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List Price: $29.99 | | Label: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone
Salesrank: 1268
Released: February 20, 2007 |
| Our Price: $9.93 |
| Used Price: $4.50 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Award-winning actors Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson star in THE PRESTIGE, the twisting, turning story that, like all great magic tricks, stays with you. Two young, passionate magicians, Robert Angier (Jackman), a charismatic showman, and Alfred Borden (Bale), a gifted illusionist, are friends and partners until one fateful night when their biggest trick goes terribly wrong. Now the bitterest of enemies, they will stop at nothing to learn each other's secrets. As their rivalry escalates into a total obsession full of deceit and sabotage, they risk everything to become the greatest magician of all time. But nothing is as it seems, so watch closely. And be prepared to watch it again and again.
Description of The Prestige:
The Prestige attempts a hat trick by combining a ridiculously good-looking cast, a highly regarded new director, and more than one sleight of hand. Does it pull it off? Sort of. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play rival magicians who were once friends before an on-stage tragedy drove a wedge between them. While Bale's Alfred Borden is a more skilled illusionist, Jackman's Rufus Angier is the better showman; much of the film's interesting first half is their attempts to sabotage--and simultaneously, top--each other's tricks. Even with the help of a prop inventor (Michael Caine) and a comely assistant (Scarlett Johansson), Angier can't match Borden's ultimate illusion: The Transporting Man. Angier's obsession with learning Borden's trick leads him to an encounter with an eccentric inventor (David Bowie) in a second half that gets bogged down in plot loops and theatrics. Director Christopher Nolan, reuniting with his Batman Begins star Bale, demonstrates the same dark touch that hued that film, but some plot elements--without giving anything away--seem out of place with the rest of the movie. It's better to sit back and let the sometimes-clunky turns steer themselves than try to draw back the black curtain. That said, The Prestige still manages to entertain long after the magician has left the stage--a feat in itself. --Ellen A. Kim
The Prestige Reviews:
The Prestige: Prestegious 
2008-11-21 - If you truly want to be entertained, and you appreciate magic (as in: professional stage magic and magicians) you will adore this film.
All the actors are at their best, here. And, the film holds a bit of a surprise at the end, although cynical folks will say they saw it coming.
It's easy to say, after one has viewed the film, that it was all so obvious...but, it wasn't all so obvious on the first viewing.
Repeated viewings do yield some interesting gems, even when one knows what happens at the end.
Best magician movie I've ever seen!
2008-11-16 - Superbly done film from beginning to end. The cast is outstanding. The plot is very imaginative. David Bowie is unrecognizeable! The sets, costumes, dialogue and cimematography are all top drawer. One of the most entertaining movies ever. Keeps you guessing right up to the final frame. If you're not entertained by it, check for a pulse!
Good Film, And Better The Second Time 
2008-11-13 - I've seen this film twice now - about a year ago and then a few weeks ago on Blu-Ray (which looks super) - and thoroughly enjoyed it both times, even the second time when I remembered some of those fantastic twists in the last half hour. Sometimes it's even more fun to view a film like this when you know a few things, because earlier scenes take on new meaning.
It's not an easy film to totally digest, even with two viewings, because that ending has some mind-boggling revelations. Without having to resort to spoilers, let me just say the story is extremely interesting, the acting very good, the period pieces fun to view and it's a pretty clean movie so grandma can also enjoy it, too, without language or sex concerns.
Basically, it's a story about obsession between two magicians in the last decade of the 19th century. They continually try to top one another and things get nasty along the way. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are both fun to watch in those roles, as are Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson in supporting roles.
This is one movie guaranteed to have you thinking about it when it's over!
Listen To Michael Caine...
2008-11-08 - At the beginning of THE PRESTIGE, Michael Caine asks us an important question, then tells us the three main stages of a magic trick. This is very important, as the rest of the movie is set up in these stages, while retaining an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. The symbolism of the canaries is crucial, in that they represent the living "pledge". Where do they go when they disappear? What happens to them? How does this pre-figure the quest of Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Borden (Christian Bale) to perfect the ultimate illusion? What is it's price? What are the similarities between the canary trick and the Transported Man? Where is the "turn"? What is the "prestige" (payoff)? What does Tesla really offer these men? I find this movie fascinating. It raises so many interesting questions! Like a good puzzle, it keeps me working at it, even when it confounds me! Check it out...
Nolan's Genius
2008-10-24 - Once again, Christopher Nolan sets the perfect mood for the "The Prestige" as he did in "Memento" and "Insomnia." David Julyan's ever present musical score is also a perfect fit in this compelling drama.
