The Prestige .... ending discussion

[DaysFanJean]

I watched The Prestige this weekend and found it intriguing and exceptionally confusing, especially the ending. I got lost at the part where the Michael Caine character and Angiers (Hugh Jackman) were moving "the box" in the underground tunnel as the hanging of Borden (Christian Bale) was acted out. Then Michael Caine left and someone came into the tunnel and shot Angiers. He told him a tale about how he and Borden worked out the prestige and I gather that he was the prestige, but I lost it when he told about the affair was his and the wife was Borden's in their swapping out. How confusing was that and I need someone whose brain isn't fuzzy to help me see this clearer LOL. And, how did Borden escape death from hanging or did he?

Any views will be wonderful. Thanks.

[mateo22]

oh, i so love this movie. I just recently saw it as well. Borden had a real twin the whole time, he was really 'living his act', like when both Angiers and Bordon saw that Chinese magician at the beginning, where he was holding the fishbowl between his legs, but made it look like he was crippled.

Angiers was using that machine to create doubles of himself, while Bordon had a real twin from the start. They swapped in and out of that disguise and at the end, it was one of the brothers that came in and shot Angiers, while his brother was being hung.

Hope that helps....

ETA: I've seen it three times, now, LoL, I thought it was waayy better than The Illusionist, but that's JMO.

[DaysFanJean]

Thanks

Well, phooey. I guess Angiers died or did he still have doubles out there and was the father of the little girl the one who actually hung. I was hoping that when the trapdoor dropped at the hanging, there would be some apparatus to whisk Borden away.

I saw the Illusionist, too, and the ending was very clear LOL and left a happy feeling instead of conflicted, confused one.

Do you know anything about Teslar? I was hoping for a more accurate storyline concerning him.

It was a good movie and I'll most likely rent it again to catch things that passed by me the first time.

[mateo22]

Whew, ok, let's try this again, I had my whole reply typed out and then hit the back button by mistake and ack!...lost it all...lol

Angiers dies at the end, the 'real' one, and I don't think that there were any more doubles out there. Right before he gets shot, Angiers tells the Borden brother that he always worried when he peformed the teleportation trick because he was never sure who, him or his double, was going to drop into the water.

I'm pretty sure that the Borden that survived is the brother and he came and took his niece, but I guess that's just part of the mystery of any good magic trick.

With the Illusionist, I just thought it was too predictable and there wasn't enough magic in it for me, lol. I was disappointed too, cuz I love Edward Norton.

And with Telsa, all I knew going into the movie was that some consider him to be the 'inventor of the 20th cent'. Definitely an interesting man and I think Bowie was a great choice to play that role.

[Days4Life]

Angiers had one more double remaining--or maybe it was really him. I saw it last fall and my memory is a little fuzzy, but at the very end it shows one of the glass cases, with Angiers (or his double) standing in it. A couple people I saw this with didn't notice because they thought the movie was over and weren't paying attention--it was a very dark scene, too.

I loved this movie, but you had to pay very close attention to every scene to understand what was going on.

[proteus]

You think one of Hugh Jackmans double's lived? When? I saw it last fall too. I didn't see another one after he was shot.

[Days4Life]

The surviving Borden twin shot Algiers and walked away. There was a voiceover by Michael Caine where he was talking about the "prestige"--the final reveal at the end of the trick or illusion. Right after that the camera pans and you see what appeared to be a clear box with Hugh Jackman in it. We don't know if it was really Algiers or one of the duplicates. It's the last shot of the movie, and it's very dark and shadowy and hard to see. I saw the movie with four other people, and three of us saw it and the other two didn't know what we were talking about. I think the problem is that when Michael Caine quits talking, it seems the movie is over and people quit paying attention.

[mateo22]

That was one of the dead doubles. Angiers had been keeping them all down there in that basement, or whatever it was. There was two rows of them, all Angier doubles, dead in the water box, after being trapped in there after the teleportation trick. That's why Angiers only wanted to do 100 shows with that trick. He never knew if it was going to be him or the newly created double that fell into the tank, got trapped, and died.

[Days4Life]

Really? I knew the doubles were dead in the box after the trick but didn't realize they were all there in the basement. I loved this movie but it really was confusing at times. I figured out the twin thing early, so after that I tried to watch each scene closely but apparently I didn't watch close enough! I have The Illusionist from Netflix right now and hope it's not quite so headache-inducing.

[mateo22]

Yup, yup, the end, the part you were talking about, the director pans out and we two rows of those water tanks full of dead Angiers doubles and the lines of them disappear into the backround. Pretty crazy and dark, I love it, lol

And ya, I wasn't impressed with The Illusionist, but it was a lot less confusing. I really like Christopher Nolan, the director for The Prestige, as well as Memento, Batman Begins, Mimic and such. He likes to do movies on a non-linear basis where you really have to pay attention to everything. I thought that style of directing went perfectly with this kind of movie, The Prestige. Just like a magic trick.

[Days4Life]

Thanks for the clarification on the ending. I like movies where you actually have to pay attention and think a little bit. I recommended The Prestige to several people, and I always told them not to drink much during the movie because there was absolutely no time that they could go to the bathroom and not miss something important! And I loved Memento; didn't realize it was the same director.

[Days4Life]

Thanks for the clarification on the ending. I like movies where you actually have to pay attention and think a little bit. I recommended The Prestige to several people, and I always told them not to drink much during the movie because there was absolutely no time that they could go to the bathroom and not miss something important! And I loved Memento; didn't realize it was the same director.

[mateo22]

No problem,

And ya, the first time my friend and I tried to watch The Prestige, we were both drinking(alcohol) and that wasn't a good idea, we both kept talking and not paying attention to detail. But, alas, we finally watched it, and obviously, loved it. I too have recommeded it to several people.

Memento was uber crazy! I have the dvd and it's a game just to get to where you actually play the movie,

[DaysFanJean]

OK, now I'm definitely going to rent the DVD again and watch it another time or two. The dead doubles completely went by me and the concept actually didn't even occur to me. I thought there was one real person (a drunk) who was trained to resemble Algiers and never knew who Borden used as his prestige....sigh. The movie sounds darker than I ever thought it was....but it was so good.

[mateo22]

^^^LoL, Jean, definitely check it out again, it's so worth it.

and btw, I FLOVE your avatar and siggy....great stuff~!