batman Begins"]; Michael Caine ["Miss Congeniality", "Last Orders", "The Quiet American", "The Weather Man" and "Children Of Men"]; Piper Perabo ["Coyote Ugly", Slap Her... She's French", "The Cave" and "Cheaper by the Dozen 1 & 2"], Rebecca Hall ["Starter for Ten"] and Scarlett Johansson ["A Good Woman", "The Island", "Match Point" and "The Black Dahlia"] as Olivia Wenscombe.
"THE PRESTIGE" was .......
directed by 2001 Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award winner Christopher Nolan ["Memento ", "Insomnia" and "Batman Begins"]; screenplay by Christopher Nolan ["Doodlebug", "Memento ", "Insomnia" and "Batman Begins"] and Jonathan Nolan ["Memento"]; adapted from the novel by Christopher Priest ["The Inverted World", "The Quiet Woman" and "The Prestige"]; director of photography by Wally Pfister A.S.C. ["Insomnia", "Laurel Canyon", "The Italian Job" and "Batman Begins"]; original music by David Julyan ["Memento", "Insomnia" and "The Descent"] production design by Nathan Crowley ["Behind Enemy Lines", "Insomnia", "Veronica Guerin" and "The Lake House"] with costume design by Joan Bergin ["Reign Of Fire", "Evelyn", "Veronica Guerin" and "Laws of Attraction"]. Run Time 130 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - Touchstone Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved