The Prestige
starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis and David Bowie
screenplay by Jonathon Nolan and Christopher Nolan
directed by Christopher Nolan
I was hoping The Prestige would be a Harry Houdini story when I rented it, but it wasn’t. Based on the novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige is the story of two competing magicians in 20th century turn of the century London. Each magician wants the secrets of the other’s illusions and go to insane lengths, starting with simple sabotage of the other’s act to murder. It’s a progressive obsession with both of them, getting more severe and dangerous as the years pass.
Once again, here is Christian Bale, that little boy from Empire of the Sun. (I keep saying that with every Christian Bale movie that I write about.) I think greatly of Michael Caine, and a note about David Bowie: when I saw him (as Austro-Hungarian born American inventor Nikola Tesla [1856-1943]) I did not at first recognize him. I saw his name in the credits then had to go back and take a good look at his face and listen carefully to his voice. Bowie has appeared in many films now, and just like his rock music stage persona, his film roles are very chameleon-like. I mean, he is always changing and never the same twice, which is how he wants it, but one can grow tired of the effort needed to recognize a person.