The Prestige: Nolan's Best Film?

Christopher Nolan has been gracing our screens for over 24 years since his film Following (1998) and his big-screen debut in 2000 with Memento.

Christopher Nolan's Filmography as of 2021.

There are many films that will no doubt jump out at you from the above image. 2008's The Dark Knight where Heath Ledger delivers a transcendent performance in what would be his final gift to this world before his sad passing in the same year. You may also notice a film like Inception (2010) where the world of dreams come to life. Or perhaps you're a history buff that was enthralled by the cinematic experience that was Dunkirk (2017). Even his latest film Tenet (2020) with John-David Washington and Robert Pattinson that probably took you on one hell of a temporal ride. Let me for a moment draw your attention to a film that doesn't get the attention it truly deserves... 2006's The Prestige.

Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman in The Prestige.

A quote from the film goes "Most of us want to be fooled." which describes exactly why magic tricks and amusements of this form still in many ways remain prevalent throughout today's society. The film explores this in detail but not too much in its story. It explores it instead, through its editing. The editing is so perfectly intentional from the voice-overs that fit but at the same time sound chastened with the experience of being in that same situation. In other ways, is a type of Nolan trope that he continues to use in his films today is to repeat his scenes over and over to create a non-linear yet consistent line of narrative structure in a film.

Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale behind-the-scenes of The Prestige.

The Prestige is a film that centres around two magicians chasing a point of perfection in their magic. A magic trick that can't be beaten. Something truly beyond basic parlour tricks with birds in cages.

Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson in The Prestige.

It isn't always the case that a film when constructed is made in the same narrative as the films final product. What I mean by that is, war films are chaotic and destructive on screen, but the concept is often well thought out and meticulously planned. Take 1917 for example. The film was sold as a "one-shot film" and the people who worked on the film often bring up the long and arduous process of preparing the various sequences and moments.

Behind-The-Scenes of 1917.

The Prestige, however, right from the off is trying to misdirect the audience. This is one of the most essential fundamentals of magic. Misdirection is the key. A director in many ways achieves a form of mastery when he/she is able to truly command the audience's attention. In this film, Nolan reaches his pinnacle in that aspect. Films like Interstellar (2014) are so vast in scale and thought that when focusing on the humanity of its characters brings back the feeling that this is a film about humanity and our relationship with space. But in The Prestige, we are taken through the film from the perspective of the characters. We are just as confused as they are. We think we know what's happening, but we don't. When they get fooled, we get fooled. In stark contrast to the characters in Tenet (2020) who all know more than they let on, which in many ways is the most experimental Nolan has ever gone in my opinion.

The pure scale of Interstellar (2014).

The thing that The Prestige does that no other Nolan film does is that not only are you take through the perspective of the characters, but each perspective is tailored to the way THEY see the world. You'll notice subtle differences in the presentation of their perspectives, the little things that change through the colour and most of all the editing of this film. The Prestige is in my opinion, Nolan's best for the simple reason that it is multiple character studies in a single film that for all intents and purposes misdirects the traits of those characters throughout the film up until its penultimate moment.

Christian Bale in The Prestige.

All-in-all Christopher Nolan is and always will be one of my favourite directors of all time. His work in developing concepts revolving around time and space as well as his affinity for non-linear storytelling truly make him a master of the art of the moving image.

Thanks for reading! I hope this blog entry may have given you some perspective on visual storytelling and the work of the great Christopher Nolan. Cheers!