A taut, romantic drama

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2007)

Edward Norton as the illusionist "Eisenheim" gives us a delightful hero. To our modern day eye, it is easy to slip and think of his appearance as a cliché, but it is completely in keeping with the fashions of the time period for both men of Europe and, in particular, magicians. Full evening attire was the norm for a stage magician. Two elements were particularly fun for this former professional magician and history buff. First and foremost, the fine line that magic walked during the 19th and early 20th century (and before, technically, but trust me, it came to head with the scientific advances and discoveries of the late 1800's). During that time period, magicians were simply fooling audiences in much the same ways as they are today, yet the general population was much closer to the old beliefs and superstitions. Magic was an affront to science, though ironically, in its actual workings, it was more a celebration of science. Secondly, an element that is the focal point of the movie "The Prestige," and that is, the close guarding of secrets. While not all of the illusions presented are as faithful to real life as "The Prestige," it's close enough that it works. I saw nothing presented that could not be roughly duplicated (or actually was done) at the time. The ending is, well, truly satisfying. Sit down with your spouse, grab the popcorn, get past the rather odd beginning (which sets the pace and tone of the movie very well), and get ready for a GREAT movie.