The Prestige - What is the significance of this film and its relationship to others?
The Prestige is an unusual movie because its plot directly ties into the film itself. There aren't many films that do this. The quote from Cutler, which is said even in the theatrical trailer, is: 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"."
All of the acts Cutler talks about that go along with magic tricks are the same with this film. At first, we are shown things that seem ordinary - magic tricks that we've seen before, the two men friendly to eachother - everything seems normal. Then we soon see that this isn't how the movie is going to be. The men start to turn on eachother and try to ruin eachothers' acts, and the magic tricks become more and more difficult and confusing. You start to think what you're guessing about the plot's ending isn't quite true. Then at the end, we find out what has really been going on, which is shocking. We see that the concept wasn't even that far-fetched, and there we were given several hints along the way. But like magic tricks, we chose to not really see what was going on. It is almost like the director is showing us what film should be - magical. Not with technology or CGI effects, but with the story.
There are many movies that are successful in tricking us until the end, but The Prestige is one that uses magic to show us that the movie is going to do the same thing. And we are still surprised at the ending. It shows us what movies can be capable of, and what they should do.
I agree that The Prestige is tied to film itself as a medium of expression and spectacle. I would even be comfortable saying that Nolan wanted this parallel between filmmaking and magic to be visibly represented through his work.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not agree with your idea of Nolan wanting to exclusively elevate the story as the magic. Instead, I would say that he wanted to elevate the entire process to the level of magic and mysticism people want to be fooled by. Take for example, the moment when Alfred (Bale) tells Sarah’s nephew that the secret impresses no one. I believe this secrecy ideology is significant in the creative realm/art world, which film is usually associated with because it is a means of expression. Which is why, for me at least, this film connects film to magician’s magic rather than warlocks and wizards because it shows people that it can be done.
Taking Robert and Alfred’s approaches to tricks you can tell Nolan believes in a full effort from the visionary. For instance, Alfred is constantly saying something along the lines of sticking to the trick and Cutler even tells Robert that he has to get his hands dirty sometimes. I would say this is an idea Nolan did want to highlight throughout the film, the idea of becoming a successful film creator, specifically a director, by sticking to your work and dedicating the time, effort and focus to make others believe in it.
In relation to other films, while the Prestige metaphorically reveals to its audiences the idea of tricks in films it does not reveal any of its own tricks. It reveals what we love about going to see a movie – the amazement. However, it does not degrade the medium to a cheap scam. Technically speaking, you can see the editing, mis-en-scene, lighting, etc., but Nolan doesn’t tell people how he did it, thus not revealing the secret. Narratively, while yes at the end you “get it”, he leaves questions unanswered and disguises the ones he gives in a call for attention because you had to make this film your primary activity to get it in its entirety. This call for attention is what makes The Prestige, not only significant to itself, but other films by bringing back the idea that audiences’ amazement is tied to their attention of the trick.
-KRE
I agree that The Prestige is tied to film itself as a medium of expression and spectacle. I would even be comfortable saying that Nolan wanted this parallel between filmmaking and magic to be visibly represented through his work.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not agree with your idea of Nolan wanting to exclusively elevate the story as the magic. Instead, I would say that he wanted to elevate the entire process to the level of magic and mysticism people want to be fooled by. Take for example, the moment when Alfred (Bale) tells Sarah’s nephew that the secret impresses no one. I believe this secrecy ideology is significant in the creative realm/art world, which film is usually associated with because it is a means of expression. Which is why, for me at least, this film connects film to magician’s magic rather than warlocks and wizards because it shows people that it can be done.
Taking Robert and Alfred’s approaches to tricks you can tell Nolan believes in a full effort from the visionary. For instance, Alfred is constantly saying something along the lines of sticking to the trick and Cutler even tells Robert that he has to get his hands dirty sometimes. I would say this is an idea Nolan did want to highlight throughout the film, the idea of becoming a successful film creator, specifically a director, by sticking to your work and dedicating the time, effort and focus to make others believe in it.
In relation to other films, while the Prestige metaphorically reveals to its audiences the idea of tricks in films it does not reveal any of its own tricks. It reveals what we love about going to see a movie – the amazement. However, it does not degrade the medium to a cheap scam. Technically speaking, you can see the editing, mis-en-scene, lighting, etc., but Nolan doesn’t tell people how he did it, thus not revealing the secret. Narratively, while yes at the end you “get it”, he leaves questions unanswered and disguises the ones he gives in a call for attention because you had to make this film your primary activity to get it in its entirety. This call for attention is what makes The Prestige, not only significant to itself, but other films by bringing back the idea that audiences’ amazement is tied to their attention of the trick.
-KRE