By Drew Dietsch
| Published
The prestige seemed to be a historical entry into the ever -increasing filmography of Christopher Nolan. After the release of Batman beginsNolan had the chance to do a passionate project and he proposed an adaptation of Christopher Priest’s novel in 1995 on two rival magicians.
While the film occurred admirably for a period drama – $ 53 million at the national box office with a budget of $ 40 million, with an additional $ 56 million in international income – it did not light the pop culture on fire. And with Nolan’s following film The black knight,, The prestige ended up being sandwiched between two Batman films, ensuring that he would get lost in the years that followed while Nolan’s work continued to grow.
And although I have already called Creation Nolan’s masterpieceIt’s time to become a little more personal and start a debate: The prestige is Nolan’s best film and the one I like to watch most. Let’s examine why.
The prestige of all this
From Christopher Nolan was able to successfully revitalize the Batman franchise, The prestige was authorized to be a much more expensive production than it would probably have been in different circumstances. Nolan takes advantage of his post-batman influence in all directions, which could have been a smaller affair and transform it into a polite and extravagant production.
Nolan shoots The prestige With a strong accent on the clarity of intention. One of the problems he learned from Batman begins It was how to better transmit key action moments. Although this film is not heavy in action in the way we expect populist cinema, Nolan realizes how much a story about the magic of the scene requires that its camera and its assembly are as precise as the best sleight of hand.
Taking into account this approach, The prestige NOLAN presentation at a critical moment in its cinematographic evolution. His first films were often based on the frantic movement of the camera and the publishing to evoke a feeling of danger or excitement. When it happens to this film, there is a sharp and methodical nature that begins to take shape in a really exciting way. And that would be an asset in the future with his second Batman film.
Like a piece of prestigious cinema (HEH HEH), The prestige Do not obtain the distinctions it deserves in relation to other period dramas. The design of the costumes and the location of the location are all breathtaking. Each physical element of the film is a pleasure to watch, and it is a shame that the technical aspects of the film are not highlighted more often.
But it is not only the texture of The prestige This makes it such a wonderful experience.
A cast of magicians
The prestige has an impressive set of actors. This is not a shock for people familiar with Nolan’s work, but it is interesting that there are actors in this film who did not work with Nolan on another project. Because Christopher Nolan is known to work several times with certain actors, some of these occasional performances for him are not much raised.
The most neglected of these is Hugh Jackman As Robert Angier, the man whose wife was accidentally killed by the assistant of another magician, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). It is one of Hugh Jackman’s greatest roles and we never speak. It is probably because the main role of anguish is not particularly sympathetic. Angier is a man of buried to bury Borden’s career, and the lengths he will end up consuming his soul. He is a tragic but convincing character and Jackman gives him life in each setting. This is certainly the case with the majority of actors The prestige In addition, but Jackman deserves to be highlighted to anchor the film with a character who is quite horrible at the end of all this.
Conversely, you have Christian Bale as an alfred Borden. Its history is a little more winding but nevertheless intriguing and captivating. Borden as a character is more engaged in the technical prowess of his scene magic rather than the pizazz of it. For this reason, Bale must play things a little closer to the chest than Jackman. This means that his point of view on things must be more reserved, but it is a useful decision that is ultimately paying. The prestige Offers Bale a chance to do what he does best and he does not disappoint.
In parallel with these two tracks is a solid support cast that fills The prestige. Michael Caine, who worked with Nolan on each of his features since Batman beginsplays a similar role in Alfred in Batman’s films as an Angier assistant, Cutter. Rebecca Hall is a master of naturalistic performance and brings a real pathos to Borden’s wife, Sarah. Scarlett Johansson feels somewhat hidden like Olivia, the assistant who ends up betraying Angier and falling in love with Borden. It is not bad but it does not integrate into the period like the rest of the distribution. And, Andy Serkis is fun if it is little used as a alley, the assistant of Nikola Tesla.
Ahh, Nikola Tesla Played by David Freakin ‘Bowie. There are moments in the history of cinema where an actor and a role come together in a way that looks like the most obvious thing in the world. David Bowie like Nikola Tesla The prestige is one of those fortuitous moments.
Bowie is incredible like Tesla. It is built like this man of mystery and power. His possible introduction makes him work in an electric field as if he were a god. Angier and Borden are simply magicians, but Tesla is a legitimate sorcerer, evoking the magic of the earth to create wonders that are both impressive and terrifying. Tesla’s Bowie’s performance is not grandiose or cartoony. He plays Tesla as a defeated genius, rushing away from a world that has avoided his attempts to make a better place. While its use in the film ends up being supernatural and takes history in a frightening science fiction arena, Bowie never weakens in his performance and Tesla remains a fascinating character who never transcends to a level of untouchability.
We have therefore examined the technical prowess and the phenomenal distribution of The prestigeBut why is it my favorite of Nolan’s filmography?
Magic is real
The prestige is Nolan’s only film that I find myself returning again and again for many reasons. One of them is that it is a film that rewards an immediate rewatch. Even if The prestige Arrives over fifteen years in the landscape of pop culture, I still do not want to spoil the great revelation which makes the film deserves an immediate vision. There are thematic clues throughout the film which add an additional layer of intelligence to all the effort. In this way, The prestige feels like an evolution of Nolan narration and cinema presented in Memento.
Even more prominent is the emotional force of The prestige. From The black knight Viewers, Nolan cultivated a particular thrill in his stories that have not always worked. This does not mean that his stories are bad or devoid of emotional weight, but Nolan seems to be more involved in the way his films are told rather than why.
And that led me to a new interpretation The prestige: Angier and Borden represent the two sides of Nolan as a filmmaker. One is motivated by a passion for the spectacle of all this and the other is motivated by the meticulous nature of his profession. In the end, Borden kills Angier and it now looks like a retroactive statement on Nolan’s own way as an artist. He left the showman with a wide eyes to the eyes and bells that brought the flashy price of the world as Memento And Batman begins And engaged in his illusions with the laser focus of Borden. Instead of counting on a lot of hoax of modern technology like Angier, Nolan reaffirmed the desire to do things for real in his films whenever he can. It is an artistic tactic that Borden himself would approve.
Whether you find this, take interesting or not, it’s not really the point. The fact is that I find a new way of appreciating and appreciating The prestige Every time I look at him. It attracts me and puts me under his fate in a way that none of the other Nolan films does. And as a declaration on the magic of the art itself, the last words of anguish keep hitting me hard:
“You never understood why we did this. The public knows the truth. The world is simple, miserable, solid throughout the way. But if you can deceive them, even for a second, then you can ask them. And you can see something very special. You really don’t know. It was the look at their faces.”
The prestige Continue to put this look on my face every time I see it. Creation Perhaps the film Nolan which represents him best as a filmmaker, but The prestige is the one I know that I will monitor again and again for the rest of my years. Because The prestige The magic is real. Just look for it.
