Nolan brothers make movies that respect the intelligence of the audience and even challenge the viewers to look beyond the ordinary. I watched 'The Prestige' last week and was thrilled to find that this movie was no exception.'The Prestige' revolves around the rivalry between two stage magicians during the early 20th century in London. The rivalry turns into obsession for an ultimate illusion and both men pay a heavy price in the bargain. The movie has wonderful twists and turns and will keep the viewer guessing. Even after a week, I am going back to the movie again and again as I recollect the hints the director left here and there.
The movie adopts a typical Nolan brother's non-linear style of story telling and goes back and forth. 'The Prestige' weaves reality in the story, by bringing in the character of Tesla and his legendary struggle with Edison, the rivalry between these two real life giants run parallel (at least for a while), to the rivalry of the reel magicians. (Tesla worked with Edison during his early years as a scientist, but split and worked against him after a bitter fight. Edison was a mean and manipulative scientist; they were fighting for the standardization of current, Edison for DC and Tesla for AC; their fights were legendary. The popularity of AC today proves who won the “current wars”:-))
The cast includes Hugh Jackman and, Christian Bale as Robert Angier and Alfred Borden - the obsessed magicians, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. It also stars Michael Caine as Cutter the stage engineer, who designs and manages the illusions from behind the scenes, Scarlett Johansson as the attractive stage assistant, at her seductive best, who falls in love with Borden. Although all the actors have given their best; watch out for Michale Caine as he weaves his magic yet again and proves that he is the master, even at the ripe age of 76.
Watch 'The Prestige' to appreciate the craft of story telling and for Caine's performance and "watch it closely".
Read Toto's review here
Nice review Krishna. That's the power of a good cinema - it'll make you to recollect the scenes, read about the movie and of course, share.
ReplyDeleteThanks, for this comment and also for the longtime inspiration.
ReplyDeleteKrishna,
ReplyDeleteI have blocked this DVD in the library. I should be able to watch this weekend. Will read it after watching the movie.
Thanks Venkat