I mean – brilliant. All of it is brilliant. The fact that you took a half hour (obviously this took you AT LEAST 30 minutes to write up) out of your life to share this insight with all of us, is brilliant. The fact that this post – that basically created this blog – is still here, still driving conversation and comments. That we can debate and discuss this movie, that is brilliant. All of it is brilliant in all its forms.

So thanks for the comment, I read it twice and loved it. Still one of the greatest movies ever. For sure. Love it love it love it.

Nonetheless, let me recap the book (spoilers): It starts in modern times with Borden’s grandson, who has been adopted, given his diary. This Borden is adopted and while not a twin, feels like he is. He meets the woman who sent him the book, who is Angier’s gdaughter. Most of the narrative pivots to the diaries, which are both above board and not tricks written for the rival magician (a brilliant contrivance for the movie). The feud begins when Borden interrupts Angier performing spiritism magic as if it were real, which was common in that time, and in his self-righteousness, throws Julia (Angier’s wife, who is pregnant) to the ground, and she miscarries their first child. Angier follows up by heckling and vandalizing and ruining Borden’s performances. The feud goes on for years, but unlike the movie, Julia doesn’t die in the water tank and there is no question as to how it happened (which knot did he tie?). Angier marries Julia, has other children, and eventually gets over the miscarriage, even if Julia still harbors a grudge against him. This was a genius addition and simplification of the story, while magnifying the tension between them. Borden IS obsessed with keeping his secret, so much so that his diary even merely hints at the reality. Angier, meanwhile, IS obsessed with discovering Borden’s secret, but not only considers that he could be a twin, he outright rejects the idea multiple times as impossible. It is a reporter who acts as the fact-bringer and voice of truth to Angier, rather than Cutter, who has a much smaller role (but admittedly does tell Angier that Borden is using a double, same as the movie). Olivia is still Angier’s mistress, and he leaves Julia (which seems out of character for his novel character but is unnecessary in the movie since Julia has died). Olivia then does go to Borden, who inexplicably doesn’t realize she is Angier’s female hand during the show as well as his lover (this seems out of Borden’s character, who had great attention to detail and liked to antagonize Angier, and which the movie corrected). Like the movie, though, she falls for Borden (or one of the twins) and leads Angier astray on his secret with a single word: Tesla. Which leads Angier to Colorado and Tesla and a long aside in which they get the machine to actually teleport by way of cloning, and it definitely works in this version, so it’s now science fiction, not just gothic thriller. Then, instead of simply using it to multiply his wealth (which Tesla warns him against and which he does, in small batches, and which movie Angier inexplicably does not do, furthering the idea in my mind that it’s a fiction Angier makes up for his diary), he uses this unpredictable device to “transport” himself, leaving his “prestige” materials (aka dead body left behind) to be disposed of. These corpses prove to be inert and immutable, never decaying or changing, as if frozen in time, and not a simple clone that must be disposed of by drowning. The whole drowning subplot, from Julia to Angier, is a contrivance from the movie alone. The climactic moment, then, is not when Angier frames Borden for killing him in the water tank, but when Borden, frightened by the electrical machine during Angier’s act, shuts it off, thinking he’s saving him. Instead, he splits Angier about 80/20, with the 80 being more physical but with growing cancers, and the 20 being ethereal but seemingly undying. 80 Angier dies, and 20 Angier takes over for him, but not after attempting to kill one of the Bordens, and Borden for some reason dying 3 days later. At the end, when we return to current day, the gson Borden goes into the crypt where all the Angiers have been entombed, and they are all the same as the day they were created, and there ghostly Angier continues to exist and speak and, of a sort, live. This is how it ends (gson Borden rescues his own prestige from the crypt in a subplot after Angier’s son performs the trick on him as a toddler, much to his own father’s horror).

All that to say, uhhhhh, the book is way different. Don’t draw on it for movie conclusions. My take on the movie is that it is a trick, not science fiction, and if you figure it out, let us all know, but knowing how a bunch of magic tricks work doesn’t make life more interesting, somehow. Does Cris Angel actually levitate into the sky? Magic!

1. Clones are real. I have one that has her own life after 8-10 adult beverages and we love her despite all her flaws.

2. This film is about dedication to one’s craft, during an era of rampant dysentery, limited occupational choices and subpar marketing options. Stands to reason that one might look into creating alternate life forms to earn a living.

3. Remember the reveal about the old Chinese magician. He has dedicated his entire life to his illusion. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Bale’s character dedicated HIS entire life (or lives) to it. Read: there may not have been a naturally-born twin.

4. Remember the bird in the trap cage. The bird is sacrificed but that’s not what we show the sweet little girl, is it? This supports point 3. Maybe this is a red herring but maybe it’s a clue to the truth of the story.

5. I didn’t like the sci-fi explanation either, even though Tesla has such an other-worldly quality, particularly when portrayed by David Bowie. I was happy to buy whatever he was selling along with his Gollum crony and small fleet of cats. I mean, count us in, amirite? A field of lightbulbs is incredibly beautiful. A field of black felt hats is incredibly beautiful. But in being so beautiful, they could also be mere distraction.

7. I had a thought that Bale’s character may have himself orchestrated Tesla’s interactions with Angiers: Tesla feigning failure, raking in Angier’s cash, etc and that he may very well have built a successful clone booth prior to his meeting Angiers.

8. If so, Bale may have received ONE clone of his own and humbly walked away with him and together pursued their dreams. Here is a plot flaw I see: why must Angier’s clones die? Because they would all be as fatally ambitious as he. Bale’s clones would be more humble, I would think.

9. About the x-number of clones/wax statues in the water tanks: mirrors? I’d have to watch a 20th time to test this theory.

10. Could someone PLEASE contact Pen & Teller about this movie? I feel like they would have fresh insight.

Two great videos – and both DEFINITELY should have listed my writeup in their credits. Hahahah. There is literally no way, none, they didn’t read my post. Zero. Just saying. But REGARDLESS of the plagiarism and petty thievery, that first video is fantastic. Props to him. And I 100% agree with literally everything he stole from me. hahahaha. Kidding. Everyone chill.

And yeah, throughout the years, I have avoided getting pinned down in the scrum of trying to explain the banality of the way in which the trick was pulled off. Why? Because it HAS to be disappointing… because it can’t be real magic. Among all those tesla’ian sparks… there isn’t a demon chucking Angier through a wormhole, and out onto the balcony?? !WHAT?!? I mean. Of course an actor, dressed as him, is going to be lame. And worse? A wax figure? I mean… STUPID… at least in comparison to a human chucking demon anyway.

Great videos Liz… I have seen the second, but not the first. So hat tip to you madam.
Until next time – in 3 more years…
Taylor

Here is the video, 7:15 on – pause at 7:20. Very Westworld and weird to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4xB7Qrprbk&t=443s

Here is another video (I’m looking at 8:58) with something I never saw before – two additional tanks on either side of the one Angier’s wife is about to get into???? With wax figures (????) or something like that in them????: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9xIY5UkRi4

Pretty amazing to hear a reader say they have to come back to a piece every few years. Humbling really. Hahaha. Well, it was this piece that built this little blog out of nothing. You should swing by the discord chat and say hello. You’d fit in with all us movie weirdos. Heck, everyone reading this should swing by and say hello. But my twin sister first of course. https://discord.gg/Cu8qVXws4k

As for your comment, this movie is filled with these moments where you don’t know who is getting played and what angle is the right one. Good catch.

But it’s this “YouTube video” with the wax figure?? You can’t drop that kind of bomb and just walk out. Just saying. Links or it did t happen.