THE PRESTIGE

[jo]

Noted the same things, Ellen

Jo

[jo]

I have just "reviewed" THE PRESTIGE - courtesy of quarantine time


Look at how handsome he looked!

I paid particular attention to Angier's dying monologue! Masterful acting - according to Robert Downey, Jr.!

...and to which I concur fully! Why wasn't he recognized by the AMPAS for this portrayal?



In 2006 he "blossomed" as a really first-rate dramatic actor, with THE FOUNTAIN and THE PRESTIGE!

Within a one-year period, he amazed with his portrayals in LES MISERABLES ( released December 2012) and PRISONERS at the Toronto Festival ( Sept 2013)!

In 2017, he repeated the double feat of success in portrayals as LOGAN and THE GREATEST SHOWMAN!


Will it work again with BAD EDUCATION and REMINISCENCE ( Who knows when this will be released, given the present crisis?)?


Jo

[jo]

Occasionally talked about -- but constantly being praised by film buffs. Some even consider The Prestige as Christopher Nolan's best work. Based on some reviews, it seems TENET is somewhat disappointing.

The movie was filmed when Hugh was in his late 30's ( late 2005 or very early 2006). He always looks good in period clothes.

Jo

[jo]

www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-10-en-favorites10-story.html

JAN. 10, 200712 AM
WE all have our favorite films and performances of the year, but that got us wondering: What are the favorites of some Golden Globes winners and nominees?

Robert Downey Jr. (past supporting actor winner for “Ally McBeal,” winner as part of the ensemble cast for “Short Cuts” and actor nominee for “Chaplin”)

“ ‘The Prestige.’ It’s like the old film ‘The Seven-Per-Cent Solution’ -- that Sherlock Holmes movie -- it was so not what you expected. To me, it was a Ferrari engine of a script, and Christian Bale is always exciting and innovative. The scene where Hugh Jackman is dying and then has a page and a half monologue....How do you deliver a speech like that? But Jackman handled it.”

[jo]

variety.com/video/tenet-christopher-nolan-production-design/

Tenet’ Production Designer on Blowing Up a Boeing 747 Plane and Reusing a ‘Prestige’ Prop

Crowley also revealed that an iconic Nolan prop from a previous film made its way back into “Tenet.” “We used those secret doors from ‘The Prestige’ magic cabinets, so you can run in and you can both come out,” he says.

Hugh had only high praise for TENET.

I wonder if he noticed Nolan's magic trick of recyling the doors from THE PRESTIGE


JO

[jo]

[njr]

On a recent Jeopardy “What is The Prestige?” was the answer!

[jo]

He looks forbidding...


which brings me to a question on the film adaptation of the book by Christopher Priest.

*In the book, from my recollection, the story was more focused on Lord Caldwell, who assumed the name of Robert Angier to keep the family name from any notoriety associated with someone involved with magical tricks... and who was renamed the Great Danton by his wife after he started acquiring some measure of success. The Borden brother comes in the story as also wanting to excel as a magician ( with a twin brother in tow). The book proceeds eventually in a different way compared to the film... and in the end what happened to Angier, to me, is even more weird.

*In the film, the enmity between the two is rewritten by Jonathan ( husband of Lisa Joy) & brother Chris Nolan and is striking in the level of seeming hatred of each other. I guess that perspective makes the movie more striking.

However, some film fans who have commented on the movie argues that the real villain in the movie was Angier ( maybe because of how he tricked one of the Bordens to be accused of murder), without analyzing that what started it all was the accidental ( or was it ?) tying of the knot which led to the drowning of Angier's wife?

To me, what is the heart of the movie is the deep-seated desire of each one to become the greatest magician... not necessarily to show who is better than the other ( if you know what I mean). To pursue this desire, each one will do everything to make the public believe that he is the best magician around. In the end, it seems that with Tesla's help, it is Angier who achieves the magic domination, but not without the ghastly personal consequences to Angier (as it was in the book). I think the main theme of the movie was to show how a person can be driven to the utmost just to get the public acclamation of the magic tricks that he can show. Each one is a protagonist, and not one is an antagonist to the other, and each one will suffer the consequence of his personal goal.

I think the comment about Angier being the villain may be coming from a Bale fan.

But I go back to the book and the author's original intention -- it was more the show of intense competition to be the best in one's craft or discipline. The film adaptation simply heightens this competition to the extent that the actions of both are actually suspect.

On a side note, I think what the Borden character did to his wife ( fooling her and letting his brother play husband to her without her knowing it ) was very evil. He did it even if he loved his wife because he wants to be acclaimed as the best magician. Thus her suicide is very poignant to me.

It is a difficult story to delve into - obsession is not easy to portray but the Nolan film is one of his best-rated moies and a great favorite with Nolan fans.

This is one film where Hugh Jackman, again, is not fully recognized for his portrayal of 3 characters ( the real Robert Angier, the real Lord Caldlow and the drunk actor Root). I do remember how he won praise from Robert Downey for his delivery of that long dying monologue! A hint of how his dramatic training has borne fruit ( meaning how long monologs or soliloquys are often a training nodule for those studying drama).

Maybe I should rewatch the movie ( I don't think I still have the book) - to confirm my thoughts?

Jo

[jo]

Some citations on Nolan's work in THE PRESTIGE --

Starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in the lead roles of rival magicians, The Prestige received critical acclaim and received two Academy Award nominations.[69][70] Roger Ebert described it as "quite a movie – atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic",[71] and Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times called it an "ambitious, unnerving melodrama".[72] The Guardian's Philip French wrote: "In addition to the intellectual or philosophical excitement it engenders, The Prestige is gripping, suspenseful, mysterious, moving and often darkly funny."

[njr]

I still have the book, but haven’t read it since 2006 after the movie came out, or perhaps not until 2007. Hard to believe it’s been that long!

Nancy

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

In this ranking by the IGN filmsite, The Prestige comes up as 3rd among Nolan films.

[jo]

[njr]

The Prestige premiered Oct. 20, 2006, so Hugh was 37 when it was filmed. He WAS incredibly handsome in that movie!
P.S. I can’t believe it, but my twins will be 37 in Jan. 2024!

Nancy

[jo]

The hollywood Reporter ranks THE PRESTIGE as third best among Nolan movies.

3. The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige is a marvelous mystery based on Christopher Priest’s novel about dueling turn-of-the-century obsessive magicians with terrific performances by a dogmatic Bale, a searing Hugh Jackman (“You don’t know?!“), and an all-too-wise Caine. The Nolan brothers’ script uses voiceover and narrative in such a confident and propulsive way, and there’s an ending twist you’ll never see coming.

[jo]

The one who reposted the question LIKED my reply.

Jo

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Wisco Reviews
@wiscoreviews
The Prestige: A Nolan movie I had never experienced until last night. Christian Bale and Michael Caine obviously knock it out of the park, but major props to Hugh Jackman for bringing this role of the obsessed magician very well. It is obviously a very out-there and over-the-top premise, but Nolan can take Batman and make it great, and he brings that here. A film with so many twists and turns, great characters and script, and an ending that puts the whole movie through a different lens. It's not perfect; I think this might be the worst score of all his films, and again Nolan doesn't seem to ever know what to do with his female characters, and that continues here, and lastly, there are not a lot of great directing choices, from Nolan here to make it stand out. The main positives are the script, story, and characters. It's now my 5th favorite Christopher Nolan film. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet! 8.6/10

[jo]

Interesting viewpoints on understanding & appreciating the movie. You may or may not agree with the conclusions or the laying of facts. The comments on another movie supposedly inpired by The Prestige have been deleted here.

wiki.rankiing.net/who-is-lord-caldlow-in-the-prestige/

ENTERTAINEMENT



Who is Lord Caldlow in the prestige?


Played by. Robert Angier (born Caldlow) was a magician’s assistant and later stage magician who lived in London. Born into a rich family, he wished to become a magician but that career would’ve been a shame to his family.

Is prestige a true story?

The Prestige is a 1995 novel by British writer Christopher Priest. … It tells the story of a prolonged feud between two stage magicians in late 1800s England. It is epistolary in structure; that is, it purports to be a collection of real diaries that were kept by the protagonists and later collated.


Who wins in The Prestige?

Borden confronts Angier/Caldlow in the abandoned theater where the bodies of the “Angier” clones are left. He shoots Angier/Caldlow in the chest and leaves him to die… seemingly stopping the cycle of Angier clones and, finally, emerging victorious in the battle of the two men.

Is Borden a twin or a clone?
Were Borden and Fallon real twins? Yes they were real twins. They were there from start, that is the reason Bordon was not able to answer the question when Angier asked which knot he tied to his wife, as it is possible other brother was present.

What were Borden last words in The Prestige?

Borden’s escorted to the hangman’s noose, and asks a nearby guard, “Are you watching closely?” When asked about his final words, he responds “Abracadabra” and is dropped to his death. He disappears, but that’s not magic. You can’t just make something disappear. You have to bring it back.


Did Borden kill Julia?
final revenge for getting julia killed and stealing olivia. angier no longer needing revenge after borden gets hanged that is. that borden was just more reckless, thats the borden that couldn’t let angier’s trick go, and so was julia.

Why does Angier kill himself?
Angier lost himself after Julia died, and Cutter (Michael Caine) did tell him drowning feels like “going home,” so it could be each time he opts to die is like a reunion with his true love. … This also means that Angier Prime knows he will be safe in the balcony during the show while the clone takes the fall on stage.


What were Borden last words in the prestige?
Borden’s escorted to the hangman’s noose, and asks a nearby guard, “Are you watching closely?” When asked about his final words, he responds “Abracadabra” and is dropped to his death. He disappears, but that’s not magic. You can’t just make something disappear. You have to bring it back.

Why did Sarah kill herself in the prestige?
When Borden’s brother began seeing Olivia, Sarah believed that it was her husband cheating on her. The pain of watching her marriage constantly on the rocks, coupled with the belief that the man she loved was cheating on her, ultimately led her to commit suicide.

What was Borden’s secret?
But Borden leaves the crowd thinking he can teleport. In the finale, it’s revealed that Borden’s actually a twin, and he and his brother shared a life. They posed as Alfred and alternated as his trick designer, Fallon, using makeup and prosthetics to make the latter seem a bit chubbier and look different.

What does Borden say at the end of the prestige?

Borden’s escorted to the hangman’s noose, and asks a nearby guard, “Are you watching closely?” When asked about his final words, he responds “Abracadabra” and is dropped to his death. He disappears, but that’s not magic. You can’t just make something disappear. You have to bring it back.




Did Borden know Tesla?
Borden saw Tesla at the science convention. He sent Angier to Tesla because he thought Angier might believe that Tesla was capable of building such a machine. But Borden never actually believed that Tesla could do it.

Who wins at the end of the prestige?
Borden confronts Angier/Caldlow in the abandoned theater where the bodies of the “Angier” clones are left. He shoots Angier/Caldlow in the chest and leaves him to die… seemingly stopping the cycle of Angier clones and, finally, emerging victorious in the battle of the two men.

Who killed the wife in prestige?
In 1890s London, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden work as shills for a magician under the mentorship of John Cutter, an engineer who designs stage magic. During a water tank trick, Angier’s wife Julia fails to escape and drowns. Angier, devastated, accuses Borden of using a riskier knot, causing her death.

Does the cat die in the prestige?
They turn on the machine and the cat is surrounded by electricity and lightning. This doesn’t seem to hurt or bother the cat (in actuality the electricity was a special effect added afterwards.) Once the machine is turned off, the cat remains and apparently nothing has happened.

Did Borden use the Tesla machine?
Borden never used the machine from Tesla. He wrote TESLA on the paper given to Angier just to send him in wrong direction. But that resulted in creating such a machine for real.

Did Angier kill himself every night?
The whole film is based around sacrifice. Borden and Fallon both sacrificed half of their own lives to keep up the image of the trick. Angier sacrificed himself every night for the trick, while keeping is off-stage life.

Is Angier actually dead?
Angier, as you see, survives his final act. He drops a “clone” in the tank, allows Borden to be captured at the scene of the crime, knows that his rival will be charged with murder, and then chooses to disappear.

How many times did Angier kill himself?
For all he knew, the machine teleported the original some distance away and left a copy in its place, which would mean the original Angier survived to the very end of the movie after murdering himself nearly a hundred times.


Authors: 11 – Editors: 14 – Last Updated: 14 days ago – References : 25

[jo]

moviefone
@moviefone
Today In History | #ThePrestige was released on Oct 20, 2006.
Starring #HughJackman, #ChristianBale, and #MichaelCaine.
🍿 movief.one/the-prestige
#moviefone #movie #TodayInHistory

[jo]

Physically-speaking, the period 2006-2009 when Hugh Jackman looked at his prime masculine beauty!

2006 - The Prestige /The Fountain /Scoop

2007 - (filming Australia & Origins)

2008 - Australia / Deception

2009 - Oscars Host / Origins:Wolverine / A Steady Rain


Age : 38 to 41 !


You are free to agree or disagree

[jo]

Aging like the finest wine!


2011 - Real Steel ( especially when boxing like a pro)

2011 - Back On Broadway

2012 - Les Miserables ( from starved convict to town mayor to Cosette's Dad to Revolutionary

2013 - Prisoners ( ahh... most frightening portrayal)

2014 - XMen: Days of Future Past

2014 - The River

2015 - Pan ( too pompous but ok!)


Age: 43 to 47

[jo]

Great Statesman of the Performing Arts!
Handsome as Ever but with the Air of a Fulfilled Artist!


2016/2017 - Filming & release of his Best Year as An Actor - LOGAN & THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

2019 - TheMan.TheMusic.TheShow

2020 -

2021 - The Front Runner/Bad Education

2021/2022 - Reminiscence/The Music Man /The Son

2023 - The Son/ Music Man / Training for Deadpool&Wolverine


Age : 48 to 55