Film Analysis: The Prestige - Movie Review Example

Film Analysis: "The Prestige." Introduction The prestige is a drama film of the year 2006 that was directed by Christopher Nolan. It was mainly adopted from a screenplay by his brother Jonathan Nolan and him from Christopher Priests 1995 World Fantasy Award novel of the same year that worn. The story is about two magicians Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, who had some rivals between them in London in the 19th century. Because they were Obsessed with providing the best illusion on the stage, both the magicians engaged in a competition which resulted to tragic results. The British- American co- production presented Hugh Jackman to act as Robert Angier, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla and Christian Bale as Alfred Borden. It also stars Andy Serkis, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson. A co-production between Warner Bros. Pictures and Touchstone Pictures the release of the film was on October 20, 2006. The film received a strong box office, positive reviews and academic award nomination for the best Art Direction and the best Cinematography. Along with the scoop and illusionist, prestige was among one of the three films in the year 2006 to explore the world of stage magic. This work of the Prestige film analysis will follow the key scenes, character and setting analysis. The First Key Scene Is Opening Sequence Synopsis: The Prestige starts with shorts of some top hats strangely scattered in the woods. The three types of the magic trick were explained by Cutter while exhibiting for the little girl a trick of a disappearing bird. The pledge is the first part, where something ordinary is shown by the magician, like a bird. The turn is the second part, where the magician doses something that is extraordinary, like making the bird disappear. Prestige is the third act where the magician brings the bird that has disappeared back (Royle, 2003). This is the only point that will make the audience to applaud (Thomas, Nolan, Nolan, Priest, Jackman, Bale & Pictures, 2012). Robert Angier, who is seen as the great Danton, tries a transporting trick which involves walking under an electrical machine with a Tesla coil that and it is very big and through the Trap door he disappeared. However, he drops straight in to a big tank of water placed under the stage, and he is then locked inside automatically. A man in the audience, who is his fellow magician Alfred Borden known as the Professor forces himself under the stage at the right time to witness the drowning of Angier. Some of the used Technique included: Voice over which was majorly the explanation of how a magic works by Cutter Analysis: The explanation of the three parts of magic helps the audience to understand what they see on the screen. As Cutter explains, he is at the same time a trick of a birdcage to the little girl. At the same time, A Transported Man is performed by Angier. However, when Cutter trick for disappearing bird attains its desired effect, Angier does not as the Magician does not reappear but dies inside. This creates suspension as the audience become uncomfortable because the trick has gone wrong. Confusion is also created among the magicians as it is heard to believe that a professional magicians trick can go wrong. Furthermore, the audience will want to know what has gone wrong hence making them want to watch the remaining part of the film to find out what happened. The film is started by Nolan in the plots middle (In Medias Res) Analysis The starting of the film with the top hats in the center of a forest makes the audience be confused of where they are. The audience didnt find about until later when they realized that the hats that they saw in the middle of the forest were duplicates of Angiers hats. At this point, the audience has no idea of who the characters are. Referring to the trick, Borden is seen to creep backstage and informs the people at the stage that he is also involved in the action. At the moment, the audiences have no idea if Borden is involved or not. Camera shots Analysis: Establishing shots: Hats in the forest give the audience a clear picture of the number of hats and introduce the location that is strange to the audience. At the theater, the size of the audience and the grandness of the theater are captured. The large turn out of the audience shows how Angier is a magician that is well known. Close-up: Cutters bird, tell the audience that the bird will play a vital role when it comes to the demonstration of the magic trick. Angier in the tank close-up shows the audience Angiers face capturing the panic and fear he is undergoing. This creates both excitement and tension to the audience as they witness the horror of watching a dying man (Thomas, 2012). Furthermore, the shot of Bordens reaction, when Angier has been trapped in a tank, is used to capture how afraid and horrified Borden is. This makes the audience sympathize with Borden as he tries to save Angier from the tank of water. Borden has no chances of making it in time and close-up allows the audience to how fearful Borden is during this time. Tracking shot: It is utilized in this scene while Borden is having a look of Angiers equipment that was onstage. This makes the audience have a feeling that they are the once who have volunteered to check on the equipment. These have got the audience involved in the film (Thomas, 2012). Tension is also created as Borden is followed backstage making the audience feel that they are also involved in the investigation of the event that is occurring before them. The Second Key Scene Is The Bullet Catch. Synopsis: Borden performs a trick of a bullet catching for an audience that is rowdy; he handed a gun to a man who is identified to be Angier in the mask. Angier knowing the trick knowingly put his bullet into the gun and again attacks Borden about the knot he tied. When Borden answered that he still didnt know, Angier then shoots him blowing his left hands two fingers there for jeopardizing his career. Techniques: Sound Analysis: The scene starts with a crowd that is very noisy. This is an indication that the places were Borden is not a professional theater that is has been seen until now. There is a high chance that the magic performance is taking place in a pub. The booing of the crowd is an indication that Borden is holding the interest of the crowd (Thomas, 2012). The shout by some members of the crowd for Borden to get out his gun is an indication that Borden know for performing this kind of trick for some time and is all that the crowd wants. The audiences are made nervous with the chaotic noise as they have been told that the trick might go wrong. Tension is also created as the audiences are worried of the safety of Borden. When Borden produced a gun, the noise reduced. The noise then stopped when his volunteer took the stage, and the noise was replaced with anxious music. The music is discomforting and of high-pitched. This moves the attention of the musician from a rowdy crowd and focuses all the attention on the two magicians. The suspense is created by the silence when the audiences are focusing to witness what Angier is going to do next. Repetition of dialog Analysis: The word "which knot did you tie" is repeated many times in the film’s first half as Angier is determined to find out which knot Borden tied around the wrists of Julia at the night that she died. Repeating Angiers line of, which knot that he tied, shows the viewers the confusion he has undergone since the death of his wife (Thomas, 2012). The audience gets confused with Borden repeating the same answer that he did not know but the audience saw him tie the Langford double. However, the audience understands the reason Borden repeated the same words after they had realized he was a twin. The reason of him not knowing is because that night his other twin brother is the one who tied the knot (Thomas, 2012). Dialog repeating gives the film greater depth as everything is kept linked and connected. Furthermore, it helps the audience to piece bits of the puzzle together while at the same time helps the audience to feel the frustration of the character. Camera shots Analysis: Tracking shot: This camera shot is one of the shot is one of the shots that is used at the start of the scene. This makes the audience have a feeling that they are among the audience gat Bordens show. The camera seems to be handheld, and a few members of the crowd gets it knocked about. This helps to consolidate the current point of audience feeling as part of the members of the crowd. Mid- shot: The gun is produced and brandished by Borden and also when Borden is preparing the gun ready for a trick. The shot allows the audience to see how Borden is preparing for a trick. It is very different from what the audience will witness Angier do later. This shows that though Borden is not a great showman, he is very good when it comes to risk taking and performing tricks that are shocking. Close-up: The camera starts by focusing on the hand that is taking a bullet and placing it into a gun and secondly the camera pans up to provide a face close-up of the volunteers that turns out to be Angier. This close-up creates tension in the audience on identification that he is Angier and makes the audience wait and see if Borden is going to be killed. The close-up identifies Angier is wearing a mask making the audient understand how he managed to access the show. This short also shows how distressed Angier. Characterization – Angier Analysis: This is Angiers first revenge action. He was a good person who had a family and had an interest of impressing the audience to the villain. However, the audience pities him for losing everything but his action in this scene turns the audience against him. While the thing that started the plot is the death of Julia, its also certainly what takes the rivalry onto a level that is dangerous. Angier has been made a different man as he has been consumed with his grief which has pushed him to violence. The Third and Final Scene: Borden is visited by Lord Caldlow and the revelation that Angier is alive Synopsis: Lord Caldlow, the collector, is Angier. Anger refuses to go clear the name of Borden and wont even take his secret of Transported Man when, bribed insisting that his is better. Borden swore that when comes out he will get his revenge promising Jess that he will come for her. Technique: Camera shots Analysis: Taking shot: At the start of the scene, Jess is tracked by the shot as she runs in jail to see his father. The camera shot that is taken is from at the back of the bars to enable the audience to see the jail in Bordens perspective. Close-up: Several close-ups are used to revile the twist. As Borden stands to meet Caldlow, the audiences get a close-up of Bordens as he is surprised on realizing that Angier is the one standing before him. This shot makes the audience the confusion and how horrified Borden is. Mise-en-scene Analysis: Prison bar: In most of the shots in this scene, the bars in the prison are obscuring the view of the audience. This is mainly to remind the audience that Borden is ion jail. Characterisation - Angier Analysis: This scene shows how Angier has taken his rivalry to an end that is very deadly in an attempt to perform greatest trick this world has never seen. By deciding to take Jess, Angier things that he is replacing what he had lost. This is the final revenge action as Angier still blames Borden for the death of Julia. His obsession for magic has taken everything that he had felt for his wife (Joy, n.d). This is evidenced as he tells Borden that he has won. Conclusion This film has reviled the extent of what rivalry can reach. If a misunderstanding between two parties is not correctly resolved, it can contribute to one of the parties eliminating the other for him to be seen as the winner. This has been evidenced in the film of The Prestige. The rivalry has involved Borden and Angie climbing to greater levels to outdo the other. Instead of outdoing one another in terms of magic, it changed to eliminating the other. The rivalry has removed the goodness in Angie and replaced it with evil. References Joy, S. Looking for the Secret: Death and Desire in The Prestige. Royle, N. (2003). The uncanny. Manchester University Press. Thomas, E., Nolan, J., Nolan, C., Priest, C., Jackman, S. H., Bale, C., ... & Pictures, W. B. (2012). The Prestige (film). The Scarlett Johansson Handbook-Everything you need to know about Scarlett Johansson, 101. Read More