The Prestige

[TrooperFarva]

I just saw this movie for the first time a few days ago. Awesome movie. Very original, very entertaining.

I do have a few questions for those who have seen it. These questions, and their answers, will spoil the movie if you haven't seen it, so if you don't want to know, turn back.









Was Christian Bales double so concerned with the Prestige of their trick, their lives, that he just blindly followed through with his own execution, to maintain the illusion?

Christian Bales character told Hugh Jackmans character that the key to his trick was Tesla. For Jackmans trick, he ended up making a copy of himself each time the trick was performed, using Teslas device, whereas Bales character only had 1 double, and they would alternate. Was Bales double someone he found, like Jackmans first double, and he only mentioned Tesla to throw off Jackman, or was his double created by Tesla, in a similar machine?


And man, when Bale put the chisel to his doubles fingers, I cringed. That's gotta be some serious pain. It's fictional and all, but still. Damn.

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

I just saw this movie for the first time a few days ago. Awesome movie. Very original, very entertaining.

I do have a few questions for those who have seen it. These questions, and their answers, will spoil the movie if you haven't seen it, so if you don't want to know, turn back.









Was Christian Bales double so concerned with the Prestige of their trick, their lives, that he just blindly followed through with his own execution, to maintain the illusion?

He is an illusionist, not a magician, there was no way he could get out of jail

Christian Bales character told Hugh Jackmans character that the key to his trick was Tesla. For Jackmans trick, he ended up making a copy of himself each time the trick was performed, using Teslas device, whereas Bales character only had 1 double, and they would alternate. Was Bales double someone he found, like Jackmans first double, and he only mentioned Tesla to throw off Jackman, or was his double created by Tesla, in a similar machine?

His double was someone he found, if he was a copy he would have always "loved his wife". They were that good at the double thing that no one could tell the difference, even his wife, except she could tell something was different. Thus the double wasn't a copy. He mentioned Tesla to throw Jackman off.

And man, when Bale put the chisel to his doubles fingers, I cringed. That's gotta be some serious pain. It's fictional and all, but still. Damn.

Makes me cringe as well.

lowsound

[ADbassman]

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Christian Bales character told Hugh Jackmans character that the key to his trick was Tesla. For Jackmans trick, he ended up making a copy of himself each time the trick was performed, using Teslas device, whereas Bales character only had 1 double, and they would alternate. Was Bales double someone he found, like Jackmans first double, and he only mentioned Tesla to throw off Jackman, or was his double created by Tesla, in a similar machine?

I think Christian Bales double was supposed to be a biological twin.

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by ADbassman

I think Christian Bales double was supposed to be a biological twin.

Correctamundo.

[TrooperFarva]

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

He is an illusionist, not a magician, there was no way he could get out of jail

I'm not saying he could have escaped, I'm saying more along the lines of when Fallon showed up, Bale rips his makeup off, and points out that it was Fallon, and not him.

Originally Posted by ADbassman

I think Christian Bales double was supposed to be a biological twin.

Really? Did they mention that?

[DigMe]

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Really? Did they mention that?

It's been a while but I think it was insinuated in some way. Can't remember.

I liked The Illusionist moreso than The Prestige of the two period magician movies that came out around the same time.

bc

[mjolnir]

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

I'm not saying he could have escaped, I'm saying more along the lines of when Fallon showed up, Bale rips his makeup off, and points out that it was Fallon, and not him.



Really? Did they mention that?

I don't think they did mention it directly, but it was certainly implied.

And I think you're mistaking Fallon (who was in fact the double) with Hugh Jackman's character. If not, I'd hardly imagine one twin ratting out another for a chance to escape.

[MakiSupaStar]

I thought they kind of teased the idea that Christian Bale's character might have been a double himself. It's been awhile since I saw that movie but I do remember thinking that.

[TrooperFarva]

Originally Posted by mjolnir

I don't think they did mention it directly, but it was certainly implied.

And I think you're mistaking Fallon (who was in fact the double) with Hugh Jackman's character. If not, I'd hardly imagine one twin ratting out another for a chance to escape.

Bale saw his daughter twice while he was in prison, one time, Fallon brought her, the other time, Hugh Jackman brought her.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Was Christian Bales double so concerned with the Prestige of their trick, their lives, that he just blindly followed through with his own execution, to maintain the illusion?

In short, yes. Though I wouldn't say he was "blindly" following through so much as "resolvedly" following through. He's accepted that this is his fate.

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

Was Bales double someone he found, like Jackmans first double, and he only mentioned Tesla to throw off Jackman, or was his double created by Tesla, in a similar machine?

I too inferred that Bales' double was his biological twin. I just saw the movie a week ago...not saying this means I'm right, just that whatever it was that gave me that impression is still a pretty fresh memory.


What I don't understand is why Bales gave Jackman the clue about Tesla at all. Or was it purely coincidence that Tesla, who fascinated both Bales & Jackman, just happened to offer something that could have helped either of the illusionists if they chose to partake?

[mjolnir]

My guess is coincidence. Bale always had the mechanism in place to pull off the Transported Man, he had no need to search a different one out. Tesla himself even said near the end of the movie Bale never came to him.

By the by, David Bowie didn't do half bad in that role IMHO.

[Dan1099]

Definately twins. There wasn't one "real" Bale and one "Fake" one.... they lived their whole lives as one person. Fallon wasn't a double, he was whichever twin wasn't playing the magician at the time.

The "hint" about Tesla was to throw Jackman off so badly that he traveled to America and wasted a ton of money to get at the secret. However, Bale didn't count on Tesla ACTUALLY being able to build such a machine.

[Phat Ham]

Originally Posted by Hoover

What I don't understand is why Bales gave Jackman the clue about Tesla at all. Or was it purely coincidence that Tesla, who fascinated both Bales & Jackman, just happened to offer something that could have helped either of the illusionists if they chose to partake?

Probably just to throw Angier (Jackman) off. Borden (Bale) knew his trick was deceptively simple, and wanted to make Angier think it was some elaborate, complicated trick. It was Borden's "misdirection", just like most magic tricks have some sort of misdirection to take attention away from what's really going on.

I really liked this movie. When it was revealed that Borden had a twin I thought, "dang, why didn't I think of that?" Brilliantly simple.

[disenchant]

Originally Posted by Dan1099

Definately twins. There wasn't one "real" Bale and one "Fake" one.... they lived their whole lives as one person. Fallon wasn't a double, he was whichever twin wasn't playing the magician at the time.

Part of the movie ending was how the twins sacrificed so much to live their life as one person for the sake of a magic trick.

[Dan1099]

Originally Posted by disenchant

Part of the movie ending was how the twins sacrificed so much to live their life as one person for the sake of a magic trick.

+1. They lived in the same house, carried on the same relationship with all of their familiars, had to update eachother on the goings-on CONSTANTLY. Trouble was, they weren't the same people, and they were in love with different women.