The Prestige Page #2

- Can you get me a meeting with him?

- Impossible, I'm afraid.

I've brought a lot of money.

I'm sorry, Mr. Angier.

I simply can't help.

I'll be staying

at the hotel, indefinitely.

Hey, what am I holding?

Your watch.

Borden's journal

entry for April 3, 1897,

describes a show

at the Orpheum Theater.

That was just days

after he first met me.

We were two young men

at the start of a great career,

two young men devoted to an illusion,

two young men who never

intended to hurt anyone.

Which of you brave souls

is willing to bind

this lovely young woman?

Me!

If you would tie her wrists,

bind her feet...

...around the ankle.

Are either of you two gentlemen sailors?

- No.

- No.

I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot.

He's complacent,

he's predictable, he's boring.

Milton has gotten success,

whatever that means,

so now he's scared.

He won't take any risks at all.

He's squandering the goodwill

of his audience with tired,

- second-rate tricks...

- They're all favorites.

Give me something fresh.

He won't even try a bloody bullet catch.

A bullet catch is suicide.

All it takes is some smartass

volunteer to put a button in the barrel.

- Use a plant.

- You can't for every trick.

No seats left for the punters.

All right, no bullet catch, whatever,

but the point is a real magician

tries to invent something new

that other magicians will

scratch their heads over.

Then you sell it to him

for a small fortune.

- What?

- I suppose you have such a trick?

- I sure do.

- Would you care to sell it to me?

No. No one else can do my trick.

- Any trick can be duplicated.

- Wrong.

If Mr. Borden has invented

his masterpiece,

he's prepared to do it.

Milton is a showman,

but Borden is right,

he won't get his hands dirty.

If you want to see what

it takes to make real magic,

go to the Tenley. There's a Chinaman

there and he really has what it takes.

- Chung Ling Soo.

- I can't afford that.

I know the bloke run the door.

You two go and see that show, and

whichever one of you can tell me

how he does the goldfish bowl

trick gets the prize.

- Which is?

- Ten minutes onstage

with my old friend, Mr. Ackerman.

- Really?

- Who's Ackerman?

The top theatrical agent in London.

- I saw you drop the knot again.

- I turned my wrists.

Some nights you

just don't get it, do you?

I mean, if that knot slips

and Julia's on the hoist,

she'll break her leg.

It's the wrong knot.

Like I said, the Langford

double will hold tighter.

The Langford double isn't

a wet knot. It's too dangerous.

If the rope swells, she can't slip it.

- I can slip a Langford underwater.

- We can practice.

- Borden, he said no.

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