The Prestige (2006)
87%RT Audience Score: 92%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
6 wins & 45 nominations total
Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is a dazzling period piece that never stops challenging the audience
The Prestige is like a magic trick that keeps you guessing until the very end. It’s a movie that’s both atmospheric and obsessive, with a non-linear structure that might leave you scratching your head at first. But once you figure out the story-within-a-story-within-a-story, the payoff is well worth it. And just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, the movie throws in some exquisite diversionary tactics that will leave you confounded and delighted at the same time. It’s a small film that feels big, a period drama that looks modern, and a work of creative obsession that will leave you spellbound.
Production Company(ies)
Producers Sales Organization R S L Entertainment, Moviecorp V III
Distributor
Buena Vista
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images
Year of Release
2006
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2006 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 13, 2007
Genre(s)
Drama/Fantasy
Keyword(s)
starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, directed by Christopher Nolan, written by Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, drama, fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Roger Ebert, Brian Tallerico, Graham Fuller, Bob Mondello, Joshua Rothkopf, Dan Jolin, MPAA rating PG-13, produced by Christopher Nolan, Aaron Ryder, Emma Thomas, magician, illusion, rivalry, revenge, obsession, period piece, twists and turns, challenging, dazzling, dark, disturbing, violent, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $109,676,311
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $53,089,891
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Christian Bale – Alfred Borden
Michael Caine – Cutter
Scarlett Johansson – Olivia
Piper Perabo – Julia
Rebecca Hall – Sarah Borden
Director(s)
Christopher Nolan
Writer(s)
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Producer(s)
Christopher Nolan, Aaron Ryder, Emma Thomas
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
6 wins & 45 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (202) | Top Critics (56) | Fresh (153) | Rotten (49)
Although the film’s stunning reveals make the audience realise it has been duped… there is a protagonist to empathise with each time.
November 2, 2018
Graham Fuller
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
The film is never less than engaging, though considering that the title The Prestige refers to the moment in a magic act that gives it its “wow” factor, it’s kind of a shame that the ultimate “reveal” in the movie is a little too tricky for its own good.
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello
NPR.org
TOP CRITIC
It’s quite a movie — atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic.
September 7, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
An example of old-fashioned storytelling, the kind of magical movie that could have been made fifty years ago and, consequently, will still be watched fifty years from now.
March 24, 2007
Brian Tallerico
UGO
TOP CRITIC
The who’s-bilking-whom mind games make for compelling fun, but once the presto moment of The Prestige is revealed, you’re left with nothing but shattered illusions.
February 3, 2007 | Rating: 3/6
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Odd, but brilliantly so. It’s a small film that feels big, a period drama that looks modern, defying comparison to anything but Nolan himself.
December 30, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Dan Jolin
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Some may struggle with its story-within-a-story-within-a- story and non-linear structure, but the payoff is well worth the head-scratching.
August 16, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
Just when viewers think they’ve figured things out, that’s when the exquisite diversionary tactics really kick in.
November 21, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
A leap back to his stellar Memento form, Christopher Nolan’s fifth feature is an incisive work about the nature of creative obsession. The film bursts forth fully formed, richly detailed, and with a keen eye toward Nolan’s usual brushstrokes
September 1, 2020
Siddhant Adlakha
IGN Movies
The Prestige’s magic is real. You just have to be looking for it.
July 2, 2020
Drew Dietsch
Giant Freakin Robot
The Prestige does not impress as a magic act. It is an elaborate contraption that leaves the viewer confounded and confused, but never feeling particularly entertained or delighted by the performance.
February 28, 2020
Kathi Maio
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
The Prestige does require a slight leap of faith, but the journey is so entertaining, it is a leap well worth taking.
November 20, 2019
Micheal Compton
Bowling Green Daily News…
Plot
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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about The Prestige.
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