THE PRESTIGE

[mamaleh]

Interesting sidebar to THE PRESTIGE. Never saw David Bowie do/say any of these things:

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/nicola-tesla-love-pigeon-facts-inventor_n_4320773.html?utm_source=concierge&utm_medium=onsite&utm_campaign=sailthru%2Bslider%2B

[njr]

LOL! That guy was a trip! David Bowie has certainly had some varied lovers, but no pigeons!

Nancy

[jo]

The Movie Awards forum of IMDB is revisiting the acting performances in THE PRESTIGE.

www.imdb.com/board/bd0000005/nest/233531266

I remember that this was an old topic and most posters then favored Bale. This time around, many people said that after revisiting the movie, it seems Hugh is now the favored actor for the better portayal. Which is saying very much - Movie Awards usually favor actors who are from the "brooding school" of acting


Jo

[jo]

A revisit of Christopher Nolan's body of work includes a lengthy review of THE PRESTIGE --

www.ibtimes.co.uk/prestige-films-christopher-nolan-1469082

The Prestige: The Films of Christopher Nolan


By Ben Skipper
October 8, 2014 15:19 BST


In our continuing series, IBTimes UK takes a look at the work of British director Christopher Nolan in the lead up to the November release of his ninth film, Interstellar. This week we look at The Prestige, a master class in misdirection.


You never quite know where you stand with The Prestige, and that's precisely the point. Christopher Nolan's fifth feature, about duelling magicians in Victorian England, is a story of obsession, loss, sacrifice and above all else, misdirection.

The Prestige is based on the novel by Christopher Priest, which Nolan read in 2000 and shared with his brother, Jonathan. Over the next five years, the pair set about writing a screenplay that adhered to the three acts of a magic trick described in Priest's book: the pledge, the turn and the prestige.

At times a period drama, at others a gothic sci-fi or noir-style thriller, The Prestige is unique in many ways and its themes of illusion and theatricality fit perfectly with the style of storytelling Nolan loves so much.


Like Memento before it, The Prestige utilises a complex narrative structure detailing events out of chronological order to heighten the mystery and deliberately keep something from the viewer in exactly the same way a magician conceals the truth.

It also utilises the unreliable narrator literary tool but unconventionally uses two such narrators, plunging the audience even further into a web of deceit. Can you ever really trust a magician anyway?

Stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale give career-best performances as illusionists Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, Jackman in particular providing one of the best turns Nolan has yet coax out of one of his stars. They're supported by the reliable humanity of Michael Caine, a wonderfully well-cast David Bowie, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall.

Nolan is often criticised for his portrayal of women but The Prestige goes some way to fighting the assumption that he can't write them. Johansson may be given little but Hall is great as the wife of Borden, who is destroyed by her partner's dedication and obsession.

The film's women may not have starring roles - a genuine criticism of Nolan is the lack of focus he gives his female characters, whether they're well-written or not - but they are integral to the plot. Borden's wife absolutely is and it's the death of Angier's lover Julia (Piper Perabo) toward the start of the film that drives a wedge between him and Borden, kick-starting their lengthy and sadistic game of one-upmanship.


Nolan's passion for the classic tools of film-making add a realism that offsets the more fantastical, science-fiction elements to create the sort of heightened reality that many of his films occupy. He uses the natural light of his sets to illuminate his stars and gives great focus to the faces both other characters and the audience are trying to read.

The Prestige is also the film in which Nolan and his long-time cinematography, Wally Pfister, really became a proper team. After three films together, it is here that their styles really came together to create a film as great to look at as it is compelling to watch.

From here the pair became a major force, the influence of Pfister's way with the camera equally as important to The Dark Knight, Inception and The Dark Knight Rises as Nolan's directing and writing expertise.

The Prestige is a classic, because it is a mystery that gives its audience all the clues in plain sight. Unlike the magic tricks its structure is based on, in the end we are given the solution as we see the length's Angier goes to in an effort to "win" his war with Borden.

Rather than cheapening the experience, like finding out a magician's methods would, this reveal instead gives the film an almighty payoff and one of the most satisfying closing acts of Nolan's career.

[jo]

Hugh and Chris Nolan - behind the scenes for THE PRESTIGE.


Jo

[carouselkathy]

This was filmed in Los Angeles at night in an area where old theaters were being restored. On my way to the Disney Concert Hall one night, I remember detours and studio-type trailers because of filming going on. Later, I figured out that it was probably THE PRESTIGE night filming.

[jo]

An entertainment site rates the Top Ten Christopher Nolan films --

Guess which one he rates at the head of the class


minnesotaconnected.com/arts-entertainment/the-films-of-christopher-nolan-ranked_559964/

You may want to check the link for the complete list...but let me quote what it says about The Prestige --

1. The Prestige




There are several Christopher Nolans at work in all these films. There’s the storyteller who can take a simple tale of two rival magicians and rearrange the details until every conflict and mystery sings. There’s the professor making heady proclamations about art and obsession and the human desire for wonder. There’s the technician experimenting with shadows and sumptuous mise-en-scene and the theories of Nikola Tesla. There’s the spectacle-maker who knows how to frame electricity, light, and fire so they enchant the audience like they’re seeing for the first time.

And there is the magician.

More than a little alchemy is required to unite these men into a coherent whole. The Prestige is Nolan’s best film because it pulls this trick (sorry, illusion) off right under the audience’s nose.

At the very beginning of the film Michael Caine tells us what to watch for. A magic trick consists of three acts. Act 1, The Pledge, shows us something ordinary. A man in prison reading a letter, a sweet daughter waiting for her father to come home, two young friends and their as-yet-unkilled wives: the kind of stories everyone cares about: love, regret, desperation, all that normal stuff. Act 2, The Turn, tears us from this comfort zone. Hugh Jackman’s Robert is seen dead, then later seen resurrected. Christian Bale’s Alfred (presumably named to confuse critics trying to make Batman comparisons) is a loving father and husband one moment, until his soul presumably disappears. The final act, The Prestige, purports to bring back what was lost.

The Turn is fascinating only because we expect The Prestige to follow. Consider The Dark Knight and our glee at the Joker’s unsubtle terrorism. We allow ourselves to be thrilled by deplorable acts because we know, ultimately, he will be defeated. We see news stories about famine, disease, basic human cruelty, and mass chaos, but we zone out because no Prestige is expected. Only in stories are we told that ultimately everything will be okay. Our trust is won back through trickery or complicated logic, and we’re assured of the world’s Panglossian sheen. In turn we give the storyteller the affirmation they desire.

That’s a familiar theme for Nolan, who can in moments be something of a misanthrope. But here he’s just bursting with ideas, and I can’t complain too much. His inspirations range from clever (the secret behind Alfred’s disappearing act) to gnomic (the back and forth between the characters on the experience of drowning) to geeky (David Bowie plays Tesla, because aw yeah!), to outright poetic (the shot of the water tanks at the end of the film, which is maybe the most heartbreaking moment in all of Nolan’s filmography).

There’s no way to explore all the film’s brilliance without spoilers, but it’s breathtaking how Nolan subverts his usual cleverness and makes it mean everything and nothing at once. He explores death, evil, pain, the human soul, and the forces that make the world run with intellectual ambition that dwarfs his recent strain of 200 million dollar art films.

I hate to sound cheesy, but the final product honestly feels like magic.

[jo]

THE PRESTIGE continues to fascinate film fans, especially devotees of Christopher Nolan --

www.cinemablend.com/new/So-Prestige-Fan-Theory-Fascinating-103777.html

Exceprts :

Posted by one very observant Redditor, the theory posits that a line read from the diary of Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) by his nemesis Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) fundamentally changes the way we should view the film and its themes:


We were two young men at the start of a great career. Two young men devoted to an illusion. Two young men who never intended to hurt anyone.


Essentially, the theory indicates that while most audiences take the line as Borden speaking to his rival, Angier, through the diary, it’s actually Borden’s private thoughts about his own life. As anyone who has seen The Prestige knows, the secret to Borden’s ability to perform many of his tricks in the film is that he has a twin brother who he shares his life with. They are both "half" of Alfred Borden, rather than possessing separate and whole lives for themselves. This twist makes itself apparent at the very end of the film, but is also alluded to at various points throughout The Prestige. This new theory would have it rearing its head earlier than we ever realized.

Ultimately, what this theory does is alter the way in which we, as an audience, view the rivalry between these two men. The entire movie revolves around two men trying desperately to learn each other’s secrets, when in reality, Borden’s secret was in front of Angier the entire time. Boiled down to its basic elements, the theory makes the movie thematically revolve around the idea that our obsession can make us blind to the truth that's really in front of our very eyes.

Of course, there are some holes in the theory. For one, Borden goes to great lengths to hide the secret of his tricks in the film, so for him to so blatantly admit something in a diary that he knew would fall into Angier’s hands doesn’t completely make sense. There’s also the fact that later portions of the diary do in fact read as if they are directly intended for Angier’s eyes. Do you think that they are?

There’s a wealth of evidence that supports both possibilities: the original idea, as well as the new theory. Only one thing is for certain at this point, and that’s the fact that I am about to go throw The Prestige in my DVD player and have my mind blown again, because ten years later it's still an endlessly watchable masterpiece

The theory now being presented sounds interesting. But like those who gave responses in the feedback section, I do think that this way-off theory does not sound too plausible.

And if I go back to the original book by Christopher Priest and if I remember right, the rivalry between Angier and Borden was more intense professionally-speaking and more deeply rooted. Except the endings for both magicians were very different from how the Nolan brothers rewrote in their screenplay!

Jo

[jo]

Sad news about the passing of David Bowie ( N. Tesla in THE PRESTIGE) --

www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/david-bowie-dies-rock-and-fashion-icon-was-69/ar-CCnkE1?li=BBnb7Kz


Most or almost all of his scenes in THE PRESTIGE were with Hugh --




I also remember Hugh narrating to him on the set that when Hugh was young, he sold his David Bowie concert ticket for A$ 50...and according to Hugh, DB wasn't exactly amused - LOL!


Jo

[jo]

[jo]

Some reminiscences --



It's a highly underrated film -- but look at the current regard it has generated. It is turning out to be many Nolan fans' favorite movie! I was revisiting the readers' comments on Amazon - there are 69 pages of 5-star ratings! Many did say that it was their favorite movie of 2006!

Plus the Academy did not even look at the artistic merit of the excellent acting in the film by the leads and the support cast.


Jo

[jo]

And a personal message from Hugh and his family --

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 43m43 minutes ago
We have lost a legend. To David's family ... All our love.

[JH4HJ]

David Bowie - cancer, age 69 (seems so young in this day and age).

I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring.
I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human. I felt very puny as a human. I thought, f*** that. I want to be a superhuman.
I'm an instant star. Just add water and stir.
I'm always amazed that people take what I say seriously. I don't even take what I am seriously.
The truth is of course is that there is no journey. We are arriving and departing all at the same time.
To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have done their best work by far with me.
Frankly, I mean, sometimes the interpretations I've seen on some of the songs that I've written are a lot more interesting than the input that I put in.
I'm not a prophet or a stone aged man, just a mortal with potential of a superman. I'm living on.

"What I have learned"

[njr]

I mentioned this movie on a couple other fan sites that were talking about Bowie's passing. I guess the family kept it quiet about his diagnosis, that's why it's such a shock! I never saw him in concert, but I liked his songs such as Young Americans, Golden Years, Fame (with John Lennon) etc.
RIP "Thin White Duke" aka "Ziggy Stardust."

Nancy

[jo]

Again from Hugh --

Hugh Jackman ‏@realhughjackman · 2h2 hours ago
The great David Bowie as Nikola Tesla in The Prestige

[jo]

An extended clip of Angier and Tesla's scenes --

[jo]

This article is an obvious tribute to David Bowie in his role as Nikola Tesla.

www.indiewire.com/article/the-magical-david-bowie-performance-nobody-appreciates-nearly-enough-20160111

To some extent, it marginalizes the roles of the two lead magicians in the storyline. I think what he misses though is that The Prestige is not so much the fascination with magic, but one that focuses on the very human theme of extreme obsession. But I am not arguing about the author's views here.

What I really found interesting was a comment in the feedback section :

Kate H |

Jan 12, 2016 5:28pm

Nolan's 'The Prestige' is a travesty of a far better novel, but Bowie is the one thing worth watching it for.

Have you read the original novel by Christopher Priest?

It is quite different from the movie plot and even the issue of character development.

There were differences in the perspective of the novel - it seemed more like a period thriller and the characters were portrayed in a slightly different way.

Nolan and his brother chose to accentuate the rivalry in a more bitter and visceral manner. On the other hand, the novel resonated to me as more of a horror thriller, partly because of some elements in the resolution of the plot.

The ending was so eerie in the novel that I did not even want to read it a second time...and since it concerns Angier, I would not have wanted to have seen Hugh go through what Angier underwent at the end. His death in the movie was more acceptable, as well as how the Nolan brothers visualized the degeneration of Angier.

I think the Nolan brothers probably wrote a more acceptable movie theme for general audiences.


Jo

[njr]

I have the book-it was quite different from the movie (which I need to watch again!)
BTW, I ordered Bowie's greatest hits 2-CD set from Amazon and it's already out of stock!

Nancy

[jo]

Interesting follow-up to the Indiewire article paying tribute to David Bowie, via his portrayal of Nikola Testa --

www.reddirtreport.com/dust-devil-dreams/magic-gloves-pt-2-serious-moonlight

Andrew W. Griffin | January 13, 2016
..
Category: Dust Devil Dreams.




OKLAHOMA CITY – “An enigma portraying an enigma.”

Also …

“(Bowie) is actually a great magician of time, possessed of inconceivable powers.”

The former quote is how Indiewire.com’s Scott Beggs describes David Bowie in his role as ahead-of-his-time inventor/magician Nikola Tesla in the 2006 film The Prestige.

The latter quote was taken from a French language magazine, Court-circuit, which noted how Chris Marker’s 1963 apocalyptic film, La Jetee, (which influenced Terry Gilliam in the creation of 12 Monkeys) had influenced Bowie, in particular the creation of Bowie’s 1993 video for “Jump They Say.” I noted its significance in my 2014 Dust Devil Dreams piece "We live inside a dream ..."

As for Bowie's appearance in The Prestige, interacting with Hugh Jackman's obsessive magician/illusionist character Robert Angier, the role seemed tailor-made for Bowie, a modern-day magus himself.

Indeed. Watching Tesla/Bowie first appearing on screen in the film, as he walks past through the sparks of electricity coming off of his invention, is amazing and captivating. Something the actual David Bowie would pull of in stage show. Bowie is making an entrance there at his remote Colorado laboratory. And what is interesting is that Nikola Tesla and David Bowie are actually quite alike in many respects.

Existing between two worlds. Both are obsessive and extremely gifted. And also somewhat lonely. But they know they have important things to accomplish while they are here on our planet. Those things aren't always appreciated or even recognized in their own time.

Tesla/Bowie tells Angier that he recognizes his obsessive nature and that it can be dangerous if not kept in check. Angier, meanwhile, notes that Tesla is also obsessive in his pursuit of knowledge.

“Hasn’t good come of your obsessions?” Angier asks Tesla/Bowie.

“At first. But I have followed them too long," Tesla/Bowie responds. "I am their slave. And one day they will choose to destroy me.”

Angier also seems too eager to move forward with his plans. Tesla/Bowie warns him off.

“Society only tolerates one change at a time,” Tesla/Bowie tells an unconvinced Angier.

Indeed.

"Turn and face the strange," Bowie tells the world, 44 years to the week prior to his death at age 69 on January 10, 2016.

I still think the main theme of THE PRESTIGE ( the film adaptation) is that of obsession and how men can take it to the extreme that it destroys their lives! The world of magic was used simply to illustrate how even artistic/egoistic obsessions can dehumanize men.

Jo

[jo]

Chris Nolan is on social media posts again because of his forthcoming World War II movie called DUNKIRK.

Interesting posts --

Scott Crow's Eye ‏@scottyscottyw · 39m39 minutes ago

As much as I adore C Nolan , he seems like he always has at least one dumb-as-fuck casting choice in him per film. Rather irritating.

Scott Crow's Eye ‏@scottyscottyw · 31m31 minutes ago

@scottyscottyw worst one being Hugh Jackman as random drunk Hugh Jackman lookalike. But Damon & Hathaway too. Ugh

I thought casting Hugh as his double Root was smart and amusing!

Jo

[mamaleh]

The casting was so cleverly done that to this day some people think it was another actor, not Hugh, as Root. I think Crow's Eye needs an ophthalmologist.

Ellen

[jo]

Root on the left, Angier on the right.

[mamaleh]

The fake nose and teeth must have been fun for HJ to don.

Ellen

[njr]

Dec 29, 2016 12:01:19 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

The fake nose and teeth must have been fun for HJ to don.

Ellen

And don't forget the fake earlobes too! Lol!

Nancy

[jo]

Hugh actually portrayed 3 roles in the movie -- Angier, Root, and Lord Caldlow ( who adopted the little girl) and saw one of the Bordens in jail. He ran the gamut of emotions -- loving, distreesed, obessesive, drunken, artistically-fulfilled, maybe guilty ( because of the doubles he had to keep letting die), inquiring mind ( especially with Tesla), vengeful, and even aristocratic-looking!


There was nothing one-note about his portrayal! He is the standout actor for me in the movie!


Jo