The Prestige Page #3

Synopsis: In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor with tragic consequences.
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Director(s): Christopher Nolan
Production: Buena Vista Pictures
  Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 37 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.5
Metacritic:
66
Rotten Tomatoes:
75%
PG-13
Year:
2006
130 min
$53,100,000
Website
7,910 Views


- Oh, you know knots better than me?

Listen, no more mistakes.

All right. Yeah? Do you?

You want to take over?

- Just leave.

- I didn't think so.

Hey, Cutter, where's he from?

Where are you from? He shifts

props for Virgil at the hall.

- Worried he'll steal your tricks?

- Doesn't deal in methods.

- How do you know?

- Because I hired him

to find out how Virgil

does the orange trick.

- I don't trust him.

- He's a natural magician.

'Course you can't trust him.

I think he's all right.

- You think everyone's all right.

- Even you.

Watch your sightlines. If I can see you

kiss your wife's leg every night,

so can the blokes at the ends

of rows three and four!

You're wrong. It can't be.

- Look at the man.

- This is the trick.

This is the performance. Right here.

This is why no one

can detect his method.

Total devotion to his art.

A lot of self-sacrifice.

You know.

It's the only way to escape...

...all this, you know?

I can barely lift this thing

and it's not even filled with water.

Or fish, look.

I don't know. Hang on a second.

He must be strong as an ox.

He's been pretending

to be a cripple for years.

Any time he's in public,

any time he goes out. It's unthinkable.

Borden saw it at once.

But I couldn't fathom it.

Living my whole life

pretending to be someone else.

You are pretending.

I don't think changing a name compares.

Not your name. Who you are

and where you're from.

I promised I wouldn't embarrass

my family with my theatrical endeavors.

I thought of a name for you.

The Great Danton.

Do you like it? But it's sophisticated.

It's French.

Borden writes as if no one but

he understood the true nature of magic.

But what does he know of self-sacrifice?

You bloody fool.

- He killed it.

- It's OK.

- He killed it.

- He didn't.

Look, now he'll bring it back.

- No, he killed it.

- No, he didn't.

Look, see, he's all right. He's fine.

- Look at him.

- But where's his brother?

He's a sharp lad, your son.

Oh, he's my nephew.

Ah.

You're the lucky one today.

Are you watching closely?

Look closer.

Never show anyone.

They'll beg you

and flatter you for the secret,

but as soon as you give it up,

you'll be nothing to them.

You understand? Nothing.

The secret impresses no one.

The trick you use it for is everything.

Well, thank you for lunch, Mr. Borden.

You're welcome.

Alfred, it's Alfred.

Alfred.

So I could use a cup of tea.

I can't allow...

It's the landlord. It's not...

You think that's...

Is that enough to keep me out?

I think so.

So I'll see you again?

Milk and sugar?

What's in there?

Angier's machine.

You built this, Mr. Cutter?

Oh, no, sir. This wasn't

Rate this script:4.3 / 3 votes

Jonathan Nolan

Jonathan "Jonah" Nolan (born 1976) is a British-American screenwriter, television producer, director and author. He is the creator of the crime drama series Person of Interest. He has co-written several screenplays with his elder brother, filmmaker Christopher Nolan, including The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar, and his short story "Memento Mori" was the basis for Memento. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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