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The Prestige

  • 20062006
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 10m
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.3M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
348
23
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, and Scarlett Johansson in The Prestige (2006)
Two stage magicians engage in competitive one-upmanship in an attempt to create the ultimate stage illusion.
Play trailer2:35
19 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Mystery
  • Thriller
After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.
IMDb RATING
8.5/10
1.3M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
348
23
  • Director
    • Christopher Nolan
  • Writers
    • Jonathan Nolan(screenplay)
    • Christopher Nolan(screenplay)
    • Christopher Priest(novel)
  • Stars
    • Christian Bale
    • Hugh Jackman
    • Scarlett Johansson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Christopher Nolan
  • Writers
    • Jonathan Nolan(screenplay)
    • Christopher Nolan(screenplay)
    • Christopher Priest(novel)
  • Stars
    • Christian Bale
    • Hugh Jackman
    • Scarlett Johansson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.6KUser reviews
    • 365Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #41
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 6 wins & 45 nominations total

    Videos19

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:35
    Official Trailer
    The Prestige: 10th Anniversary
    Trailer 2:33
    The Prestige: 10th Anniversary
    'The Prestige' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:20
    'The Prestige' | Anniversary Mashup
    A Guide to the Films of Christopher Nolan
    Clip 2:03
    A Guide to the Films of Christopher Nolan
    The Prestige
    Clip 0:52
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 0:20
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 0:20
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 0:27
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 1:18
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 0:41
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 1:23
    The Prestige
    The Prestige
    Clip 0:46
    The Prestige

    Photos160

    Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman in The Prestige (2006)
    Jonathan Nolan in The Prestige (2006)
    Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman in The Prestige (2006)
    Christian Bale in The Prestige (2006)
    Hugh Jackman in The Prestige (2006)
    David Bowie, Hugh Jackman, and Andy Serkis in The Prestige (2006)
    David Bowie in The Prestige (2006)
    Hugh Jackman and Christopher Nolan in The Prestige (2006)
    Hugh Jackman and Andy Serkis in The Prestige (2006)
    David Bowie in The Prestige (2006)
    Andy Serkis in The Prestige (2006)
    Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson in The Prestige (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Christian Bale
    Christian Bale
    • Alfred Bordenas Alfred Borden
    Hugh Jackman
    Hugh Jackman
    • Robert Angieras Robert Angier
    Scarlett Johansson
    Scarlett Johansson
    • Olivia Wenscombeas Olivia Wenscombe
    Michael Caine
    Michael Caine
    • Cutteras Cutter
    Piper Perabo
    Piper Perabo
    • Julia McCulloughas Julia McCullough
    Rebecca Hall
    Rebecca Hall
    • Sarahas Sarah
    Samantha Mahurin
    Samantha Mahurin
    • Jessas Jess
    David Bowie
    David Bowie
    • Teslaas Tesla
    Andy Serkis
    Andy Serkis
    • Alleyas Alley
    Daniel Davis
    Daniel Davis
    • Judgeas Judge
    Jim Piddock
    Jim Piddock
    • Prosecutoras Prosecutor
    Christopher Neame
    Christopher Neame
    • Defenderas Defender
    Mark Ryan
    Mark Ryan
    • Captainas Captain
    Roger Rees
    Roger Rees
    • Owensas Owens
    Jamie Harris
    Jamie Harris
    • Sullen Warderas Sullen Warder
    Monty Stuart
    • Stagecoach Driveras Stagecoach Driver
    Ron Perkins
    Ron Perkins
    • Hotel Manageras Hotel Manager
    Ricky Jay
    Ricky Jay
    • Miltonas Milton
    • Director
      • Christopher Nolan
    • Writers
      • Jonathan Nolan(screenplay)
      • Christopher Nolan(screenplay)
      • Christopher Priest(novel)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Chung Ling Soo was a stage character created by William Ellsworth Robinson, a white man who disguised himself as a Chinese man to cash in on audiences' enthusiasm for the exotic. Robinson lived as Chung, never breaking character while in public. He died in March 1918, when a bullet-catch trick went wrong. "My God, I've been shot" were both his last words and the first English he had spoken on stage in nineteen years.
    • Goofs
      When Angier visits Tesla in February, it is obviously winter, with snow on the ground. Yet after a brief meeting they venture out to a balcony, where it is summer, with green foliage, and no breath visible.
    • Quotes

      Cutter: Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige"."

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Prestige/Flicka/Marie Antoinette/A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Drinkin' Down the Rose & Crown
      Composed by Keith Nichols

      Courtesy of APM

    User reviews1.6K

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A Nutshell Review: The Prestige
    I've said it before, but I'll say it again. Christopher Nolan can do no wrong. Teaming up again with his Batman Begins cast of Christian Bale and Michael Caine, and joined with the Scoop team consisting of X-Men's Wolverinie Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson, the stellar (eye candy) cast already set tongues wagging as to whether they'll be able to live up to the hype of Nolan's long awaited movie directly challenging the other picture about Victorian magicians, The Illusionist. The Prestige is the third act of any magic trick, with the first and second acts being the Pledge and the Turn. And this movie lives up to its namesake to a T. The way the movie plays out, it's like a huge magic trick, with the audience waiting to see how it unfolds, getting the suspicion on how it's done, but yet sitting through it thorough engaged to discover how everything will be revealed and resolved. It tells the story of how two magicians, fellow apprentices turned unfortunate rivals, plod down the slow path of jealous obsession, revenge, and the deliberate attempts to go at lengths to steal each other's ideas, to go one up against the other, a fight in romance, life and the long held passionate drive to discredit each other. There are perfect explanations of the value of secrets, and how secrets can sometimes be used as tools for deceit. What I thought was valuable in the movie was the reinforcement of the notion of how "magic" actually worked. Besides the better understanding of the common body of scientific knowledge, things like having pretty assistants to distract, and having planted staff amongst the audience, somehow made me a sceptic to tricks and illusions, and try harder to spot at which stage had things undergone a sleight of hand. More importantly, it introduced me to the notion and importance of a loyal engineer behind the scenes who designs elaborate contraptions solely for the magician's use, and how having disloyal staff can indeed be detrimental to any leaks of secrets. And Michael Caine took on this engineering role as Cutter, responsible for assisting Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) with loyalty and conviction that they could, as a team, beat Christian Bale's Alfred Borden. I thought the cast in general were superb, with Christian Bale leading the charge. Hugh Jackman too showed that he could play a dark character, as the two leads tackled their characters' theme of sacrifice, arrogance, and ultimately redemption, especially for Rupert Angier. I thought he did what he did towards the end was a kind of penance to what happened in the beginning, hoping to kill two birds with a single stone, to exact the sweetest revenge he could possibly muster. What also was intriguing about the two lead characters was that there is no right or wrong, no hero or villain. It's always a shade of grey in what they do, and for Alfred Borden, I felt it's more for survival and the provision for family, which is a strong subplot running through the film. I just have to mention though, that Scarlett Johansson being Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive, gets to play a flower vase role here as a magician's assistant, though her role as the pawn between the rivals added a little gravitas. The atmosphere was set up great, and so were the costumes and sets. The soundtrack was hauntingly mesmerizing, capturing the look and mood appropriately. Look out too for David Bowie's appearance as a Serbian scientist! I was floored by the deftness of how Nolan weaved and juxtaposed the non linear narrative so flawlessly. While the usual techniques is to use placeholders, or flashback sequences, colours etc, here, time is so fluid, but yet the audience will know precisely which era they're in, without being explicitly told, or working too much of the noodle. You just know, and it's just that feeling of being totally transparent with time. Even though the movie clocked in at slightly more than 2 hours, you don't feel its length at all. At the end of the movie, one quote popped into mind: Misdirection - what the eyes see and the ears hear, the mind believes. Quite apt to describe how things work out during the movie, or to describe in general, Nolan 's films so far. That added richness to lift the movie to a superior plane. Do yourself a favour, if there's one movie you absolutely must watch this week, then Prestige must be your natural choice. It's smart in delivery and slick in presentation. There is none other. P.S. Is it just me, or are notebooks a common feature in Nolan's movies?
    helpful•594
    184
    • DICK STEEL
    • Oct 20, 2006

    FAQ27

    • What is 'The Prestige' about?
    • Is "The Prestige" based on a book?
    • Who or what is the "Prestige"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 20, 2006 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ảo Thuật Gia Đấu Trí
    • Filming locations
      • Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Colorado, USA
    • Production companies
      • Touchstone Pictures
      • Warner Bros. Pictures Group
      • Newmarket Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $53,089,891
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $14,801,808
      • Oct 22, 2006
    • Gross worldwide
      • $109,676,311
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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