The Prestige

[TAS 2]

Anyone watch this movie yet? Probably been discussed, but my question is this:

 

Which brother got hung in prison? Did they somehow "switch" at the end right before the brother threw the ball at the other brother?

 

:confused:

[wiffleball 4,635]

would a little "spoiler alert" hurt?

[TAS 2]

would a little "spoiler alert" hurt?

Done...and my apologies!

[Bigtraine 24]

Should probably have a SPOILER ALERT on this....

 

 

 

 

I just saw the movie a couple weeks ago. I thought it was great, probably in my top 20-30 movies ever list.

 

Why does it matter which brother died? I may have missed something - I'm sure I did - but we don't really know one brother from another, and they alternate roles, so how do we know which is which and why would they switch?

 

Edit: Beaten to the punch on the spoiler alert...

[p.man 7]

would a little "spoiler alert" hurt?

 

Don't worry! You'll still need to see this movie.

 

This is one movie where you'll have to follow real closely.

 

I have the DVD and after it ended we had to go back just to make sure our thinking was correct.

 

Not sure what types of flicks you like, but I think you'll like this movie.

[TAS 2]

Should probably have a SPOILER ALERT on this....

I just saw the movie a couple weeks ago. I thought it was great, probably in my top 20-30 movies ever list.

 

Why does it matter which brother died? I may have missed something - I'm sure I did - but we don't really know one brother from another, and they alternate roles, so how do we know which is which and why would they switch?

 

Edit: Beaten to the punch on the spoiler alert...

One of the brothers loved the brunette, one loved the blonde. The brunette loving brother had a child also and I assumed he was the one in prison and wanted out to be with his daughter.

[rallo 132]

i don't know

 

i don't think you are supposed to know. I mean all you need to know is that there are twin brothers and one of them is alive and kills the great danton... the twin brothers constantly switched roles throughout the movie, i mean that's what was so cool about it like when it is danton's gf's funeral and he asks him which knot he tied he answers that he doesn't remember... at first you think he is just ashamed, but at the end you realize his twin brother might not have know which not the other tied.

 

what i wanna know is. Is that great danton in the water tank at the very last scene of the movie dead? or did he 'clone' himself one more time in case something bad happened... i'm leaning towards dead, but if the clone's eyes would have open at the end it would have added a creepy element to the movie

 

 

my guess= no they did not switch... because they never switched... the "magic" of that trick was that nobody knew he had a twin brother. kind of like the chinese magician in the beginning who pretended to be a cripple. Therefore since the "trick" was simply a twin brother stepping out of the box he couldn't have possibly switched places. but which brother it was??? i don't know... but i don't think that it matters

[TheNewGirl 1,020]

The Illusionist is MUCH better.

[TAS 2]

I thought the same thing about Danton. I'm not sure if that was the clone or the "real" one in the tank. Unexpectedly good flick none the less!

[TheNewGirl 1,020]

i don't know

 

i don't think you are supposed to know. I mean all you need to know is that there are twin brothers and one of them is alive and kills the great danton... the twin brothers constantly switched roles throughout the movie, i mean that's what was so cool about it like when it is danton's gf's funeral and he asks him which knot he tied he answers that he doesn't remember... at first you think he is just ashamed, but at the end you realize his twin brother might not have know which not the other tied.

 

what i wanna know is. Is that great danton in the water tank at the very last scene of the movie dead? or did he 'clone' himself one more time in case something bad happened... i'm leaning towards dead, but if the clone's eyes would have open at the end it would have added a creepy element to the movie

my guess= no they did not switch... because they never switched... the "magic" of that trick was that nobody knew he had a twin brother. kind of like the chinese magician in the beginning who pretended to be a cripple. Therefore since the "trick" was simply a twin brother stepping out of the box he couldn't have possibly switched places. but which brother it was??? i don't know... but i don't think that it matters

 

 

If you watch the end again, there are a TON of the water tanks with a dead Danton in there...so the secret is that he cloned himself SEVERAL times, and who knows if he's still really alive...

 

I also think that the brother's never really "switched" and that the trick was that he had a twin that no one ever knew about.

[TAS 2]

If you watch the end again, there are a TON of the water tanks with a dead Danton in there...so the secret is that he cloned himself SEVERAL times, and who knows if he's still really alive...

 

I also think that the brother's never really "switched" and that the trick was that he had a twin that no one ever knew about.

I disagree that the Illusionist was better, but that is a preference thing. Which brother do you think got hung?

[rallo 132]

The Illusionist is MUCH better.

 

you are a female so you would say that... i liked the prestige, simply because it gave you a look into the world of magicians... you got to see how they did some of their tricks, and the rivalry between the two in prestige adds a different element.

 

Also i thought the illusionist was a little more predictable. don't get me wrong... it was still good though

 

 

Are these 2 movies going to turn into a wyatt earp vs tombstone kind of rivalry???

[Cdub100 3,379]

Dumb.

 

It would have been better if there was a real explanation how wolverine did his trick. And not just some super advanced machine that was some how invited way before its time.

 

 

The Illusionist was dumb too.

 

Hey I gave her the super secret not dead liquid. That's how we pulled it off

[rallo 132]

I also think that the brother's never really "switched" and that the trick was that he had a twin that no one ever knew about.

 

i think we already established that part... kinda like what i said about no one knowing that the chinese magician wasn't a cripple... that scene where danton and one of the twin brothers discuss that basically defines the whole movie and each magicians' ideals

 

If you watch the end again, there are a TON of the water tanks with a dead Danton in there...so the secret is that he cloned himself SEVERAL times, and who knows if he's still really alive...

but i know he cloned himself several times, because he had to in order to do the trick, because the machine displaced another object just a little further away. So i think they said he did 100 shows... so he had to kill 100 dantons... i'll have to watch the end again sometime, because i only remember seeing one tank with danton in it. i guess i assumed they always used the same tank and burned the 100 other danton bodies somewhere...

[Bigtraine 24]

If you watch the end again, there are a TON of the water tanks with a dead Danton in there...so the secret is that he cloned himself SEVERAL times, and who knows if he's still really alive...

 

My thinking was: the first time he did it, the 'original' drowned, and the clone took over. The following time, clone1 drowned, and clone2 took over. Etc... So each time, the previous one died and a new clone took over the role of Danton. I don't think he ever cloned himself ahead of time. And all of the boxes were dead Dantons that drowned. He had to keep it up long enough to get The Professor to go downstairs.

 

I also think that the brother's never really "switched" and that the trick was that he had a twin that no one ever knew about.

 

They were always "switching" between one being The Professor and one being the mustached dude.

[TAS 2]

Also, did Micheal Caine switch sides after learning the reaches Danton would go to to be the best, or was he in cahoots the whole time with the brothers?

[Quickolas1 80]

the one that lived was the one with wife + child. the one being hanged apologizes for what happened to the other's wife. dad lived to take care of daughter.

 

caine switched once he learned lord bleh was danton. its implied he takes the daughter away (to go back to christian bale) at the end of the scene he learns who lord bleh is.

 

HTH

[rallo 132]

My thinking was: the first time he did it, the 'original' drowned, and the clone took over. The following time, clone1 drowned, and clone2 took over. Etc... So each time, the previous one died and a new clone took over the role of Danton. I don't think he ever cloned himself ahead of time. And all of the boxes were dead Dantons that drowned. He had to keep it up long enough to get The Professor to go downstairs.

They were always "switching" between one being The Professor and one being the mustached dude.

 

somewhere towards the end of the movie danton said how it took guts to go through with it because he didn't know if he'd be the prestige... or the guy trapped in the box... so i think it happened totally at random... it was 100% luck whether he lived or died each time.

[Riddlen 1]

Dumb.

 

It would have been better if there was a real explanation how wolverine did his trick. And not just some super advanced machine that was some how invited way before its time.

The Illusionist was dumb too.

 

Hey I gave her the super secret not dead liquid. That's how we pulled it off

sigh. baaaarrrhhhhhhhh

 

both were great. I think the prestige is more dudeish but I like the illusionist better. wolverine and teslas machine hurt the prestige

[football_scooter 0]

somewhere towards the end of the movie danton said how it took guts to go through with it because he didn't know if he'd be the prestige... or the guy trapped in the box... so i think it happened totally at random... it was 100% luck whether he lived or died each time.

 

that was how I interpreted that comment as well...that it was dicey and unpredictable...but based on the 1st time he successfully cloned himself it seemed like the clone had all of his memories/conciousness because he said, "hey!" right before he got shot, and didn't look puzzled about suddenly materializing out of thin air.

 

So it seems like it doesn't matter which one's the real him and which one dies each time. Strange concept, really - that part had me up thinking for a long while after seeing it. Like, once they're cloned and both have the same memories, etc does it actually matter if the original gets killed? I guess it does if you're the original...That movie was a total mind fock...once you got over the whole implausible electro-static cloning thing...

[Riddlen 1]

that was how I interpreted that comment as well...that it was dicey and unpredictable...but based on the 1st time he successfully cloned himself it seemed like the clone had all of his memories/conciousness because he said, "hey!" right before he got shot, and didn't look puzzled about suddenly materializing out of thin air.

 

So it seems like it doesn't matter which one's the real him and which one dies each time. Strange concept, really - that part had me up thinking for a long while after seeing it. Like, once they're cloned and both have the same memories, etc does it actually matter if the original gets killed? I guess it does if you're the original...That movie was a total mind fock...once you got over the whole implausible electro-static cloning thing...

it kept me up thinking that they almost rooned a great film by sucking out the realism of an otherwise realistic, great film

[Cdub100 3,379]

sigh. baaaarrrhhhhhhhh

 

both were great. I think the prestige is more dudeish but I like the illusionist better. wolverine and teslas machine hurt the prestige

 

"Great"... really?

[ArnieBragg 1]

Pretty good movie. Not great and I agree with some above about Tesla's machine bringing things down a bit.

 

But the Nolan brothers are putting out some pretty fine movies.

[The Moz 69]

Great Movie saw it opening weekend . Tesla was an actual inventer and maybe even more important to the development of electricity than anyone else. The machine thing was BS / movie - but he was one of the Pioneers of electricity.

[SJ 0]

Great Movie saw it opening weekend . Tesla was an actual inventer and maybe even more important to the development of electricity than anyone else. The machine thing was BS / movie - but he was one of the Pioneers of electricity.

 

I agree about the machine. The rest of the movie, as far fetched as it seemed, was at least believable. Two obsessed magicians, feud over the death of Jackmans wife, he admits not to care about her toward the end, a twin that makes Cain's explanation of the trick valid, etc.

 

But a cloning machine?!?!? Give me a friggin' break.... Stupid plot device that invalidates the ending.

[edjr 5,552]

I saw the Prestige this weekend.

 

Great ending, although the cloning machine was pretty silly.

 

I saw the Illusionist a few weeks back and I think it was better.

 

 

if you're a fan of Christian Bale. The Machinist (El Maquinista) is a MUST see. Incredible movie.

[sawilson 1]

I just saw this movie over the weekend too. Good movie IMO, but I must have missed something. Granted it was late at night when I finally watched it, but I never remembered him saying he had a twin. I was under the impression that he had cloned himself as well.

[edjr 5,552]

I just saw this movie over the weekend too. Good movie IMO, but I must have missed something. Granted it was late at night when I finally watched it, but I never remembered him saying he had a twin. I was under the impression that he had cloned himself as well.

 

Christian Bale had a twin. One of them loved the wife and fathered the daugther and one of them loved Scarlett Johansson's character. I don't know whether or not it was a twin since birth or if he used the cloning machine.

 

One of the important parts of the movie, that I think people may have missed. Whenever the cloning machine was used by Angier he always made sure to kill the clone. Which is why he didn't want Cutter to be backstage when he used the cloning machine.

[sawilson 1]

Christian Bale had a twin. One of them loved the wife and fathered the daugther and one of them loved Scarlett Johansson's character. I don't know whether or not it was a twin since birth or if he used the cloning machine.

 

One of the important parts of the movie, that I think people may have missed. Whenever the cloning machine was used by Angier he always made sure to kill the clone. Which is why he didn't want Cutter to be backstage when he used the cloning machine.

Yeah, I got the part of him killing the clone afterwards when the guy was drowned in the tank. But the way people were talking it sounded like Bale had a twin brother since birth and when I was done watching the movie, I was under the assumption that he had a clone from the machine, not a brother since birth.

[edjr 5,552]

Yeah, I got the part of him killing the clone afterwards when the guy was drowned in the tank. But the way people were talking it sounded like Bale had a twin brother since birth and when I was done watching the movie, I was under the assumption that he had a clone from the machine, not a brother since birth.

 

I can't answer that and I don't think anyone can. The more I think of it, the more I think maybe he did use the clone machine. Afterall the secret he wrote on the paper said "TESLA". I'm guessing that meant he used it to clone himself? I'm going to have to watch it again now.

[sawilson 1]

I can't answer that and I don't think anyone can. The more I think of it, the more I think maybe he did use the clone machine. Afterall the secret he wrote on the paper said "TESLA". I'm guessing that meant he used it to clone himself? I'm going to have to watch it again now.

I'm thinking the same thing. Not to mention when his wife said "I know what you are" towards the end of the movie.

If you watch it again and come to some conclusions, let me know.

[rallo 132]

I'm thinking the same thing. Not to mention when his wife said "I know what you are" towards the end of the movie.

If you watch it again and come to some conclusions, let me know.

 

these are some interesting thoughts... i honestly couldn't tell you either way, but i'm leaning more towards the twin brother aspect simply because of a line from the other magician as he see bale (who should've been hanged) he says "a twin brother!!" now granted HE doesn't necessarily know either i assume.

 

another reason i'd go with the twin brother was that bale IMO purposely lead him to TESLA, because much of the country thought he (tesla) was insane and there's a part in the movie after he breaks bale's code in his 'diary' that says something like "now you've traveled half way around the world for nothing"

 

that and if TESLA had made a machine that could clone people already don't you think they could have reproduced it right away instead going through the long process (unless it was an act instructed by bale to put on)

[edjr 5,552]

these are some interesting thoughts... i honestly couldn't tell you either way, but i'm leaning more towards the twin brother aspect simply because of a line from the other magician as he see bale (who should've been hanged) he says "a twin brother!!" now granted HE doesn't necessarily know either i assume.

 

another reason i'd go with the twin brother was that bale IMO purposely lead him to TESLA, because much of the country thought he (tesla) was insane and there's a part in the movie after he breaks bale's code in his 'diary' that says something like "now you've traveled half way around the world for nothing"

 

that and if TESLA had made a machine that could clone people already don't you think they could have reproduced it right away instead going through the long process (unless it was an act instructed by bale to put on)

 

 

yeah, that's a very good point. he did say "now that you've traveled half way around the world for nothing"

[sawilson 1]

yeah, that's a very good point. he did say "now that you've traveled half way around the world for nothing"

Yeah, after he posted that I thought about it awhile and it made sense. But then again why did his wife say "I know what you are" not even "who you are" meaning a twin brother, rather what, which to mean means an object like a clone.

[rallo 132]

Yeah, after he posted that I thought about it awhile and it made sense. But then again why did his wife say "I know what you are" not even "who you are" meaning a twin brother, rather what, which to mean means an object like a clone.

 

i don't know... maybe she still didn't know he was a twin... and "i know what you are" meant like a cheater or something... (because his brother/clone or whatever was seeing the asistant)

 

i'd have to watch it again, because i just remember her hanging herself, but none of the dialogue she said

[edjr 5,552]

i don't know... maybe she still didn't know he was a twin... and "i know what you are" meant like a cheater or something... (because his brother/clone or whatever was seeing the asistant)

 

i'd have to watch it again, because i just remember her hanging herself, but none of the dialogue she said

 

my GF and I had an argument over this. "I know what you are" she's convinced she was saying she knew he was a twin. I'm thinking she was saying she knew he was a cheater and a liar.

[sawilson 1]

i don't know... maybe she still didn't know he was a twin... and "i know what you are" meant like a cheater or something... (because his brother/clone or whatever was seeing the asistant)

 

i'd have to watch it again, because i just remember her hanging herself, but none of the dialogue she said

Well, if you watch it again, let me know your thoughts. Although it was a good movie, it was a focking LONG movie that I just watched so I don't think I'm going to again for a bit.

 

my GF and I had an argument over this. "I know what you are" she's convinced she was saying she knew he was a twin. I'm thinking she was saying she knew he was a cheater and a liar.

I thought she was saying she knew he was a clone, not a liar or cheat or even a twin.

[edjr 5,552]

Saw and others. There is an interesting discussion on rotten tomatoes about the prestige.

 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=544443