The Prestige (2006) on Netflix
PG-1320062h 10mDramaMysterySci-FiThriller
Robert Angier and Alfred Borden begin as assistants to an older magician, sharing a water tank escape act. When Julia, Angier's wife, drowns in the tank, the two become bitter rivals.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb8.5/101,626,541 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes77%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1890s London, Robert Angier, Alfred Borden and Angier's wife Julia work as assistants to the magician Milton, with Cutter building the apparatus for their tricks. Borden, from a rougher background, pushes for riskier acts, like a bullet catch, while Angier performs under an alias so his prominent family is not embarrassed. During their underwater escape, Julia drowns in the tank after Borden ties her wrists, and Angier cannot accept Borden's answer that he does not know which knot he used. The two go their separate ways: Borden marries Sarah and Angier performs as the Great Danton with his assistant Olivia Wenscombe. When Borden unveils the Transported Man, crossing the stage in an instant, Angier sets out to learn the secret.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Prestige (2006)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Nolan said Bowie was really the only guy he had in mind to play Tesla. Bowie initially turned the part down, so Nolan, a lifelong fan, flew to New York to pitch the role in person, telling him no one else could possibly play it; Bowie accepted after a few minutes.
- The Prestige contains what is technically the first IMAX 70 mm film camera shot used in a narrative feature: a visual effect shot of Christian Bale's duplicated character, filmed so Nolan could test the format before using it on The Dark Knight.
- Although Nolan had already cast Christian Bale as Batman in Batman Begins, he did not consider him for the role of Borden until Bale contacted him about the script; Nolan then believed Bale was "exactly right" and that it was "unthinkable" for anyone else to play it.
- Nolan built only one set for the film, the under-the-stage section that houses the machinery making the larger illusions work, preferring to dress various Los Angeles locations and sound stages to stand in for Colorado and Victorian England.
- Rivalries like the film's happened for real: the magicians John Nevil Maskelyne and Harry Kellar had a dispute over a levitation illusion.
