Magical, Mystical Tour - The Prestige

Rating: 8/10 (11 December 2018)

Such films as The Illusionist, Houdini and The King of Masks and others have all done excellent jobs with the subject of magic. The Prestige deserves to be right up there with those classics. I love magic and films about them, and I was not disappointed in this one. The King of Masks is my favorite all time magic film. This film comes close; the performances are impeccable, the direction is on the nose, and the production values are first-rate. The screenplay is erudite, and should be appreciated by the intelligent viewer. The really great magician in this film is neither of the leading actors, however. It is Tesla, one of the greatest scientific minds of all time; hounded by the heinous Thomas Edison, a person we were taught to revere in school. It is only now, in the information age, that we have found out what a despicable person Edison really was. There is no relation to reality and the Spencer Tracy film about Edison. He was a criminal. But the film is about magic, not criminal acts, or even Tesla (although we surely could use a good film about him). If you have even a passing interest or appreciation of good magic, then this film is for you. Enjoy.