'The Prestige': Narrative Analysis

 'The Prestige'

Mr Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are fellow magicians who become hostile rivals. Their rivalry is cleverly told through many people’s perspectives which reveals information to the spectator each time. We have different sections of the film told by a different character although the whole film isn’t done in someone’s perspective. The start we have John Cutter (Michael Caine) who is talking to a young girl about magic. This is continued at the end as what is happening in the scene is revealed slowly throughout the film’s events and the spectator is now aware of the circumstances at the start. This means that the film is in a non-chronological order as the ending is at the beginning yet it’s not obvious what is happening. At times it is chronological, but it does contain many flashbacks and retelling of events. We are also introduced to the Invisible Man act which is perhaps the peak of the two’s rivalry. Each time this trick is shown the spectator, as we gain more information and context, understands what is happening in a different way each time.  We also are given a perspective of Borden and Angier through their magician journals. Angier reads Borden’s journal and Borden reads Angier’s. This grants the spectator more information about the film, yet both give big twists in the film as both acts as if they are watching the other like we (the spectator) are. These also give the spectator the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the characters. In this film you constantly change your perspective on who you think the protagonist is and who is the antagonist. 

 

The Prestige’s characters aren’t conventional character types. Vladimir Propp was the narrative theorist who introduced the theory of character types. I find that some characters inhabit characteristics of the standard character types but have a Nolan twist on them. Such as the fact that the main two characters change character types in the eyes of the spectator. This is due to where we as the spectator are positioned. At times we are positioned to see Angier as the “hero” and Borden as the “villain” but then it switches so our perception on the characters change. This happens a lot during the film which causes the spectator to unsure of who’s side to be on. Cutter contained characteristics of the doner. At first, we think he is the doner to Angier but in the end, he actually is the doner to Borden and ends up helping Borden to return to his daughter at the end of the film. Olivia Wescombe (Scarlett Johansson) follows some of the characteristics of the princess as she is viewed as a prize by both characters yet rather than ending with marriage, she leaves with heart break. 

 

The film does seem as it is a magic trick itself. The film possesses a three-act structure (the classic Hollywood structure) and these three acts reflect a different part of a magic trick: The pledge, the turn and the prestige. The pledge is the setting up of the film that everything seems to be normal, the turn is the invisible man trick and also the beginning of the rivalry between the two magicians and the prestige is at the end as we find out how the magic tricks worked leaving the spectator with a close ended narrative due to most our questions being answered throughout the course of the film but we still have a few questions remaining. 

 

The opening of the film we see a large group of top hats somewhere outdoors. We then here “Are you watching closely?” This announces to the audience that the film is a magic trick itself and that one needs to watch closely to try and discover the trick in the film and predict what will happen. It could also be telling us for those watching it a second time to watch closely to see in a different light how the film works. 

 

 

I find the Prestige best fits the structure of Todorov. It isn’t completely conventional due to it being in a non-chronological order, but it does contain an equilibrium, a disruption, a quest, a conflict, and finally a new equilibrium when you place the film in a chronological order of events. The equilibrium is when we see Angier and Borden as friendly magicians who are yearning to make a name for themselves. The disruption is when Angier’s wife dies due to Borden potentially tying a different knot that she was unable to escape out of. This started the conflict between the two. The quest is the length both go to be better, for example, Angier traveling to meet Tesla and Borden trying to get his daughter back or at least somewhere safe. The Conflict is Angier being alive and taking Borden’s daughter to live with him. This is the lengths they went to, to prove they were the better magician. This means the new equilibrium is Angier gone and Borden reunited with his daughter but is now friends with Cutter again. The Prestige fits this structure well, but Christopher Nolan deconstructs the chronological order and constructs it, so it is told in a different way. This adds interest to the film and leaves the spectator at times unsure of what is happening and questioning what is going to happen next. It also gives the film a more interesting and complex narrative structure which makes the film unpredictable and a very enjoyable watch. 

 

The film also explores Strauss’ theory of binary opposites. It has a great emphasis on science vs magic. Science being represented through Tesla and Alley (and later Angier) and magic being Borden and Cutter (and Angier at the start). It shows both can coexist, but it also makes magic seem more impressive as we lack the understanding behind it as a spectator, but we are very familiar with science.  He also talks about narratives contain opposing main characters. In the Prestige’s case it defiantly does. Although not at first Angier and Borden are rivals and this continues throughout the film both try to outdo the other. These binary opposites thicken the plot and the narrative. They are similar but also very different. Due to Angier being unable to compete with Borden’s magic he must turn to science to achieve Borden’s trick. The two contrast one another but at the same time both have to same priority that comes above all else: magic.