Today I am going to introduce a movie that you will want to watch it again and again, that is Christopher Nolan's another prestigious work, The Prestige. It is talking about the competition between two magicians, Alfred Borden and Robert Angier. They all want to become the greatest magician in England, so they use every way to play tricks on each other. The director crosses the time line to misguide the audience and makes them think the truth could be complicated. In fact, the truth is really simple that you can imagine. Starred by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, you can say that this movie is the fight between Wolverine and Batman.
Each trick has three parts:
Act 1:The pledge, where the audience is presented with an ordinary object.
Act 2:The turn, where the object is turned into something extraordinary.
Act 3:The prestige, where the object is brought back.
Now you are looking for the secret, but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking.You do not really want to know.You want to be fooled.But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear is not enough; you have to bring it back.
I was stunned when I found out that Fallon is actually Borden's twins brother. Although, Borden has hinted the truth at the beginning of movie. He said "I had already begun a magic, and it could only performed by me." That means he had already shared his life with his brother. They take turns to play Borden. This persistence needs great sacrifice. The brothers could not have the normal life, and have to act for the whole time. I cannot imagine that kind of sacrifice, that pain to share the life with others. Sharing the same wife, the same mistress, and even the child. If you ask me to act all the time, I can tell you that I can't make it. It's really hard to keep this secret. Finally, his obsession to magic force his wife to commit suicide. Borden is actually love his wife very much. It was so cruel that he has to keep pretending, because magic is more important.
When Borden performs an impressing trick called The transported man. It attracts Angier's attention immediately. Doesn't want to be defeated by him, Angier loses his mind to find the secret. I think he was too obsess with those tricks that he became so pathetic. He asks Tesla, a scientist, to build a machine for him to perform the amazing trick. What horrible is this machine is actually can clone a real person. Every time after he performs this trick, he has to kill himself, or there will be two of him living in this world. "No one want to be the man in the box."It's true. Who will willing to sacrifice himself and let the other person takes out your glory and the applaud that belongs to you. Every one pursue the vanity. To gain the prestige, you have to sacrifice a lot. In the end, Angier gains nothing. He loses his wife, his lover, his fame, and his life. He keeps cloning him, however; which one is the real one? Is the person that drunk in the tank, or the man shows up on the stage and accepts audience's acclaim.
I like this scene the most. It's when Borden is going to be executed by hanging, he said goodbye to Fallon. The brothers have strong connection, and it is really sad that they have to be separated forever. All the regret shows at this moment. "You go and live your life in full now. You live for both of us." Now, he is free. He no longer have to act anymore. He can just be who he is. However, is it really worth it?
The secret impresses no one, the trick you use it for is everything.
The magic is really simple that everyone can imagine. However, nobody believes it. People rather be fooled by the tricks than believes the truth. Sometimes, we bind our eyes to find the truth, because we enjoy in that statement. If you break the trick, it no longer fun.
Exciting, suspicious, and tense, The prestige will never let you down.
If you are interesting about the magic, I suggest you to watch Now you see me.
Both of them like to say:
Are you watching closely...
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