Before the feud: Jackman as Angier, Bale as Borden
“If your hate could be turned into electricity, it would light up the whole world.”
That quote is from Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), it’s not from the dialog spoken by David Bowie as Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s 2006 feature, The Prestige. But I think it summarizes what is wrong with the film, which was co-authored by Nolan’s brother and frequent collaborator, Jonathan. In brief, the action of the movie arises from nexus where science meets illusion, which is a fascinating avenue into metaphysics. But the science is little more than elaborate window dressing in what boils down to a melodrama about the all-consuming hatred between two illusionists the 1890s, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale).
“White light could kill me now…”
I’m not a fan of reviews that say what filmmakers should have done. Better to judge artists on the choices that they did make in the writing, casting, production, etc., and how successful those choices were in the finished work. But The Prestige is particularly frustrating because the Nolan brothers are obviously talented men, and I’m convinced that they missed opportunities both large and small.
Let’s start with the science. They featured Nicola Tesla as a character, and added three stagecraft engineers, Cutter (Michael Caine) and Borden/Fallon (Christian Bale in a dual role), but none of them really add to the story, which, again, is ultimately about nothing more than a feud. It could be argued, I suppose, that Tesla and the engineers are an allegorical element: they reveal the reality behind illusion. But this movie doesn’t rise to either metaphysics or allegory.
Cutter cuts to the chase, using a body double.
Furthermore, the feud, which is so vicious that both men end up handicapped, is undermined by an elemental flaw in the plot. Angier is determined to duplicate Borden’s most phenomenal trick, teleportation (same as being beamed to another location in Star Trek). Angier’s engineer, Cutter, after seeing Borden perform it on stage, immediately and convincingly concludes that he uses a body double for the illusion. Angier stubbornly refuses to believe it, and at least two problems result: Continue reading →
Game of Consequences 
Misdirection
Before the feud: Jackman as Angier, Bale as Borden
“If your hate could be turned into electricity, it would light up the whole world.”
That quote is from Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), it’s not from the dialog spoken by David Bowie as Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s 2006 feature, The Prestige. But I think it summarizes what is wrong with the film, which was co-authored by Nolan’s brother and frequent collaborator, Jonathan. In brief, the action of the movie arises from nexus where science meets illusion, which is a fascinating avenue into metaphysics. But the science is little more than elaborate window dressing in what boils down to a melodrama about the all-consuming hatred between two illusionists the 1890s, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale).
“White light could kill me now…”
I’m not a fan of reviews that say what filmmakers should have done. Better to judge artists on the choices that they did make in the writing, casting, production, etc., and how successful those choices were in the finished work. But The Prestige is particularly frustrating because the Nolan brothers are obviously talented men, and I’m convinced that they missed opportunities both large and small.
Let’s start with the science. They featured Nicola Tesla as a character, and added three stagecraft engineers, Cutter (Michael Caine) and Borden/Fallon (Christian Bale in a dual role), but none of them really add to the story, which, again, is ultimately about nothing more than a feud. It could be argued, I suppose, that Tesla and the engineers are an allegorical element: they reveal the reality behind illusion. But this movie doesn’t rise to either metaphysics or allegory.
Cutter cuts to the chase, using a body double.
Furthermore, the feud, which is so vicious that both men end up handicapped, is undermined by an elemental flaw in the plot. Angier is determined to duplicate Borden’s most phenomenal trick, teleportation (same as being beamed to another location in Star Trek). Angier’s engineer, Cutter, after seeing Borden perform it on stage, immediately and convincingly concludes that he uses a body double for the illusion. Angier stubbornly refuses to believe it, and at least two problems result: Continue reading →
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Posted in Film Commentary, Movies, Quotations, Science Fiction
Tagged Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, David Bowie, Hugh Jackman, Magic, Magicians, Michael Caine, Nikola Tesla, Science, The Prestige