"The Prestige": A masterpiece that questions Christopher Nolan's true "achievement"

The confrontational composition brings to mind the image of Nolan's beloved masterpiece.

The story is set in Victorian London, England, at the end of the 19th century. The protagonists, Anger and Borden, are rival magicians who have both captured the hearts of the masses. Their deep-rooted animosity dates back to their apprenticeship, when Anger's wife, who was working as his assistant, died in a failed underwater escape trick. Borden was the one who tied her arms with Rope for the trick, so Anger holds a grudge against him and vows to get revenge. After going out on his own as a magician, Anger causes Borden's trick to fail, causing Borden to suffer serious injuries, losing two fingers. Not to be outdone, Borden exposes Anger's trick and humiliates him on stage. Their rivalry is compounded by hatred, and their battle becomes more intense.

The original work is the novel " The Magician " published by Christopher Priest in 1995. Nolan, who fell in love with the novel, asked his brother Jonathan to write the screenplay with the intention of adapting it into a movie. However, Sam Mendes, who won an Academy Award for " American Beauty " (1999), was also eager to adapt this novel into a movie. Fortunately for Nolan, Priest had been a big fan of Priest's breakthrough work " Memento " (2000). Thus, the project was left in Nolan's hands.

"The Prestige" (c)Photofest / Getty Images

Hugh Jackman plays the star magician Angier. With his extensive Broadway experience, he has a strong stage presence, so Nolan was keen for him to play the role. Meanwhile, Christian Bale plays Borden, who sacrifices A Very Private Affair for magic. This is his second leading role in a Nolan film, following " Batman Begins " (2005), and his shadowy personality fits the mysterious image of Borden perfectly, and Nolan liked the contrast between the personalities of these actors.

One of the works that had a major influence on Nolan is director Michael Mann's " Heat " (1995). In films such as " Insomnia " (2002) and "The Dark Knight," Nolan has depicted male rivalry that is sometimes intense and sometimes complementary, and this film also makes use of the style of " Heat ."

A competition between unique and eccentric magicians