the GIRLS REACT to *The Prestige* WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? (First Time Watching)

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The girls, Hayley and Stella, are reacting to The Prestige and what does this mean? This excellent film, starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie, directed by Chrisopher Nolan.
#firsttimereaction #moviereaction #christophernolan #scarlettjohansson #theprestige #christianbale #davidbowie
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[@whitenoisereacts]

What's your favorite Christopher Nolan movie?

[@jonrazo7912]

Was the Prestige, now it's Oppenheimer.

[@EChacon]

Dunkirk and Oppenheimer.

[@sameehkins5957]

Inception

[@Atlas2911]

Interstellar

[@borntogazeintonightskies]

I think one Christopher Nolan film that doesn't get enough attention is Insomnia from 2002. Definitely worth checking out. Al Pacino, Robin Williams (RIP), Hilary Swank👌

[@elicantu5111]

For me, this is still Nolan’s best movie. If there was technology to selective wipe that first viewing from memory to watch again for the first time! 🤯

[@rexxbailey2764]

LOLS IT REALLY IS NOLAN'S BEST MOVIE 🎥. THE MOVIE WHICH GAVE HIM THE CREDIBILITY THAT HE'S GOT IN FRONT OF THE LIKES OF JAMES CAMERON, STEVEN SODERBERG AND THE LIKES TO BEGIN WITH. 😄👌👍

[@sophiamarchildon3998]

@@rexxbailey2764 Watch the ALLCAPS and emojis. Thx

[@sophiamarchildon3998]

To ponder this whole movie as an accomplished three-acts magic trick played on us by Nolan, ... sweet food for thoughts indeed.

[@ravissary79]

Agreed. He's pushed himself in so many ways but most of his films are *slightly* imbalanced.... this one, and Memento, they're PERFECT, but this one is better because the performances, the characters, they're intermittently brilliant and likable and then horrible, and your knowledge of their journey changes your application of them. And message, it's timeless, the themes are philosophically unresolved in our lifetimes, but immediately poignant. It's also deliciously rewatchable... and it's before he messed with sound or decided to experiment too much or make ridiculously long films, so the pace and narrative are tight! I think Oppenheimer is a close second though. It's only held back by its runtime and the weird sex scenes. But these flaws are small and add their own charm.

[@jayfrancelf]

Totally agree. Watching reactions is the closest you can get to the feeling of that first time viewing

[@Enrique-Garcia]

The end of the movie is given away at the beginning, when Sarah's nephew asks what happened to the bird's dead "brother".

[@AClockworkMelon]

Notably, that child cared about the man in the box. The movie was showing from the beginning that Angier was wrong.

[@katiepooh2137]

Thats exactly how i figured out the "twist" when i saw this film the first time!! 😂❤

[@jp3813]

@@AClockworkMelon Well, magicians are aware of the man in the box. The boy just happens to have the awareness of a magician.

[@jp3813]

@@katiepooh2137 Most people don't b/c, at that point, The Transported Man had yet to be introduced to the audience.

[@ShiftyWolf117]

The prestige is probably his most underrated movie. I absolutely love this film.

[@nsasupporter7557]

“Underrated” is probably the most overrated and overused word!! I’m sick of hearing it! Please stop saying it… every 2 seconds there’s somebody saying that someone or something is “underrated” on KZbin

[@ShiftyWolf117]

@@nsasupporter7557 this is a underrated comment.

[@toms169]

@@nsasupporter7557 Thank you!! And the worst part is they don't even know what it means. They think it just means 'good' and thus use it for the highest-rated pieces of media. I could puke.

[@nsasupporter7557]

@@toms169 you’re welcome 👍 I’m glad to see that someone else sees it also. I have no idea why “underrated” has become everybody’s favorite word! What is everybody’s infatuation with calling everything “underrated?” Look, I understand that there are certain things in entertainment that are underrated, but so many people say it about EVERYTHING almost and it’s just ridiculous and non sensible

[@jp3813]

@@nsasupporter7557 "Overrated" is also one of most overused words. So stop it.

[@Shichiaikan]

Some of the little things that people tend to miss after they rewatch and/or rethink the movie... Borden answered that he didn't know when asked about the knot, and wrote the same in the fake diary, because that was not the Borden that tied the knot that night. Borden recognized how the fish tank trick was done so quickly, because living a 'false life' was something he was already doing as well... the twins had been preparing for the transported man for YEARS. Borden knew he was being followed by Angiers when he was walking toward his newborn and wife in the city, you see him smile because he knows... he wanted Angiers to follow him, to see him happy. He was rubbing it in.

[@TheJerbol]

Wrt the first point, why would one Borden not tell/ask the other about the knot?

[@Islanders83]

⁠​⁠@@TheJerbolthe twin that was hanged was the brother that tied the knot that killed Angiers wife. He kept tying it bc he was cocky and didn’t like being told what to do. He didn’t tell the brother about it bc he didn’t think it would be a problem and planned to keep tying it that way when it was his turn to be Alfred.

[@jp3813]

@@TheJerbol Alfred Borden accused Freddie Borden of tying the more complicated knot, but Freddie refused to take responsibility for Julia's accident, so the latter keeps on denying it.

[@MH90]

I feel like so many 'twist' movies manage their twist by hiding things from you, the audience, until the moment when they want to reveal the twist. What I love about The Prestige is, it's telling you *everything* and you're just looking right past it all the time. It's what makes it incredibly strong in repeat viewings. And honestly, never mind all the dialogue clues to brothers and a divided mind... I'm just honestly amazed by how they spend the entire film *never* quite showing you Fallon properly, and I still don't think I've seen anybody guess it before the reveal. It's your protagonist in a fake wig and beard! It should be the most corny, obvious thing and yet they nail it.

[@stellaa_rrose]

Agreed. The makeup and camera work that was employed to keep Fallon’s identity a secret is SO effective. I was kind of amazed watching it back again to see just how subtle and inconspicuous Nolan was able to make Fallon’s presence in the story!

[@karabenomar]

The most blatant tell might be when Cutter says he know how Borden does his trick. He does it like everybody else, he uses a double. He is right of course, but Angier doesn't believe it and neither does the audience.

[@yohanesbobbysanjaya3541]

@@karabenomar when Cutter and Angier recruited the drunk Root, Cutter said to Angier "he can be your brother" and Angier replied "no, i want him to become me"

[@SpockvsEgon]

It literally is Cutter's speech, "You're not really looking. You want to be fooled." This movie all but blatantly tells you that Christian Bale has a twin brother and that Hugh Jackman is cloning himself outright, and the bird trick explains how Jackman does his version of the Transported Man, but most people don't catch it on the first viewing. Specifically, most people figure out that Jackman is cloning himself, but no one catches that Bale has a twin brother. It's so simple that they can't accept it. They want there to be more to it.

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

Wasn't there a point in the movie where Michael Caine suggested he might be using a twin but Angiers brushed it off for being too simple? It's been a while since I've seen it so I don't fully remember.

[@commsense1979]

I'm about 1/3 through the reaction and am already amazed at how Nolan shows us the trick (via the canaries) and we still don't catch it. After the canary reveal, Alfred (Bale) is walking the girl home and then when she says goodbye outside of her apartment, he "appears" inside of her apartment. And Hannah immediately says "I knew he was going to be inside!" See? She wants to be fooled! There's no possible way for him to be inside her apartment, but because she wants to believe he's some powerful magician, she allows herself to ignore the obvious. Which is what most of us did when we first watched this movie, likely.

[@jp3813]

At that point in the story, the movie had yet to introduce the idea of The Transported Man. By the time it does, the viewers are no longer thinking about those seemingly throwaway scenes earlier in the film.

[@commsense1979]

@@jp3813 but that the canary scene proceeds the scene where he walks her own is why it's so brilliant that we as the audience don't catch that it's impossible. We just go along with it

[@jp3813]

@@commsense1979 Part of that is b/c the audience is still in the process of taking in the rules of the film during the 1st act. Is it really impossible or did Borden make it possible? As we find out later on, Tesla can even create paradoxes.

[@obscillesk]

Bowie was such a beautiful choice for Tesla, I'm so glad he did it. Like I can't imagine anyone else fitting that role that well, and the weight of Bowie's reputation and work actually adds to the character of Tesla in such a unique way

[@eschiedler]

A legendary sleight-of-hand master and consultant to the movie, Ricky Jay, RIP appears in a cameo on stage cameo in the rope knot sequence. He really helped give the movie that late 19th century magician feel. If anyone every looks up his videos, his magician mastery is top notch.

[@Mortigantoj]

Borden doesn't know which knot he tied, because he wasn't the brother that tied it. One was told not to use a different knot, but the other one wasn't 🤔

[@TheJerbol]

Yes but surely the two spoke to each other about what happened... Either the writing was bad or he simply couldn't admit the truth that he knew

[@Aurich88]

@@TheJerbol He says "I keep asking myself the same thing." They did talk about it, but the guilty one wouldn't tell him or something.

[@SnailHatan]

⁠@@Aurich88Or, get this, he just blocked it out because of trauma. That happens every day with traumatic events, people block out details. That’s the most common response, in fact. It doesn’t have to be some deep conspiracy. Borden didn’t have the mentality to kill someone just for a trick. Sure, he hurt people a few times (not including his wife) but Angier killed over and over and over and over again. Every night for at least several months-I can’t recall the exact timeline. Borden just wanted to be a good magician, but he wasn’t a mass murderer. He wasn’t a murderer at all until Angier killed his brother. He was in it for the craft itself, while Angier wanted the audience’s attention.

[@Aurich88]

@@SnailHatan No one said anything about him killing someone on purpose. Did you respond to the wrong comment?

[@mrb2349]

I believe Borden tied the wrong knot on purpose. He was full of spite for Angier because of their rivalry.

[@swish007]

I'm so glad someone recognized the awesomeness of the fact that David Bowie played Tesla! Both Tesla and Bowie have like this genius Mystique about them.. it's so fitting

[@anissat-tech]

Christopher Nolan said that he didn’t want anyone else to play Tesla but Bowie, who originally turned down the part… so glad they held out and waited for him to change his mind. Bowie was PERFECT.

[@neptunusrex5195]

@28:44 - What’s funny is Michael Caine has no qualms about burying a man alive, but traveling to America - THATS where he draws the line 😅😂

[@chrisk.7418]

No, he draws the line at burying a man alive. It just happens that he already crossed that line when he realizes it. That's why he doesn't want to do it anymore.

[@ShutterSnapped]

I think David Bowie as Tesla was one of the coolest castings ever. It certainly also helps that his introduction is literally him walking through erratic and spectacular strands of ( I think they're called) corona discharges and streamer arcs.

[@LOGAN_BURNS]

At 10:10 moment when you’re saying “CPR, CPR” when Jackman’s characters wife downs…. Yea CPR hadn’t been invented yet😂 crazy to think that chest compressions and respiratory actions are a fairly new invention in modern human society… people were just dying in very saveable scenarios😂😂

[@silent9633]

The "era" of magic that this film depicts is called The Golden Age of Magic; this was when magic performers and their acts were at their height. There were quite a few magicians that were international superstars during this time and many of them had egos to match their budgets. The backstabbing and pettiness and sabotage and drama within the magic community was very real during this time. Hell, there's still a lot of drama in it today haha If anyone is interested in learning about the history and drama that was going on during this time, Jim Steinmeyer is a magic historian and illusionist that has written some really good historical books that are entertaining and often fast reads. His book Hiding the Elephant is a good place to start and goes into the feuds between magicians surrounding various disappearing illusions and their development. His historical books are written for the general public, so don't go into them thinking you are going to learn how anything is done; not that all of these illusions haven't been exposed over the decades anyway.

[@SteveJonesHimself]

The way they get you is by parading so many flimsy disguises in front of you, you *think* you're inside. You *think* you're tracking the disguises. You easily recognize the character. You become desensitized and more accepting. Next time you watch, pay attention to how little they sustain scenes with Fallon -- they'll seem shorter than you remember -- and how much better the disguise is, relative to all the ones you were easily able to catch. I think the first Mission Impossible does something similar.

[@PresidentScrooge]

Additionally when Fallon is on the screen, its usually the softer brother.

[@SuperTony197]

16:35, in regards to your thoughts on magic, Arthur C. Clark once said 2 things: 1: "Magic is just science we don't understand yet." And 2: "Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

[@genekent2391]

Very interesting you brought up the perceived distinction between science and magic....Arthur C Clark once said "“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”.

[@neptunusrex5195]

Not the original author of the quote as that sentiment had been around since at least the 1920s but he is the most attributed of it.

[@noneofyourbeeswax01]

Regarding magic - I thought that the needless inclusion of actual "magic" was a choice that the movie suffered from.

[@Nic-ye2yz]

@@noneofyourbeeswax01 But it's not magic. It's technology.

[@genekent2391]

@@neptunusrex5195 You are right, and wrong. That quote is a direct quote from Arthur C Clarke, but the sentiment had definitely been around much longer. Isaac Asimov said, " an uninformed public tends to confuse scholarship with magicians" (1952) in his book "Foundation and Empire Part 1.1 The Search for Magicians"...Leigh Bracket said in a story of his, "Witchcraft to the ignorant, ... simple science to the learned" (1942)....Charles Fort in his story "Wild Talents (1932)" said, ".a performance that may someday be considered understandable, but that, in these primitive times, so transcends what is said to be the known that it is what I mean by magic". Clarke's quote is from 1968 in a letter he wrote to Science magazine, so yeah, he was paraphrasing an idea that had been around quite some time.

[@noneofyourbeeswax01]

@@Nic-ye2yz Did you even watch the movie? The creation of new versions of the Illusionist is literally magic. Nikola Tesla must be rotating in his grave to see his scientific achievements turned into superstitious make-believe.

[@TheJerbol]

This is a sleeper masterpiece for sure. I also recommend The Illusionist, came out at almost the same time so often get mixed up but it's a great movie as well

[@nickmanzo8459]

In my headcanon, Borden started a new act, calling himself Zatarra, and is the magician who trained Batman in escape artistry

[@hendersonjim2657]

This is definitely one of my favorite Nolan movies. The addition of Nikola Tesla and some of the things that happened to him in regards to Edison was fabulous. Definitely top tier writing and directing.

[@sfisabbt]

My favorite part is when... SPOILER 29:54 Angier reads Borden's journal about trusting Olivia. At first watch, it sounds like the internal monologue of a man unsure or what he wants. But once you know the secret, not only is this a dialogue but you can clearly guess which one wrote each line. So when Stella says "Are you joking? You're cheating and you need assurance of fidelity?". Well, that's not true. The Borden obsessed with magic has finally found a girl he loves and is asking to have his own romantic life while the family Borden is worried about how risky this is. None of them is having an affair, they are just two different men in love with two different women while carrying a soul crushing secret.

[@stellaa_rrose]

I know, but at that point in the film the fact that they were two different people hadn’t been revealed and I didn’t want to spoil anything for Hayley… 😂😂😂

[@sfisabbt]

​@@stellaa_rrose Putting this dialogue in plain sight is such a great writing. In fact, Christopher Nolan movies always look amazing but I think the ones written in collaboration with his brother Jonathan Nolan have a much better writing.

[@SnailHatan]

Uh. Yes, they are having affairs. They might not love both women, but they are still each with both women in romantic and sexual situations. Regardless of who loves who, they’re both still having an affair. Doesn’t matter if it’s pretend. Unless they actually never kissed, romanced, and slept with both (which I’m fairly certain is shown not to be the case) they’re both having affairs.

[@mrb2349]

@@SnailHatan no they are not, as they are both loyal to their own partners.

[@pajander]

@@SnailHatan They're also rapists if they're having sex with both women.

[@denial987]

A movie where Batman, Black Widow, Wolverine and two Alfreds meet.

[@mrwomby5007]

Your facial expression when you found out who was playing Tesla was priceless!😮

[@jRoy7]

This movie was great, but the same year was another vaguely similar movie called The Illusionist. I actually slightly prefer that one. Perhaps you could react to it as well one day? :) Starred Edward Norton. IMDB lists Prestige as 8.5 and Illusionist as 7.5, so I'm in the minority. But both films are great!

[@kingofbudokai]

I have to agree, the Illusionist is a considerably better film. Only because the ending of this one flops so hard. They set up this big dramatic reveal, and then it's just the incredibly obvious thing we already knew more than an hour before the movie ends. The dead copies thing was so straightforwardly telegraphed I don't know how you could ever be surprised by that ending.

[@jRoy7]

@@kingofbudokai I do find the ending of Illusionist more satisfying.

[@pajander]

@@kingofbudokai Well yeah, that's what happens when a magic trick is explained to you. "That's it?"

[@sharqane]

And now you know why whenever Angier asked Borden what knot he used, and he says he can't remember....it's because he keeps asking the brother that didn't do it.

[@TerrenceFlores-mk3cx]

This! And the illusionist ! Are the best watches back to back, in the magician genre 💯 🔥

[@Archangel-0092]

Cute little spoiler of the whole movie goes to the nephew of Sarah. When Bordens boss killed the bird and Borden brought the bird to the boy, the boy says “but where is his brother?” One brother eventually would die.

[@TheKELLY111111]

" and I'm Hayley" I sing/say it with her everytime 😁

[@EChacon]

Interesting you’re reacting to The Prestige. Hopefully both of you girls will do _Inception_ and/or _Interstellar_ soon.

[@StoryLover-7]

I hope so too! Those movies are great too!

[@houseofaction]

i would like to point out that It actually is the clone that survives, that's the deep dark secret behind Tesla's device. In the original novel, the device actually kills its user. After creating the clone and depositing it somewhere else, it leaves the now-dead body of the original user in the machine. In the movie, the original body is dropped, tied up, into the tank of water to drown, while the clone finishes the show.

[@jhornacek]

Based on Angier's dialogue, sometimes it's the man on stage that drowns, and sometimes it's the clone that's created.

[@seangodde5429]

I've watched this a half dozen times, plus seeing others reactions online, and there's still moments I see for the first time where there's hints to the prestige of the ending. If Inception and Interstellar are considered smart movies for how they are made and what they show, The Prestige (and Momento in many ways) are both a brilliant story with a twist and method of showing you how this narrative unfolds

[@Turambar88]

Angier's doubles are the same reason I would never use a Star Trek transporter. It's the same thing happening in both, you die and another person with your face and your memories walks away. He kills himself every night when he falls through that trapdoor into the tank, and a duplicate emerges to take the glory in the prestige only to follow the previous one into another tank of water the next night.

[@jamespryor5967]

He didn't _have_ to die. He could have let all of himself live. Or just do it once, then have a trustworthy double for the Borden-style trick.

[@UberNoodle]

@45:42 did you intend it when you chose the names Robert and Bob that they could be the same person, because Bob is a common nickname for Robert? ;)

[@xMr2PaCx]

One Word... Masterpiece !!

[@Mangolite]

The Prestige movie is a magic act, so it is an excellent rewatch.

[@alexkull24]

One of my favorite movies of all time!!! O_O

[@gluuuuue]

25:54 "And it all started because of an accident.." I'd say the accident, while tragic and significant, was ultimately an excuse. This is who these two people kind of inherently are, were, or readily became. Angier becomes obsessed to the point he forgets even his wife, but that person was always kind of there, spurred on by Borden's own fanaticism and devotion to his craft. I remember reading about stage magicians from this era, and how deeply their writings implied they needed to be to become successful, as well as the personal sacrifices made. And when I saw this movie, although it's a fictional story, it very definitely draws upon a lot of elements of stagecraft, technical and technological innovation, sleight of hand, and, above all, talent and training for performance and presentation, that were all very real or plausible in actual magicians of this period. There were Chinese magicians, real and yellowface, that cultivated stage images intended to capitalize on the fascination with Orientalism and the exotic and mysterious nature of the Far East in those days. Professional magicians and escape artists like Houdini had obsession that probably wasn't far off from what's portrayed here. And Tesla's machine adds just a touch of the supernatural, in the form of this kind of Faustian deal-with-the-devil, except, instead of the devil, it's the willing sacrifice of one's humanity for the sake of the next greater magic trick. (Also, what's wonderful *and* ominous, is how Nolan seems to use magic and stagecraft here as a metaphor for the magic, and sacrifice, of filmmaking. Like, tempting the viewer in to really wanting to understand the magic of how filmmaking works, but when you find out how it really is, it's like losing your appetite after seeing how the sausage gets made..)

[@sammyingersoll8870]

Nice, this is my favorite Chris Nolan film. You can rewatch it many times, stellar performances and a very organic film. It's so good!

[@infinitysynthesis]

It always makes me laugh when americans say someone has an accent when they don't think they also have one.

[@aceofspace14]

I love that in the early movie we see two tricks that foreshadow the whole plot. The bird trick is a simpler version of Angier’s trick and the goldfish bowl trick, specifically the fact that that magician spends his whole life pretending to be weak and sickly just to hide the strength needed for the trick, which shows the dedication to his trick that Borden has.

[@radicaladz]

Truly worth it for the look on Hayley's face at the mention of Bowie. Having the Thin White Duke play the man who invented the modern world is pretty onbrand. Also the phrase "exact science, Mr Angier, is not an exact science" is now my stock response whenever people need to understand that the laws of nature and physics not responding according to our expectations is a feature, not a bug.

[@imdiyu]

The comment of Tesla about "have you considered the cost?" (Not Price) is something really important, isn't?

[@k338914]

"Robert" and "Bob"? Let's go with "Albert" and "Fredrick" to maintain general consistency.

[@sophiamarchildon3998]

When that moment hits ... and considering all that was said to us ... Bravo!

[@LaughTrain69]

The ending was the greatest magic trick

[@the98themperoroftheholybri33]

The hint about Borden's secret was given away right at the beginning, when the boy cried about the bird in the cage dying and said "but what about his brother?", that was a reference to the end of the film

[@asian-americanwithanopinio8954]

Bowie is perfect casting as Tesla. My favorite David Bowie film is "The Man Who Fell To Earth" (Sci-fi)

[@GamingAndFilmKnowledge]

Fun Fact: If you take the initials from the two main protagonists (Alfred Borden, Robert Angier), it spells the word "ABRA"; as in the common magical phrase "abracadabra".

[@robertbunting3117]

It still makes me giggle that Batman and Wolverine are on stage when this wife is in trouble and they let Alfred swing the ax

[@marcus_ohreallyus]

One magician invented a new technology in which he had to kill a clone of himself every night to accomplish his trick...the other magician used his twin brother. There's a clear winner there.

[@CharlesVanNoland]

The thing you have to think about is: which of the twins tied the knot and which one died? Was it the same twin that tied the knot that died, or vice-versa???

[@jp3813]

19:48 It wasn't really made clear whether Angier was actually intending to kill Borden or perhaps just wanted to cause some other non-fatal injury. The gun fired after Fallon grabbed it. 40:03 Is it murder to basically do a Russian roulette w/ yourself though? 45:43 Robert is Angier's (aka Lord Caldlow) first name, not Borden's.

[@neptunusrex5195]

I think even though Angier (the real one) gets killed by Borden at the end, I think Angier still “won”. My reasoning is as follows… Borden finally catches up to the real Angier and shoots him so by killing Angier, that’s BORDEN’S revenge. But even though the real Angier gets killed, when Borden sees all the drowned clones and realizes Angier WAS living (and dying 😅) the trick, that’s ANGIER’S revenge. Borden’s shock at the dead clones is like Angier reveling “See Borden, I had the balls to do something you NEVER could have done!” And so by that logic I think Angier was the better magician because the risk of literal life and death was much higher stakes than anything Borden would have been willing to do. ….Team Angier ✊😅

[@ttam9205]

The original Angier is definitely dead as both angiers, the one who steps into the machine and the one that comes out the other side both die. When angier shoots the other angier when he first uses the machine and when the one who steps into the machine drowns. So the original angier is definitely dead and Borden has just killed the clone.

[@neptunusrex5195]

Well true, statistics of probability duplicating himself for a hundred shows, yeah they would have all been clones by that point. 😅

[@houseofaction]

43 It actually is the clone that survives, that's the deep dark secret behind Tesla's device. In the original novel, the device actually kills its user. After creating the clone and depositing it somewhere else, it leaves the now-dead body of the original user in the machine. In the movie, the original body is dropped, tied up, into the tank of water to drown, while the clone finishes the show. so the first time he used it professionally on stage HE DIED all the rest were clones

[@neptunusrex5195]

I never read the novel but thanks for the insight, that actually clarifies a lot 🙏

[@viddiot]

I love this film, and it is infinitely re-watchable. One of the handful of films that when it comes on, I have to watch it right through. The thing is though...the more you watch it, the more heartbreaking it is.

[@hulkhatepunybanner]

*Magic is science that we've yet to understand.*

[@lc8155]

Thanks for the reaction!

[@eddhardy1054]

16:45...It's funny you should say that. The science fiction author Arthur C. Clark formulated a law which basically said that any suitably advanced technology could be mistaken for magic.

[@PickledShark]

Easily Nolan’s best film

[@PalimpsestProd]

now you have to watch The Illusionist from the same year. The one who goes on stage is always the the one that drowns. The one that completes the trick is always the electro-clone.

[@jhornacek]

Based on Angier's dialogue, sometimes it's the man on stage that drowns, and sometimes it's the clone that's created.

[@PalimpsestProd]

@@jhornacek I haven't seen it for years but my take was that he felt guilty for killing his wife so his unconscious arranged to die the same way 100 times and his conscious mind made excuses to justify it. He instantly shoots the clone, kills himself, he wants to die. The plot is just an excuse to delay that. It's the single person version of the twins saying "I don't know" about the knot. The movie is very Jungian. Or maybe not.

[@jhornacek]

@@PalimpsestProdWhy would Angier feel guilty for killing his wife? He blames Borden for her death, he doesn't blame himself for it at all. And at this point his wife is no longer a motivation for his need for revenge against Borden - he literally tells Scarlett Johanssen "I don't care about my wife". Angier's whole plan about returning and doing the trick 100 times is to get Borden to show up at a performance, get him downstairs, and have been blamed for "Angier's" murder. He literally writes a journal that he arranges Borden to have in prison to read where he tells him at the end "I did all this to get revenge on you for my murder". And Angier doesn't want to die - his whole plan was to frame Borden for his death, change his identity to Lord Caldlow, raise Borden's daughter as his own, and let Borden know that he did all of this just before Borden is executed. At the end of the movie, just before Borden shows up and shoots him, Angier thinks that he's won. He has a new identity, lots of money, he's framed Borden for his murder, Borden has been executed, and he has taken Borden's daughter from him.

[@alexgeorge9533]

it's cool watching a person, in this case stella, have to keep protecting the twist ending throughout the whole reaction by playing along with the other theories and beliefs that hayley, who is watching for the first time, comes up with prior to the reveal.

[@kenyattacoleman7284]

when you think about borden/fallon having the diary, you realize that it was for the other to read to learn about what the other brother had done that day.

[@asian-americanwithanopinio8954]

The talent playing Borden's wife before Scarlett is really good in "Christine" about that news reporter (Not Car Horror)

[@CharlesVanNoland]

While I can't say I was cool enough to see Nolan's "Following" before he was big, I did see "Memento" at a friend's house when we ended up having a school snow day when that film was less than a year old. He hadn't done Batman Begins yet. I'm pretty cool because I saw Memento before Batman Begins existed, right? Right???

[@todd8398]

In the book it is (eventually) revealed that "Alfred" Borden is actually Albert and Frederick Borden. One section of the book is his diary, but after the reveal it seems clear the "diary" was actually used as a method of communication between the two.

[@CharlesVanNoland]

@16:35 What Stella says about magic/science and our understanding of things being the delineation between the two, her saying that reminded me of a quote from Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

[@Ninja_Tude]

This movie, and Fight Club are the best twists in History

[@xondeez757]

ah now it makes sense, he kept saying he didnt know which knot he tied because its the brother who didnt do it

[@jwag301]

My favorite movie of all time. Perfect casting what an amazing story.

[@JamesSmith144]

It's a film I rewatch every year, one of my favourites. It's an adaptation of a book. It's nodded to in the film with Olivia calling Borden 'Freddie' but the twins are called 'Albert' and 'Frederick', so their persona is joining of the two names into 'Alfred'

[@astragalusson]

The last Angier is a "clone" (a clone of a clone of a clone..., actually) because during the trick, the "original" falls into the water container and drowns everytime the trick is done and the "clone" is created in the machine's box and goes to the prestige of the show. I am using quotation marks because, the clone and the double aren't different people. The "double" and the "original" are the same person up to the cloning moment. There's no way identifying them as the original or clone other than knowing the physical body which entered the machine, because the double has all the same life experiences, feelings and memories that the original has at the moment he is "created" in the machine's cloning box. His experience is not different than instantly being transported from one point to another. Of course, from that point on, they begin to have two different life experiences. But the cloned one also has the memory of getting into the machine not knowing which one he'll be, the drowning one or the one in the prestige. So, he lived through that huge fear of possibly walking into his death whatever times he repeated the trick. Let's say he did it 50 times, the one Borden shots in the end is the 50th clone and it's a clone of the 49th clone, not including the first test clone Angier immediately shot to kill. So, this 50th clone experienced (not physically but as a memory) 50 times of presenting the trick to the audience, walked into the machine with fear of imminent death but everytime found himself in the prestige (as if he's transported) but more interestingly, the 49th clone experienced the same thing including the prestige 49 times but for the 50th time he experienced finding himself drowning in the water tank and died.

[@chrisk.7418]

We don't actually know who falls into the water, because the original body might be deconstructed and two "new" bodies might be constructed.

[@astragalusson]

@@chrisk.7418 when they tested the machine with the hats and the cats, the original seemed to stay there untouched, didn't disappear or something, not even momentarily if i remember correctly. Yes it's remotely possible that happens in a split second that we can't see but we don't have a reason to suspect that.

[@gluuuuue]

Film Rec! Identity (2003) It's one o' my favorite films I think is underrated. Cassie from Popcorn in Bed just did a reaction to it, one of the first I'm aware of, and I think it's perfectly up your two's alley!

[@kevinsmith-pt6rg]

Christian Bale...Empire of the sun - 1987. Forgotten classic.

[@jhornacek]

When Borden first meets Sarah she is with her nephew who sees through the bird-in-the-cage trick. Borden says that the bird is fine after the trick but the nephew says "But what about his brother?" - a clue to the twist of the movie.

[@fernandomendez2709]

This is an underrated Chris Nolan film. With some twists and turns like some of his movies generally have. Plus any movie with the great Michael Caine is worth watching, especially know that he just announce his retirement.

[@Landonio]

Lowkey the best Nolan film! Straight masterpiece.

[@CaptainFSU]

Dostoevsky wrote a novella called the Double, who systematically steals his double's original life

[@thecrimsonbubbles]

I had to see the reaction to Bowie as Tesla and I was NOT disappointed 👌👌

[@jonathanramos8414]

Girl on the left omg❤

[@ph8429]

Its fun to rewatch and see which brother is Borden in any given scene

[@adrianstupariu4701]

Borden was writing Tesla on the note because his twin brother was make with Tesla machine too...:D

[@SanjeetKumar-gn6vc]

No

[@pvuccino]

I figured out the Fallon thing from the start! Then again, I've read an embarrassing amount of mystery novels!

[@ellesinky8667]

I love this movie!! I caught early on that Borden was played by Christian Bale, but my on-the-fly theory was time travel, I thought he was him from the future! So still wowed by the ending luckily.

[@MonsoonGeek]

The entire movie is a magic trick. This movie is a masterpiece.

[@Rotor_nator]

Since it’s almost Halloween, I think you would like Return of the Living Dead Stella!

[@kolajoabiola2790]

So glad you both got around to reacting to this one. It's Top 5 Nolan for me. Hope you both also react to Inception & Interstellar too sometime. Best wishes from Nigeria x

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

Hey Stella and Hayley, you should check out Penn & Teller's Fool Us. Basically it's a magic show where they invite people on to try and fool them. Since they have been in the game so long, they are trying to get that wonder of being tricked themselves. If someone does fool them, I believe they get to perform at one of their shows in Vegas as like an opening act. I've seen some amazing magic on that show. P&T perform at the end in a lot of episodes for the crowd as well.

[@MantineMantine]

You guys should watch The Descent 2.

[@crazysuicid]

you both should watch the illusionist

[@burnikshrapnel]

That's not Batman and Alfred. That's Batman and Wolverine.

[@Cafeman_2D]

One of my faves. Saw it at the theater, and many times after.

[@mightheal]

Now you should watch the competing movie The Illusioinist.

[@beterbomen]

Yeah, Olivia is probably the smartest one in this movie, and for realizing she didn't want anything to do with these two lunatics, the one who got off best. Unless "Lord Caldlow" accidentally left everything to his new daughter. That would be satisfying.

[@vincentletzner8638]

The best part of this movie was that it was dropping hints right from the start and all trough out.

[@TheDaringPastry1313]

Definitely have to watch a video showing all the hints tipping the viewer off that they were twin brothers. Love this movie even more on the second watch.

[@paulcurlin2789]

Yes. Scarlett and David Bowie♥

[@dsc5754]

Why lie, I'm just here to watch a movie and stare at Stella 🤷🏿‍♂️👁️ #shesdabomb 💥

[@Blazingstoke]

I remember this and another movie involving magic tricks, _The Illusionist,_ came out around the same time. As much as I enjoyed both films, I hate that they both devote a few minutes at the end of the movie to explaining how the tricks were done. They would have been made for much stronger films if they'd left a lot of that a mystery, so they audience would have to see the movie multiple times and figure it out for themselves.

[@jhornacek]

Batman vs. Wolverine with Alfred, Black Widow, and Klaw.

[@EliteLethal2]

Best Nolan's film... Ever.