Are You Watching Closely?

Alan SuDaniel LeeDarren Chu

Min ParkSam Kim

Is it a Good Story? It has a unified plot because everything is

explained fully when the change of knowledge occurs

We learn why Angier was drowning in the beginning, and how Borden performed his trick at the end

Credible/PlausibleIf you assume everything can happen

then it is a plausible storyThe story can even be explained if

the cloning machine is fakeLeading a double life with a twin is

plausible, because Borden and Fallon were dedicated to their act no matter what

Externally Observable TruthsNot all married couples live happily,

as shown with Borden/Fallon and Sarah

Competition can turn deadly from obsession, as shown with the execution of Fallon, and Angier’s murder and clones

Affairs are never successful as shown with Olivia and Borden/Fallon

Sacrifice leads to alienation as shown when Cutter becomes disgusted by Angier due to his trick

Internal Truths of Human Nature

People should live honest lives and be truthful to each other

In The Prestige, Borden is not truthful to Sarah, which leads to her suicide

People should be able to forgive each other

Angier is unable to forgive Borden for his wife’s death, leading to the rivalry

Artistic Semblance or TruthIf Borden/Fallon didn’t switch the

knots, they would have remained friends with a healthy rivalry, instead of the obsession they pursue

If Root had not gone bad, Angier would probably have put Borden/Fallon out of business

It is possible that the clone machine didn’t work

Tesla and Alley could have planted the hats and cat in the same location to make Angier think the machine worked

Tesla may have taken advantage of Edison’s men burning his lab to escape Angier after conning him

Angier would have performed the act with another double

The bodies in the tanks were dummies

When Fallon came backstage, he put his double in the tank, letting him drown

Interesting-Suspenseful/Action

Suspense in the film is created by the audiences limited knowledge

The audience believe they know what will happen because they have seen flashbacks and flash forwards

Suspense is also created because the audience is not sure how something will happen even though they are given many clues

In the end the final plot twist occurs

ComplexThe movie is shown in a series of

flashbacks and flash forwards with shifting points of view, so it can become difficult to follow the film

One way to tell when the point of view shifts is when a character begins narrating

The flashbacks and flash forwards usually occur when the scene abruptly changes with a smooth transition

Handles Emotional Material with Restraint

When Angier’s wife dies, we see Angier drowning himself to experience his wife’s last moments

When Sarah commits suicide, the angle of the shot makes her face difficult to see

The large space around her creates a sense of despair

Her head faces downwards, making her face difficult to see and creating a sense of emptiness

Intent/MessageThe message in The Prestige is that

hard work requires dedication and sacrifice

Borden and Fallon realize the sacrifices they must make, such as sharing the same life are important for their career

This is also shown through the symbol of the caged birds and how one of two birds must be sacrificed for the act to be successful

Angier sacrifices his clones in order to make his own act successful

Another message is that obsession can become a destructive trait

Cutter tells Angier that “Obsession is a young man’s game,” warning him that his obsession will only lead to misery

Angier’s obsession leads to a change in his character, causing him to become willing to kill even his own clones to get his revenge on Borden

Resulting from his obsession are the deaths of Fallon, his clones, and the loss of Cutter’s support

Theme Nothing good can come out of an extreme

obsession. We see this theme being stated by Tesla

when he discusses the creation of the machine with Angier

This is again stated by Olivia when she claims that he is obsessed

This is proven with the death of Angier who obsessed over having revenge on Borden

Fallon was executed due to his obsession with finding out Angier’s trick

MoralityThe moral theme is that stealing

another man’s work will not bring a sense of fulfillment

This is shown when Angier displays his dissatisfaction of not being able to see his audience or applause because he is the “man in the box”

Human NatureThe theme for human nature is that

humans will go through incredible lengths to exact revenge

This is shown by Angier’s travels and methods of sabotage

His sacrifice of his clones shows that he is not afraid to kill for his goals

Complexity of Human Relationships

Infidelity and secrets will lead to unhappy relationships

This is shown with Borden, Fallon, Olivia, and Sarah

Olivia seems to know that there is something strange about Borden, and implicitly knows that either Borden is two people or has two personalities

The relationship with Olivia puts a strain on Sarah’s marriage, leading to her suicide

A Moral or Philosophical Riddle-Symbolism

Cutter’s speech in the beginning and the end is a very good example

“Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled”

This explains how we want to be entertained, and that finding the secret will ruin the surprise

Symbolism Birds in cages symbolize Borden and Fallon They live a double life, so they are forced

to limit themselves socially For the disappearing bird act to be

accomplished, one bird must die Fallon is executed while Borden lives,

fooling Angier and Cutter

The shattered water tank symbolizes a shattered friendship

Angier’s wife died in the water tank because Borden/Fallon switched the knot

After her death, the rivalry between Angier and Borden begins

Subplot The rivalry between Nikola Tesla and

Thomas Edison mirrors that of Angier and Borden

During the scientific exposition, Alley tells the crowd that the dangers are just part of Edison’s smear campaign

Edison’s men can be seen in Colorado Springs looking for Tesla who eventually find and destroy his lab

TitleThe movie is called The Prestige,

because throughout the movie the audience tries to figure out the trick behind the movie as they are shown bits and pieces of the plot in different orders and point of views

The whole movie mirrors a magic act, with the final plot twist being the prestige

Story/Plot/Narrative The plot is not given to us chronologically,

but through the point-of-views of Angier and Borden as they read each others diaries

Both narrators are unreliable, since they are recounting only what is in the diary, which could be telling lies

Certain scenes in the movie are repeated as the audience goes through a change in knowledge, realizing what has really happened

For example, Olivia goes to Borden in one scene at Angier’s request

In a later part of the movie, the scene is replayed, except this time we see what happens next, which is when she reveals she doesn’t want to work for Angier

Another change in knowledge that contributes to the climax is Borden’s revealing to Angier that he and Fallon were twins

Another change in knowledge is when Caldlow is revealed to be Angier

The film begins with Borden’s quote “Are you watching closely”

Next we hear Cutter’s narration while the scene of Angier drowning plays

Borden is put on trial for his murder, and he begins reading the diary of Angier

It shows how their rivalry began after the death of Olivia, which is blamed on Borden for switching the knots

They begin to sabotage each others acts, and Angier steals the Transported Man, calling it his “The New Transported Man”

After Root ruins the act along with interference from Borden, Angier kidnaps Fallon to find out Borden’s method

After confronting him, Angier leaves for America to find out the secret

Meanwhile, Olivia’s affair with Borden puts a strain on his marriage, and Sarah eventually commits suicide

In Colorado, Tesla has finished creating the machine, and Angier returns to London with it

When Angier returns, his performances put Borden and Fallon out of business

Borden sneaks into the show, and we return to the beginning scene where Angier is drowning

Borden is executed, and Cutter becomes disgusted by his role as an unwitting accomplice because he blamed Borden in the trial

In the end, Borden shoots Angier, and reveals his secret to him—Borden and Fallon were twins who shared the same life

It ends with narration from Cutter, with a scene similar to the one played in the beginning

Motivation Angier’s motivation for learning the

transporting man act is his obsession for revenge on Borden

He is motivated to do so because Borden was responsible for his wife’s death

Borden’s motivation for living a double life with Fallon is to make his act successful

Both characters have very different reasons for practicing magic

Angier wants to “see the look on their faces,” displaying his aptitude for showmanship

Although Borden is a dreadful showman, he is a talented magician

His motivation is total dedication to the art of magic

Motif“Are you watching closely” is repeated

by Borden/Fallon throughout the filmThe first line of the movie is this quote,

and it is meant be the first clue to Borden’s secret

“No one cares about the man in the box”

This seems to give him justification for drowning his clones in water tanks every night

It shows his obsession with discovering a way of performing the transported man with him being the man the audience applauses

The light bulbs are shown to foreshadow a gain in knowledge, since a light bulb is a symbol of ideas

“Man's reach exceeds his imagination!” This quote also hints at how the audience

must deduce the secret while thinking “outside the box”

Multiple top hats are a repeated element in the movie

The discarded top hats are meant to symbolize the clones of Angier that will eventually turn up inside of water tanks

“The Great Danton!”“It’s French”“It’s sophisticated”This line is spoken by Julia, and then

by AngierAngier’s repeating it signifies his

acceptance of Julia’s death. After his acceptance of her death, his revenge is not over her death anymore, but for his career and obsession of the trick

Parallelism Angier’s wife drowns in the tank while

Cutter vainly tries to save her with an axe Similarly, Fallon tries to save the clone in

the tank by breaking it with the tank In the first scene, it gains meaning

because someone close to Angier died The second scene is the result of the

previous scene, because it was her death that would lead to events that would bring about his clones deaths

Borden’s Transporting man is shown with him bouncing a rubber ball, with Fallon jumping out of the other door and grabbing it

Angier’s involves the drunk actor, Root, to catch his top hat that he throws across the stage

Borden’s act is better coordinated since the twins can trust each other

Angier’s act eventually becomes ruined because Root manages to sabotage the act for Borden

AllegoryThis movie mirrors a magic actThe pledge, the turn, and the

prestigeThe magician takes something

ordinary The magician carries out the act and

changes itThe effect of the illusion appearsEx: The magician makes a bird

disappear and brings it back

Characterization All of the characters except for Angier are

flat characters As a minor character, Cutter seems to be

the warm hearted father figure in their lives, guiding Angier in his career

Although he is initially Angier’s friend, he eventually becomes disgusted by Angier’s actions

Olivia originally loves Angier, but his obsession leads her to betray him and join Borden, causing a strain on Sarah’s marriage

Sarah helps provide clues on the Borden/Fallon secret due to her “Do you love me today” quote

She is able to tell when the twins switch, but to her its two Borden’s in one body

Tesla creates the machine for Angier, as well as gives him advice

In addition, his situation with Edison parallels the rivalry of Angier and Borden

Julia becomes the initial reason that Angier sought revenge on Borden, because her death was Borden’s fault

Jess does not change throughout the film, but both Borden and Fallon seem to care for her equally

She seems to embody neutrality and innocence in the film

Borden and Fallon are flat charactersFallon has a quicker temper and is

usually seen yelling or being angryBorden is the much more relaxed

one, and is the one that loves SarahWhenever someone goes into the

same room they are both in, Fallon immediately leaves

We don’t know enough about their character except that one loves magic and the other loves Sarah, and that they are both dedicated to their trick

Robert Angier develops the most throughout the film

Angier seems to be hard to please, and is extremely obsessed with getting revenge and discovering Borden’s method

Initially he is not comfortable with “getting his hands dirty”

As the film develops he becomes more obsessed with finding out Borden’s trick, leading to him learning to make sacrifices

His obsession causes him to estrange himself from his friends

The antagonist and protagonist of this film is not very clear

At some times we think Borden is the antagonist and that Angier is the protagonist, but the audience’s opinion constantly changes as new events develop in the film

We initially see the protagonist as Angier because his wife died, and Borden as the antagonist since he sabotages Angier

This view changes as his character develops and he begins making sacrifices

Point of ViewThe point of view shifts depending on

whose diary is being readThe narrators’ knowledge is limited

because they are reading from diaries that could contain false information

This is called Restricted NarrationMost of the shots are shown in the

character’s point of view, depending on who is narrating at the time

We can tell whose point of view it is by the person that begins reading the diary

In addition, the character that is focused upon in the scene is usually the point of view

SettingVictorian Era LondonColorado SpringsFallon’s prison cellLate 1890-early 1900sThe film takes place in the present

with Fallon reading Angier’s diary, which leads to a series of flashbacks and alternating points of view

Dialogue/Quotes“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.” Borden

This quote is very important as it signifies one of Borden’s ideals that the magician should be dedicated to his trick

This also gives a clue to the Borden secret

“Take a minute to consider your achievement. I once told you about a sailor who drowned. ” Cutter

“Yes, he said it was like going home.” Angier

“I lied. He said it was agony.” CutterThis last bit of dialogue between

Cutter and Angier shows their falling out.

Cutter is disgusted by Angier’s actions and his own part in helping him frame the innocent Fallon

Important Scenes50 minutes 45 secondsThe “cost” he is referring to is not

referring to the money, but alluding to the price of his obsession

Tesla is also obsessed with something, and knows the obsession will only bring destruction

1hour 11 minutesIn this scene, Angier states how he

doesn’t care about his wife anymore, and that he only wants to find out the secret

At this point, Angier is no longer out for revenge, but to satisfy his obsession

1 hour 58 minutes 40 secondsBorden explains his secret to Angier,

and tells him about the true meaning of sacrifice

Why Did He Kill The Clones?Angier doesn’t like to share his glory

as shown when he displays his dissatisfaction over his version of the transporting man

He was planning to frame Borden for murder

He didn’t think of doing the trick in a similar fashion to Borden/Fallon

Is Angier American?Earlier in the film Angier’s wife Julia

says that he is leading a double lifeBorden’s diary tells Angier to enjoy

his “American home”He has no accent, despite Hugh

Jackman being a good enough actor to produce one

Angier and Lord CaldlowAngier and Lord Caldlow are the

sameCutter discusses Borden with Angier

in the beginning, saying that he has a past almost “as obscure as your own”

He had his name changed so that he would not embarrass his rich family

He resumes his identity as Lord Caldlow after framing Borden

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