The Prestige Movie Ending... Explained

[@lordbeerus8672]

I'm just glad that Christian Bale didn't really cut off his fingers for this movie

[@hotwing38]

Knowing bale, he probably thought about it

[@shubhamdabolkar3191]

@@hotwing38 As if you know him personally. Lol

[@captassassin5680]

hotwing38 seriously, the guy is a hardcore method actor! And god forbid you mess up a take he’s in!

[@lucasalce6010]

ahahah oh my god you made my day XD

[@phenomiclord261]

Shubham Dabolkar have you not seen “The Fighter”? That’s not CGI making home look skinny. He really dropped the weight to play that role.

[@exodustwentytwentytwoaus6344]

The best part of the prestige, was that Sarah(his wife) knew Borden was telling the truth or not whenever he said to her that he loved her, she could tell if it was him or not just by those words....love. Real or not.

[@tronalddump6768]

Then why did she killed herself?

[@blockbyblock4078]

@@tronalddump6768 because she didn't know the exact truth of it.

[@alisterfolson]

I thought he told her the truth and she just couldn't handle it

[@bobdob6293]

@@alisterfolson nah if he told her the truth it would've been easy to handle she'd know that the real man she loves always loves and loved her

[@aspirinhype5903]

​@@bobdob6293 after re-watched it, you will understand Borden's ideal as the best magician: never reveal your trick. When he revealed catching the bullet trick to her, her reaction let him down. So even when he and his twin brother performed the transported man (which was his most precious trick), they have determined not to reveal this to anyone, even to the their loved ones.

[@mrglass3617]

One of my all time favs. A twist on a twist on a twist. Have mercy on us Nolan. Amazing movie.

[@shotbro4998]

His best

[@samiulhaque8238]

He likes to that, a dream inside a dream inside a dream.

[@HamuelTheGrey]

Or, was it a twist? Maybe it was right in front of our eyes

[@mrglass3617]

Samuel L ThAts the last line right? That always make we yell what does that mean? Lol love the movie

[@HamuelTheGrey]

Adam R that’s what I was going for. It’s so awesome

[@ktwei]

Batman Vs Wolverine

[@elboogie2324]

With Alfred and Black Widow

[@Reb__bel]

That was the first thought that came to my mind when I first watched it

[@sayantandas1164]

With Deadpool directing

[@abemartinez9623]

lmfaooo i never realised

[@yvesnyfelerph.d.8297]

Incorporated...you will have to decide soon what team you are working for: Marvel? DC? Disney? Sony? No such thing as freedom of choice

[@rayray117]

i remember watching this in cinema and it blew my mind and couldn't stop thinking about this movie for a few weeks.

[@aidinsarvan5245]

your profile pic: "could u pay me in advance?"

[@hvivin7384]

@@aidinsarvan5245 🤣

[@LauraTeAhoWhite]

I had no idea that Nikola Tesla was played by David Bowie. Damn, he had some serious acting chops.

[@differentbombs]

Bruh how’d you not know that that was David Bowie

[@jackbennett6114]

I watched and thought, huh, that guy has different coloured eyes / different coloured pupils, just like David Bowie did, but I still didn't know it was him lol

[@dimebrad2760]

@christian miller yep Bowie was very convincing in Labyrinth I thought he had to be real as Jareth when I was a kid. Lol. Great actor.

[@rhaenentargaryen9996]

@robert punu better than Einstein you must be kidding

[@Stand_By_For_Mind_Control]

@Billy West Right? You can't hide Bowie from me no matter how hard you try.

[@imrannaim5234]

damn i just realized why Angies hired a blind man as one of his backstage assistants, so that he wouldnt be able to see the his self-clone-killing scenes!

[@charleneking7262]

And that there was even a tank! Every time he did it must look as though Borden put the tank there.

[@aleco761]

@@charleneking7262 what?

[@aurora_boketto7746]

so was can assume he was deaf to then? cuz I'm pretty sure he'd hear the guy struggling lol

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Lord Caldlow isn't Robert Angier's alias. Robert Angier is Lord Caldlow's alias. Angier's wife stated that Robert was playing someone else, where he replied that he would not embarrass his family with his theatrical endeavours. At the end of the film, Robert Angier revealed his true identity with his true accent. An English lord from the prestigious Caldlow family.

[@tyrroo]

Wait, there are people who are confused about that aspect? Jeez, how stupid!

[@Oi-zc1fn]

Mind-blown

[@369pendulum]

That doesn't make any sense bud.

[@jenuineamazing7776]

@@369pendulum What OP is saying is that Angiers real name is Lord Caldow and that he did not want to embarrass the family name so he changed it to his fake name Robert Angier. Not sure if it is true or not but its a good theory and makes sense if you think about it.

[@369pendulum]

Jenuine Amazing The movie makes it clear that he cloned himself, dozens of times. You can’t make up theories that are hinted at in the movie.

[@brandons6167]

I want to point out one theme of the movie that no one seems to talk about: The means and motives each magician has. I saw that Borden always used the most rudimentary methods to perform his tricks. It was only through his hard work and dedication to theatrics in all aspects of his life/lives that he could make such extraordinary things appear real. Angier on the other hand wants the easiest method in order to receive the prestige that he wants. The whole reason to get Tesla's machine was essentially Angier's way of finding "true" magic. What each man does with their craft is very telling of their desires. In the end Angier only wants praise for being the best. He chooses to walk away from magic after he has clearly demonstrated that he is the better magician. Putting Borden in jail as revenge for his wife's death was only what he told himself was the sole motive. Angier used true magic to exact petty vengeance and one-upsmanship. Borden on the other hand uses the simplest methods for his tricks. The incredible sacrifices he makes for his art are what gives him such amazing results. His use of misdirection and sleight of hand ultimately allowed him to give a girl her father back. You could say that each man performed amazing feats of "magic". But just look at what each was rewarded with in the end. I believe there is a wealth of discussion on this topic alone.

[@redforestx7371]

Darn, couldn't have summed it up better. I absolutely loved the inclusion of that theme.

[@uglyvegan7945]

There is also the fact that Angier has a ton of money that Borden doesn't. He can afford fancy contraptions whereas Borden is just barely making a living off of his magic.

[@iseehowitis9382]

No shit captain obvious

[@havre-eliasyohan4756]

Brandon S It feels like you describe Tesla when you talk about Borden, and Edison when you describe Angier. Maybe the whole movie is about this, the battle between these two magic scientist.

[@rv1111]

I was still hoping that, angi had another clone of his , Living and hidden somewhere

[@hisyambanana]

Of course cutter will help borden. cutter is his butler.

[@THEcucufate]

You, my good sir, are the real magician and Nolan of this video's comments LOL

[@ivespoken8902]

@@THEcucufate fucking butler :) Joker should have killed him

[@marcosperez3151]

Did Cutter knew Borden had a twin brother?

[@gclarke_x]

Respectfully, I think you may have missed the mark here, though someone must've said so in the year plus since this video was posted. Angier scoffing at the idea of pretending to be someone he's not isn't actually unthinkable to him. In the very scene he tells his wife that he couldn't imagine pretending his whole life she calls him out for doing exactly that. Angier is really a British aristocrat (Lord Caldlow) masquerading as an American to keep from "embarrassing his family with his theatrical endeavors". This has to be one of the most nuanced and meticulous screenplays ever written. "Are you watching closely?"

[@369yew]

hes was lord crawford the whole time?

[@micheledickey4066]

kgtgks exactly. Read through all the comments. You will learn soo much

[@ironsentinel6047]

@@369yew No he wasn't. He was THE GREAT DANTOOOOOONNNNN!!

[@wakatpr6583]

Yeah so this is either a plot hole, or the actual evidence that angier didn’t need to kill all his double and that maybe there weren’t any double at all

[@charleneking7262]

But it's not quite the same. Angier pretends because he loves magic. That's all. He is pretending. He probably even goes home from time to time. He becomes obsessed when his wife dies at creating (or duplicate) one last and great illusion to trap Borden because he blames him for her death. The purpose of the Chinese magician was the greatest illusion of the 'Borden' twins shared life, not really even their Transported Man act. They are way beyond pretending. They're are living it--they NEVER stop when they are not alone. NO ONE but them knows they are two men, not doubles, but twins! Anyone will speculate at some point that it must be double, even Angier says that's easy--they were able to find one for him pretty quickly. But the secret and sacrifice of sharing an entire life, equally, for the prestige of THAT illusion. And living in a world of magic sharing the experience as equally as possible. They weren't hurting anyone. It unravels when one of them misses sharing the details of that knot situation w/Angier's wife and them falling in love. There is no way they could share the love of the woman each fell in love with.

[@vikramadityapaul7400]

Another rare example of the movie being better than the novel. All thanks to Nolan.

[@ninamarysan1]

It’s all based on making a greater version of an already established one. The disappearing bird, which dies each time. A replica of the films finale. I know it obvious. It’s just he didn’t really mention it.

[@Oi-zc1fn]

Definitely the ultimate foreshadowing

[@2Ten1Ryu]

Wow, I hadn't noticed that.

[@kevinp665]

Wow you explained that in a few sentences what this guy tried to hard to do in 17 minutes and a youtube video later.... sometimes it doesn’t take an evaluation and deep analysis...

[@daviddemaria3982]

This movie is brilliant

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

@@kevinp665 but wait--- there is a second level... Nolan ALSO uses the characters and stories to "warn us" as an audience, what he does... he prepares the trick, the "pledge" setting up the magician's feud, the one up man ship, the quest to discover HOW the respective other does his trick... then WHAM... the turn, he smashes the mystery, reveals it all to us, shows the nasty truth that it's all just smoke and mirrors and a scifi machine cloning people leaving hundreds dead for a show... we stand there gaping like the audience, asking "was that all"... and THEN he puts in the prestige, the reveal, the small flourish at the end... a tiny bit of doubt, a question "or is it??" and we are back to musing and speculating and searching for the hidden angle we never saw... ;-) doing the movie magic FOR Nolan...

[@tupejope554]

This is my understanding of what happened, somebody correct me if I'm wrong: Angier gets a copy of Borden's encoded diary. Angier decodes it after forcing the keyword "TESLA" from Borden. To me that means that Borden knew what Tesla was doing and what he had achieved with his machine. Why else would his encoded diary contain the secret that is "TESLA"? How could Borden know what Tesla had achieved? Because he had visited Tesla previously and used his machine. Borden had created a clone of himself. That clone is his "twin brother". Borden just never spills that secret in the movie, not once. He maintains the clone is his brother all along. That machine is the reason he was able to pull of cool tricks with his clone and why for him the uttermost secret is "TESLA". When Borden goes to see Angier's new transported man trick, he kinda knows that he is using the cloning properties of the machine but he doesn't know how Angier has solved the issue of creating too many clones of himself. He is shocked to find that Angier kills himself at every show to limit the number of clones running around. This is my interpretation of the movie: that also Borden cloned himself once and that is his "twin brother". And that is the secret at the end of the movie we don't see and are not told at any point. We just have to pile all the evidence and realize it ourselves.

[@randyqquaint8400]

Huh. Never looked at it as such. I do admit, I like this interpretation.

[@ChuchusHuee]

I was thinking the same, but maybe you're wrong. Tesla didn't knew his machine works until Angier came and found a pile of his clone hats. Then told Tesla about it.

[@EMPERORSPROTECTION-TERRA4LIFE]

Wow! Never even thought about that. But it makes sense when i think about it. Makes the movie even better.

[@jasonlam8588]

You're over thinking it, Borden gave the code TESLA because Tesla at that time was a pioneer and inventing new things with electricity so Angier would easily believe Tesla is the clue to his trick. Watch the movie again Borden does say in his diary that he tricked Angier into going to America and not finding anything. No Borden didn't clone himself, Tesla only started building the machine when Angier visited and didn't even know it worked.

[@daviddemaria3982]

Interesting

[@fenixds]

A pretty ironic point, when they go see the Chinese magician you are correct that Borden points out the lifestyle act in order to sell the illusion and Angier scoffs at the dedication it would take to live that different life. However, the irony here is that is exactly what he is doing from the start of the movie. In the bedroom scene with his wife he proclaims how he couldnt live his entire life pretending to be someone else. Then she tells him to simply use his real name and he mentioned that he wouldn't do that because he did not want to embarrass his family with his theatrics, the Cordleau family, hes hiding in his own backyard with an american accent simply to perform/be a magician. Its a throw away line that you suspect means nothing, but the symmetry fits so well, I just think thats a nice little wrinkle that people dont pick up on all the time but it fits so well into the story.

[@jeremyarcus-goldberg9543]

Great point. Very few reviews pick up on this symmetry.

[@dealerovski82]

Wow, I never knew the book had such a weak ending. No wonder Nolan picked it up and fixed it. He saw the true greatness of the story.

[@Zejakov]

What was it?

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@Zejakov Didn't you watch the video?

[@ivespoken8902]

@@Zejakov angier apparently lives on but Nolan said no Wolverine, Batman is still my favorite superhero.

[@newrockerofficial294]

@@ivespoken8902 If you watch the final seconds of the film, Angier does live on. He is in the Water Tank holding his breath' you can see air bubbles above his head.

[@theonephilly6017]

@@newrockerofficial294pretty good lungs 🫁

[@addo-hillpropertymanagemen2604]

Absolute masterpiece of a film. Couldn’t have been made any better by other actors special effects or explanations.

[@internziko]

The prestige is IMHO one of the greatest movies of all time.

[@micdoses1]

IMHO behind interstellar

[@l3eastoo]

@@micdoses1 yea interstellar is my fav movie also

[@thurin84]

well played christopher nolan. well played. let us fool ourselves, by fooling ourselves.

[@dcdelacruise]

I think this is his intention all along, LOL

[@hrpproductions53]

Bro angier cud have created his double and he cud have done the same thing which he did with his look alike root instead of dying everytime in the water tub

[@musthavechannel5262]

@@hrpproductions53 But angier was self-centered. He dumped a successful trick just because he had to be under the stage for finale.

[@hrpproductions53]

@@musthavechannel5262 bro but in this case both are angiers, conscious angiers

[@nlg070301]

@@hrpproductions53 Angier didn't want to make the sacrifice of leading a double/half life like Borden, so ultimately his downfall was selfishness and egotism, as opposed to Borden's total commitment to his craft.

[@ericm3327]

There’s a few things you are missing, Angier wasn’t drowning himself for Penance he was doing it for three other reasons. 1. To keep the secret of the machine. A clone could kill him and take his place or reveal the secret. 2. He wanted to be the best and could never share the spotlight, much less with something he would no doubt consider an affront to God 3. He wanted to use it as a trap for Borden. He doesn’t reappear when Borden goes back stage that last time, he clearly spots him or has a spotter find him. Also the tragedy is that he is not drowning his clones at all... He’s drowned his real self ever since the first performance. The machine works the same way every time and the duplicate is the one made AWAY from the machine, he goes under as he stands right under the machine. He claims he never knew which one he would be, in the tank or on the balcony, but of course he would have to rationalize that, he thinks he is the same person. But the machine only works one way

[@LBizKid04]

So you're saying he didn't reappear when Borden went down below the stage? That makes sense, because I was wondering how he was convicted of murder if Angier was in the balcony, I guess I missed that part

[@henrytownshend8862]

If the clone survives then why would he have the memories of drowning

[@shannonbright9942]

pay close attention to the cat when they test it. it reveals something

[@ericm3327]

@@henrytownshend8862 that’s the only way it could have the memory the real him would have never drowned right?

[@ericm3327]

@@shannonbright9942 it’s an old movie feel free to just state what you think it reveals

[@Book_Dragon2562]

Personally I think the point of the final voiceover is that you can’t perform a great trick without getting your hands dirty, and audiences don’t want to know that. They don’t want to believe the bird that goes into the cage must die so that they can have a moment of wonder. We don’t want to know if there’s more because this story is already more than we as an audience are comfortable with knowing.

[@scottholbrey5659]

Just like how we don't want to know how the burger gets made we just want to eat it.

[@FALL-LAFF-7477]

@@scottholbrey5659 Just like how we know world create and how world changed constantly, but we don't know why we live in this world....

[@chriscringlecm]

@@FALL-LAFF-7477 we're trying to figure it out but are we really trying our hardest? do we really want to know why we're here or do we like the wonder?

[@fernandesadrienne28]

I don't care about Angier dying but why kill the bird 😭😭😭

[@j.dragon651]

@@FALL-LAFF-7477 the creation is the creator, you are a sense organ for the creation.

[@user-lm8zg4md5r]

This is one of my favourite movies of all time, so many double meanings and clues. It's a masterpiece. One thing that gets missed more than most is the fact that Borden told us he uses a double when he found Angiers double in the pub and hinted at the power dynamics in the relationship between performer and trickster. We were told but didn't pay attention like they said.

[@charleneking7262]

But even Angier says a double is too easy. It's more than that. People will naturally first suspect there's two, but not twins!! For Borden the clue's in the bird trick, the little boy asks 'but where's his brother?' and the old Chinese Magician, where the trick is that NOONE can know he is old, because there's one trick ONLY THE MAGICIAN KNOWS THE TRUTH. So only the twins know their twins (not a double).

[@pattonwebb3931]

Yooo. My twin brother gets two fingers cut off and he comes to me, “ hey man ima need you to chop your two off.” Ummm naw twin bro, ima head out

[@johnhaywood512]

Deuces 😂😂😂

[@vishnunair7623]

Aaaah shit here we go again

[@MrPrime-mt8dd]

lame

[@jcpaylor]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@parrishharris3008]

Facts, i ain't with it.

[@hannibalseca5661]

You can tell the 2 brothers apart from there eyebrows. 1 had a slit in his eyebrow.

[@jerseydemic]

He would kill the double every night because he already learned not to allow another man power over him. So every night the secret had to die with the double.

[@GriFFonRec4]

He's not killing his double though. He's killing himself and letting his double go as him.

[@datboi7990]

@@GriFFonRec4 thank you for having a brain

[@datboi7990]

you're stupid jersey

[@patricgmuer2988]

If you think about it, after preforming the act over and over and over again, to him, he’s been very very lucky and has always been the one that survived, and he knows one of these days he’s going to be the one that drowns.

[@PaulSchober]

@@patricgmuer2988 I think he was trying to fool himself with that "I never knew which one I'd be, the man on the balcony or the man in the tank" line. I think he knew full well that "he" would drop into that tank, he just didn't really know if "he" would feel like he was "transported" to the balcony or not, where "his" consciousness would "go". He surely suspected (by watching his first double's reaction before being shot) that the person on the balcony would think he'd been transported, but that would just be a "double". I agree with the narrator here - Angier did this trick every night in order to frame Borden and also prove to him that he's the better magician, and it was worth it to him to drown every night. But that first night must have been difficult. Pretty much certain that "you" will die a horrible death, and "another you" will be taking the bows on the balcony.

[@TheSpoonwood]

I went to the bathroom at the exactly wrong times.

[@Omni-Man195]

So a guy discovers a machine that can make quantum copies of any material and decides to use this advance technology to... perform magic tricks...?

[@DwayneHicks426]

I vote for money

[@roon7799]

To some, legacy is greater than money

[@nopejoeandangie]

@@DwayneHicks426 but what about the cost

[@gilangtrifebriyanto6469]

Dude is insane. What do you expect, a rational decision?

[@inflammatorycommentswithno2407]

Did you just place quantum in there to sound smart lmfao

[@funnyfoxbird]

One inaccuracy in this synopsis: when Angier is trapped in the tank below his clone never reappeared which is why Borden was able to be framed. Angier doesn’t reappear until the jail scene as Lord Caldlow. The scene where you showed the clone reappearing was from when he initially did the trick in public. Also he didn’t choose drown himself because of the guilt over his wife he drowned his self because John Cutter told him that a friend said it was a peaceful painless death “it felt like going home”. He also probably chose to keep cloning himself instead of using himself as a double because he wanted to one up Borden, he was obsessed.

[@TheyCallMeBabii]

He drowned himself over the guilt of his wife. After his wife died he tried to drown himself in the bathroom sink...Cutter told him it was like going home to help him deal with the way his wife died. He somewhat felt closer to her dying the way she did...and I wonder about why he didn't reappear at the end of the trick as well...did he hear Borden yelling and knew he couldn't come out???

[@GeekyNerdThao93]

He had no need to drown his clones, they could've just been doing double roles every night like his original double, but Angier wanted to see Borden lose. Along with that, he also wanted Borden to pay for the death of his wife. He tried to shoot Borden earlier in the movie and that didn't work out, but nevertheless, he still wanted Borden dead. So I believe the killing of his clones was just a non-stop plan in motion to ultimately bait Borden in and get him sentenced to death.

[@nopejoeandangie]

He knew drowning was not a peaceful death. Angier attempted to drown himself in a sink to see what his wife felt like in her final moments. During her funeral you could see his face processing the rage at the lies Michael Caine was telling about "going home" because Angier knew it was a terrible way to die.

[@blakeharris58]

@@GeekyNerdThao93 this. He does the trick only (I forget the number) times to make sure Borden will be compelled to come snooping.

[@jasonlam8588]

@@GeekyNerdThao93 He never thought of keeping a double alive because of his experience with hiring a double and he got the upper hand. You can see this when he first cloned himself he had to shoot the double. But then he wanted to frame Borden for killing himself as revenge, that's why he said he wanted to put 100 shows so that Borden can't ignore. He chose the water tank to drown because Cutter said it is like going home, you can see his face turns into regret when Cutter reveals that he lied and it was agony.

[@moses9647]

I just suggested this movie to a friend (it's one of my absolute favourites) and he was unimpressed by the final reveal and I think that's the beauty of the attention to theme in this movie. The movie tells us several times that there's nothing special about the secret, the magic is in the illusion and we're better off being fooled.

[@Post2011pictures]

I love your breakdown of one of my favorite films. I think the one mystery we overlooked is that there are 3 main magicians but we focus on two. Michael Cain performed the final prestige act by bringing Borden back after he found out what Angier did to his daughter. Thus the films opening narrator Cutter (Michael) is the most important magician in the film while we only focus just Angier and Borden. He literally ended up performing the act he narrated in the beginning.

[@jeremyarcus-goldberg9543]

Great point about the meta story.

[@riod43]

The greatest trick was the film was made to also parallel the art and beauty of filmmaking itself.

[@muhammadhendry642]

Tesla machine copy: Angier Hat, Cat, Angier, Water tank. Why Tesla not copy gold, for his funding 😁😁😁

[@deeppatne]

Because he himself had no idea that the things were getting cloned. While moving out of his lab Angier first noticed the cat being duplicated

[@UnlistedAccount1]

Muhammad Hendry that would be the same as printing more money. The more gold in circulation, the less each unit is worth

[@cameronb851]

@Guy Mcface - I'd say no, he wouldn't, given that he warned Angier that the machine was dangerous and that he shouldn't use it. Perhaps you forgot that part of the film. Tesla believed that nothing good could come from the machine and he was right.

[@alphatrion100]

@@UnlistedAccount1 not if you are the only one printing money and nobody knew about it.

[@fedepadu182]

Director: How many twists do you want in this movie. Christopher Nolan: Yes But wait, Christopher Nolan IS the director 🤔

[@dabenci9709]

A twisted twist by the twister

[@lynngatrell7965]

My favorite Nolan movie. Hands down, and that's saying a lot.

[@meesush2312]

interstellar boi

[@shayan357]

@@meesush2312 hell no memento and prestige are his best ones interstellar is actually one of his sloppier ones that third act smh

[@thatguy1488]

eating sugar no papa fax interstellar Is the best movie of all time

[@vie3147]

Imagine Bill Gates and Steve Jobs killing each other.

[@lockministry]

I can't believe I clicked on this video. I didn't know I needed the ending explained to this film lol.

[@illones2196]

I think we are missing something at the end..tesla was the magician😉

[@user-lm8zg4md5r]

Cutter called him a wizard, someone who can actually do what magicians pretend to do.

[@ronniemitchell6170]

cutter is actually the only one who knows the truth of both parties.....so he is the true villain

[@lukaslakas6697]

Ronnie Mitchell yeah he is the magician he used both of them for his grand magic (which is the film) and we are the audience. we are tricked by him.

[@ronniemitchell6170]

Lukas Lakas touche...touche...

[@saikrishnapujari]

Tesla's clone may be ?

[@clueso_]

The Prestige was an absolutely amazing movie!

[@tonykellycomedy]

My favourite film ever. Absolutely amazing.

[@mishner6029]

You didnt mention how Hugh Jackmans character spoke with an American accent the whole movie and then at the end when he identity swapped he was speaking in a British accent. Showing he was also pretending to be someone hes not.

[@davelanger]

yeah Angler even said that was not his real name in the movie because he did not want to embarrass his family.

[@369yew]

@@davelanger family?

[@davelanger]

@@369yew He was rich, his family were huge deals. You can see how rich his family was at the end of the movie, in that huge mansion.

[@369yew]

@@davelanger true

[@davelanger]

@@369yew yeah he said earlier in the movie he changed his last name to prevent his family from being embarrassed.

[@TheEthNick]

What a movie. What a Director. What acting! This is what Cinema is all about - making your audience think long & hard about what they’ve watched.

[@PrimeTime__]

My favorite movie of all time. The more you watch it, the more the "secrets" of the script is revealed to you. Great writing and execution.

[@HassanKhan-ei2wh]

The clone is the exact duplicate so doesn't matter which one die or live one of them faces death the other lives and both have same memories even the clones can't tell who fake. All think they are Angier and no one is original or fake.

[@mp7950]

He also thought he would find peace as he was told “It was like going home” which he later found to be a lie.

[@davelanger]

The duplicate is always the one who comes out of the machine. So he is always killing himself when he steps into the machine.

[@zkatzos]

@@davelanger if one man steps into a machine and two emerge with identical memories, experiences, personalities, how can you tell which is the duplicate and which is the original? Yes he is killing himself every night, but the Angier that appears afterwards is just as much Angier as the original

[@kundan4176]

So you think the bloody machine actually worked?

[@jawwad484]

@@kundan4176 Exactly! You can't just clone yourself with some crappy lightning! Tesla fooled him with buying the exact copy of hats and cats. He also realized it and used his 5 or 6 doubled as it's said in the film that it was limited and it was his last show and thats why he killed his double. Also in the movie Cutter said that it was an ordinary box. He did this to show Bordan.

[@lukaslakas6697]

I watched this film with my sister when im on my 8th grade and i was bored to death but now im very grateful that he brought me, after 6 years i watched it again and now its my favorite film of alltime. I think i watched this film 20 times and I still like it.

[@sobrokeboi]

I was super pleased with myself for knowing that bordan would say abracadabra when he was hung but i didn't have anyone to share it with because i was watching the movie alone 😔

[@micheledickey4066]

OMG same here. Lol

[@BrokTheLoneWolf]

ABRA = Alfred Borden Robert Angier

[@vitomancino8613]

I've watched this movie 4 times now and I never noticed the two young men part from the journal. That's why this movie is so special, there's always more to learn.

[@ericm3327]

One of my favorite movies of all time, it is almost perfect

[@swayamjoshi7667]

world wasnt ready for this masterpiece at that time......this was by far the best movie with the best cinematography and screenplay of nolan

[@ryanhayward2161]

One of my favorite movies. This was spectacular.

[@Evaquiel]

"Making something dissapear isn't enough. You have to make it come back" Just like Borden came back to her daughter by virtue of their trick of duplicating themselves.

[@blakeharris58]

Two things after watching this video. 1. Borden didn't do anything. There's no proof that the drowning was his fault. 2. The death of Angiers wife *WAS* Borden/Fallon's fault. If they hadn't been switching all the time the knot would have been tied correctly.

[@CamGold]

And his wife Sarah Borden would also still be alive. the fact he was so dedicated to his craft (like Chung Ling Soo) that he did not reveal the secret to even his wife, which led her to kill herself.

[@Sephiroth32vergil]

This movie is just utter brilliance. From start to finish it's compelling and builds on the story without wasting a second. What I love most is that even if you notice that Borden and Fallon are twins and you figure out that Angier is killing himself every performance. Even if you guess correctly every twist it's directed and shot so well that it's still compelling.

[@noahmarley1610]

This means that every time Angier asks Borden "what knot did you tie" and Borden always responded with "I don't know", Borden actually doesn't know because it was his brother that tied the knot.

[@Cyraxxxxxxxsssstylus]

No because he was switching between his fallon and borden personas SO much he genuinely didnt know which persona tied the knot. Because they were both borden and Fallon.

[@jaypxl]

I've just watched 3/4 videos around The Prestige's plot and this one explains it the best! Thank you.

[@IlliniDog01]

"You want to be fooled. But, you wouldn't clap yet, because making something disappear isn't enough. You have to bring it back... the hardest part, the part we call The Prestige" Borden and Fallon are the true protagonists in the movie. The movie is about their greatest trick. Without knowing it, one of them would be killed, but any magician can make something disappear. Their greatest trick will be when the dead brother is brought back. When Borden/Fallon sees another drowned Angier in the tank he realizes that he can use Tesla's machine to make a duplicate of himself. Because Borden and Fallon had shared their life so completely they were essentially clones, so the clone he can make with Tesla's machine will, in essence, bring his dead brother back. Ta-Da!

[@e.starling141]

Interesting thought.

[@pwcho50]

What this movie made me think about was which Borden brother was in each scene. Even though they agreed to live the same life, there were still slight differences between the two. No one knew this better than his wife, Sarah.

[@wolverineiscool7161]

right and did they sleep with each others wives...and maybe the wife suspected it and thats why she died?

[@shawnn7502]

Incredible movie. The last five minutes after "Are you watching closely?" was so tense that it reminded me of the ending of SEVEN. Never thought of this before, but I just realized that ultimately Borden's trick was better than Angier's. Or hard work and crazy commitment was better than the "path" of Angier basically buying his trick after obsessing about it. Why was Borden's trick better? Because Borden was alive at the end with his daughter. Point. Set. Match.

[@Failp0p]

There is a time Fallon get buried by Angier and threatened Borden to give out his secret, he wrote Tesla... I am fooling myself now.

[@muhammadhendry642]

Tesla give him time machine. Back to past, take young Borden, and copy him with Angier machine in the future. Foila young Borden got twin brother.

[@chrisdickens254]

Plot twist: Borden killed Angier's drunk double from earlier in the film

[@quanguyen]

Perhaps it was Fallon who incorrectly tied the knot that caused Angier's wife's death in act 1. Hence why he did not know for sure which knot he'd tied.

[@BBOYkiingKONG]

Wow, my main question is, who tied the double knot??? But thinking it through, it's the brother who got hanged. He couldn't bring himself to go to the funeral or face Angier. That's why the other brother went with no guilt and always said "I don't know what knot I tied." Plus that brother (who tied the double knot) and Angier had a thing for Scarlette Johansons's character.

[@ChuckDickens24]

Well said. It also would be consistent since the Freddy twin was more generally more aggressive and risk prone than Al. He would've been the one who failed to heed Cutter's warning to Borden about using that knot on Julia. It's such a phenomenal bit of writing, directing and acting in that scene where Freddy ties the single. He asks her with a look and she ever so slightly nods her encouragement. Still even with that ambiguity, trying it that way after the warning was reckless as hell. I mean if you want to prove the point you don't have to try it literally during the performance when it's literally the most dangerous timing, freaking artists lol that's some good shit.

[@horror_fam0847]

A real underrated movie in my own opinion well acted well written a real twist ending one of my favorite Nolan films

[@Ming-mj4be]

This is one of the best movies I have ever watched aside from Memento, Inception, The Dark Knight, and Interstellar, which happens to be directed by the same man, Christopher Nolan. He's a genius. 💯💞

[@Royo2013]

Yeah don't forget Jonathan, his bro

[@shammendraeshwar433]

when watching nolan's movies,we want to get our mind blown,that is his greatest weapon as a story teller.

[@haridee7968]

christopher nolan is genius he showed the whole movie in the intro scene with multiple yellow birds in the cages . Comparison to Jacks character being caged in multiple water tanks

[@EricAKATheBelgianGuy]

Occam's razor in Borden's act, perhaps - the simplest answer if the correct one.

[@2serveand2protect]

ONE QUESTION - Borden/Fallon are supposed to be "twins" - right? ...but Angiers comes to discover Tesla's "miraculous machine" only AFTER he steals borden's tricks' diary and then it is Borden himself who gives him the cipher-key - a written word with a name on it - "TESLA", so Borden/Fallon know about the machine. Question is...are they "real-life twins" or just one "original" PLUS A CLONE?

[@sayantandas1164]

They were original twins, believe me because Borden always believed in dedication and sacrifice and he never would do that using a simple machine, it's just a trick deviced by Nolan for distraction. The real massage in the characters of the two magicians and their views on the magic.

[@2serveand2protect]

@@sayantandas1164 That still does not mean Borden did not use the "Tesla-machine" (quite the opposite actually!). They can be twins born out of the "Tesla-machine", but UNLIKE ANGIERS, Borden did not kill his clone - they DECIDED to live the part of "real-life" twins, simply because Borden ISN'T LIKE ANGIERS. He believes in giving his clone a REAL-LIFE (by SACRIFICING A PART OF HIS OWN). That is also a "true-life" sacrifice - just from another (let's say) - point of view. Angiers doesn't believe in that total commitment - he believes only in himself and he KILLS his "clones". That is JUST ANOTHER EXPLANATION! :D There is one fact, though! - i.e: Borden and Fallon do not share the same characters' traits - for example: they fall in love with different women - ergo: they possess different tastes, fantasies & personal preferences (JUST LIKE REAL-LIFE TWINS WOULD HAVE!) but that ALSO is explained by Tesla himself in the movie - his machine doesn't "work perfectly" - it doesn't create 100% EXACT "replicas" - maybe only their physical traits are a "perfect match" - characters (what renders the human being UNIQUE) - are another story. Tesla's "miracolous-machine" cannot replicate human BEHAVIOURS or..."tastes & preferences" and even Tesla doesn't know how his machine TRULY works (which he admits in the movie, afterall) - hence the slight character differences. Alltogether considered - we are not really sure even of that! :) FOR ME - the true difference between Borden and Angiers is that the first regards his clone as a REAL "TWIN" (ergo: a HUMAN BEING) - Angiers sees only danger in giving him a real-life chance - his "tricks", his "stage-secrets" and - most of all! - his OWN "STAGE-GLORY" and FAME as a performer on the stage - he feels all that would be under threat - he sees his clones not as "twins" or even human beings - just COMPETITION! ...so he KILLS THEM ALL. For me that is the main (and even deeper, not to mention MUCH SIMPLIER) difference between Angiers and Borden. Angiers is (basically) a selfish sociopath, if not psychopath. Borden VALUES LIFE - even the one that has been just "cloned". That is just a perspective very common in many Sci-Fi movies. PS. ANYWAY! It's nice to have a small ..."chat about logics" with someone who likes to "pick up the glove"! :) Best regards & HAVE FUN! (...though not TOO much fun, if possible!...) ;)

[@sayantandas1164]

@@2serveand2protect Yeah, I understand and appreciate your point of view, it's really possible and may be true but for me the real events of the story or, rather how I want to view the story is what I had mentioned earlier. Using a clone machine to replicate a clone is quite simplification of the story which is not familiar in Nolan's narrative. Now why we like Borden a little more than Angier when they seem to be the same Vindictive? It's because Borden believes in the true illusion and tricks of magic which he wants to achieve by dedication, on another hand Angier despite being a good magician always follows jealousy which brought all the fetal incidence. Now what you said could really be possible but as I have mentioned Bordan believes in purity he wouldn't do a beforehand trick which is unnatural for him. He simply didn't know what was coming so he couldn't plan a trick like that but again it could be an accident also so it's an open debate and I would happy if they were real twins.😊

[@2serveand2protect]

@@sayantandas1164 Have a nice day! ;)

[@sayantandas1164]

@@2serveand2protect you too:-)

[@paulcoffield2102]

I must admit, when I first watched it, I had no clue about Fallon/Borden. Well played Nolan.

[@jackaloperabbit6648]

Abracadabra

[@kundan4176]

When he said it, I was thinking like plz god, keep him alive!

[@ivespoken8902]

f you harry potter lol

[@chloewalsh8077]

My only issue with this simple explanation is why Borden sent Angier to Tesla. Borden KNEW of Tesla and must’ve known what he could’ve done in order to send Angier there, and Angier believed that it was Tesla who made the duplicating man trick for Borden. In this case, had Borden been to Tesla before? Were Borden and Fallon clones of each other from Tesla’s work? After all, Tesla’s machine worked the whole time (just without Tesla’s knowledge). If so, it would reveal a great paradoxical theme in the movie as to how Angier believed he committed the greatest sacrifice by having to kill one of his clones nightly, yet it was really Borden who had the heaviest sacrifice with having to live with his clone (we can see this difference earlier in the movie with the cripple magician and their reaction to the fake crippleness). Thoughts?

[@Devgal89]

Theres a scene early on where Tesla is in London that both Borden and Angier are at. Thats where Borden gets the idea to send Angier on a wild goose chase

[@TwoHandsNY]

Well....... I think the bigger picture of this film is that when faced with the truth we sometimes just don't want to accept it or believe those that see it more clearly than we can. "We really don't want to see". living life based on a false perception of reality that others (even those that we trust with out most precious secrets) try to get us to see causes us to go to great lengths NOT to see and can ultimately leads to our destruction.

[@PaulSchober]

I just love the parallel with the bird cage trick: as with the Bordens and Angiers, "brothers" died to perform the trick. :)

[@carlolombardi4622]

*Takes hit* The real meaning of the ending is that this entire time Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale have been fighting to see which one of them is more handsome. So Hugh Jackman came up with a plan to clone himself because what could be better than one Hugh Jackman? Two of them. However, the Hugh Jackman copy could never live with being the "2nd Hugh Jackman" so in an evil elaborate trap he would drown the original. However, once the trap worked the first time Hugh Jackman forgot to tell the blind def crew to stop setting it up, so he fell into the trap again! Thus continuing the cycle of madness until it is broken by Christian Bale. Just when it seemed all was lost and Hugh Jackman would become more handsome, it turns out there have been two Christian Bales this entire time. Without the cloning machine Hugh Jackman alone could never be more handsome than 2 Christian Bales.

[@thekcsugethe_kc_suge7930]

Borden also says to his brother(Fallon) off screen not to go back to Angier show. That he’s won. Borden/Fallon then tells Fallon/Borden just before his hanging he should’ve listened to him and not gone back to the show

[@randolphvictorconstantine7765]

I'm BATMAN!!... and I'm WOLVERINE!!!

[@PongoXBongo]

...and I'm ALFIE!!

[@misterqmbebe6734]

And I...............am .......Iron man.. *snap*

[@golternator333]

You are exactly right. Borden trusts his brother. Angier doesn't trust himself. Why does de shoot his clone? Precisely because it IS a clone, not a brother. He knows exactly what the clone thinks. He knows that if he doesn't shoots his clone, the clone shoots him.

[@wolverineiscool7161]

The fact that cutter didnt know how angier was perfoming the trick pissed me off...i mean if he had known...how could he have not known...but lets say if he had he would never have christian bale go to jail

[@usedscar]

The ending perfectly matches the idea of the film itself as a magic trick. Good analysis.

[@TheAbetastic]

You did miss one thing. The thing that confirms this video's theory I believe. At the end of Cutter's monolog there is a shot of him putting on his jacket, looking to the right and then to the left. For a split of a second he looks at the camera. 16:25 You said that his monologue is almost breaking the 4th wall and talking to the audience making the prestige to be Borden's twin brother and the clone machine smoke and mirrors. He is not almost breaking the 4th wall. He is breaking it in it's totality and your theory is solid as diamond my friend. I always wondered why Nolan left that shot thinking it to be a mistake at first. Not a mistake but a trick.

[@MrBigballs1997]

One thing that was foreshadowing that y’all missed was that there was a scene after the wife died where hugh jackman asking why knot did he tie on his wife and Christian bale replied something like “I don’t know, I can’t remember” that’s because his twin tied up the woman that night and he went to the funeral actually not knowing what knot was used because he didn’t do it

[@magnusberge]

One of the most chilling endings to a movie .. ever

[@ItsTimePictures]

What a pleasure it was to see this film in a theater with a packed audience. Just amazing

[@gopmario]

I loved this film and think it’s incredibly underrated. Great breakdown!

[@danielwang4904]

By the very beginning of the movie, there were actually three magic going on simultaneously, the two magic that were displayed on screen and the Bonner's three act: the focus on execution tools, the death of twin, and the ultimate reveal in front of his daughter. All three magic had made magicians' hand dirty along with sacrifices, and used a simple yet well planned tricks. No doubt, this is my favorite movie for me by far.

[@luffy6025]

I think the film also hints at Angier being a clone. When he first clones himself, he is saying "No, wait I'm the real..." before getting shot by - what I think - his clone. Plus the clone appears somewhere else in the room, just like with the Tesla machine. And I think it means that Angier is so greedy and distrustful of himself that he literally ended up killing his originial self immediately, before even coming up with the water tanks. He couldn't live Bordens life for even one second.

[@EmmaTheSwede]

Hmm, I don’t really understand.. do you mean that when Angier stands on the platform (with lightning) for the first time, the real Angier is transported to the cabinet and the clone takes his place on the platform?

[@alexitorico6686]

@@EmmaTheSwede The original Angier dies and the clone is transported. This is shown when the hat was tested. Remember all the multiple duplicate hats that Angier found outside? So that concludes the duplicates were transported. So the original Angier died long after the first show.

[@MrBa143]

@@alexitorico6686 You wouldn't possibly know if the duplicated hat were transported, or the original hat were transported. As long as either one gets transported, one will remain and the other will pile up.

[@tusharbhalerao3860]

I think one important point you missed when Angie goes through the machine it is the clown who falls in the water or original one. Because Prestige was very important for him, to get recognition instead of staying down the stage.

[@carltonmcgee8878]

Basically someone or something has to be sacrificed in order to achieve a great trick. Peace.

[@adhynugroho9424]

Every time Nolan is about to release his newest piece, I always seem to go down a rabbit hole on YT and watch deep commentary about his previous films.

[@aryancool7175]

great masterpiece from christopher nolan. Hes the best director. n best performances by Christian bale n Hugh Jackman

[@Ptinski]

What a fascinating story of illusion, obsession and our never-ending ability to keep fooling ourselves. The direction by Chris Nolan is also tricking us by placing clues all throughout as to the secrets of duality here, I'd say. Is it Borden, or his twin Fallon, who is hanged? Also, since they are twins, they look very much alike. That's why Fallon needs all that heavy disguise in public - whereas, for Angier, his so-called "double" Roote has to be made up by Cutter which takes a month of work. I'm thinking in some scenes, Nolan wants us to think we see Borden (Alfred) but it's really Fallon who is arguing with Sara - who says "This is not like you!" Indeed, because it's probably not him, it's his twin. I got the feeling Alfred and Fallon changed places many times, to test their ability to fool people, especially Sara. One more thing I noticed which was a well-placed jibe at Angier by Cutter: When Cutter realizes Angier is not dead, but isn't sure if it's Lord Cudlow or not, he gives in to the urge to inflict a little payback on him. Reminding him that when his wife drowned, she felt no pain - assuring him it was like "going home", he nows tell Angier he lied - that it's very painful. You can see Angier's expression just crumble. ABRACADABRA! 💥

[@davidwhitehead3089]

Several reveals in this movie, but we understand the biggest of all when we realize the meaning when Angier said he never knew if he would be the one bowing or the one drowning and we then see all the tanks containing all the drowned clones.

[@KortovElphame]

How we sure the Original Angier wasnt the 1st to be killed?

[@davidwhitehead3089]

@@KortovElphame Very good question, I bet he was, though we are not really meant to know the answer I think.

[@LucyLioness100]

It took me a second viewing to pay attention for the little details. Such a good movie and the twists and turns make it interesting. The saddest element to me is Sarah who Borden really hurt the most as the brothers sharing a life ultimately resulted in Sarah’s suicide; Borden could’ve been honest with her since she practically saw through him (given Rebecca Hall’s improvised line “I know what you really are”)

[@MisterKorihor]

I actually think Sarah did figure it out. When Frederick Borden (the bad twin) and Olivia were having dinner after the suicide, Olivia mentioned that Sarah wanted to meet with her and tell her something about Borden--but Olivia chickened out. I think she was planning on spilling the beans about the twins at that time. I think Sarah felt trapped. She did not want to deal with Frederick, the bad twin, anymore; but she didn't know how to rectify the situation. She knew that the twins were determined to continue the facade; and that their careers were dependent on it. Albert Borden (the good twin) probably felt trapped as well. He likely made a blood oath to his twin brother that he felt he couldn't betray.

[@florentmarion3697]

I just watched it once (I love it) but I have a question: Why would Borden send Fallon to be with Sarah at times if it only screwed the relationship more and more?

[@nujhatnoshinmou]

They should have told sara about them. 😟

[@mishuccet1]

I watched this movie in 2013 or so.....till date, I have not found a movie as interesting and as immersing as this one with a satisfying climax........its atmospheric, mysterious, suspenseful and has a satisfying final twist......the best suspense movie out there

[@mjmellan]

To be honest i didnt notice to twin bale the first time i watched it, like the "i see dead people" it tricked me but when i rewatched it i cant believe i never noticed him! he sticks out like a sore thumb.

[@wolverineiscool7161]

same thing

[@TommyWest.]

I love this movie. Probably my favorite Nolan flick. But, it sits on my shelf for months and months. I always seem to forget about it. Thanks for reminding me.

[@lmaoqasim]

Another awesome note about the film. When Huge Jackman's character keeps asking Christian Bale's character what knot he tied the day his wife died, Bale keeps answering "I don't know..". This isn't because he doesn't want to tell him the honest answer, it's because he really doesn't know which knot was tied because Bale's character kept switching roles with his twin so he genuinely had no clue, but of course, Huge's character doesn't trust him.

[@MisterKorihor]

Yes. I think that's true. Frederick Borden (the bad twin) probably felt bad about the situation, and never told Albert (the good twin) which knot he used. Therefore, Albert honestly didn't know. (Also, notice that it was Albert who showed up at the funeral and gave his condolences.) However, the movie makes it pretty clear that Frederick used the tighter knot.

[@rimworldlover]

@@MisterKorihor why did he use the tigher knot? This is the most annoying part of the film to me. Obvisouly you would see which knot when angiers wife comes out of the tub.

[@MisterKorihor]

@@rimworldlover He used the tighter knot because it holds better for when she's lifted up in the air. The downside, of course, is that it's harder to slip the tighter knot in the tank of water. This was explained in the movie. And perhaps with the chaos of the scene, nobody investigated the knot.

[@rimworldlover]

@@MisterKorihor that's the biggest plothole. How did not a single person there not see which knot was around anhiers wife's wrists. And why was there no police investigation.

[@MisterKorihor]

@@rimworldlover Maybe there was a police investigation. A movie only has 2 hours to show the most salient features of a story.

[@oracle__3345]

I think you summarised this movie brilliantly

[@CUTEMKUltras]

I loved the movie but the book is far creepier.

[@MrBa143]

@Lily Rose Sometimes you learn new things, if you watch videos to the end ^^

[@charleslennon1]

Sacrifices must be made, the performance is everything, the show must go on...