The Prestige
Christopher Nolan is one of the most prominent and democratic director work in megahit cinema . But just like any far-famed film producer , he has an underrated gem that is often overlooked . WhileThe Dark Knighttrilogy , Inception , andDunkirkget a lot of attention , Nolan ’s sleight - of - hand thrillerThe Prestigeis his lesser - bang masterwork .
The Prestigeis Nolan’sJackie BrownorMiller ’s Crossing . It ’s surprising that the movie does n’t get heavy discussed , because it stars Christian Bale ( inhis only non - Batman Nolan movie ) , Hugh Jackman , Scarlett Johansson , and even David Bowie . Here are 10 fascinating details from the making ofThe Prestige .
David Bowie Initially Turned Down The Role Of Nikola Tesla
David Bowie was an odd choice for the persona of Nikola Tesla , because Bowie is a sex symbol and Tesla was continent , but it terminate up being moderately ideal casting . When he was first offered the part , Bowie turned it down . So Christopher Nolan personally flee out to match Bowie look - to - face to order him that he was the only actor he envision play the role .
Nolan palpate thatBowie ’s larger - than - life presencewould make the storyline involve Tesla inventing a teleportation machine more convincing . This reasoning caused Bowie to change his mind and accept the part .
The Script Took Five Years To Complete
All in all , the screenplay forThe Prestigetook five year to complete . Midway through the writing cognitive operation , Christopher Nolan got swept up in the editing ofInsomniaand did n’t have time to make on the script forThe Prestigeon a full - time basis . So , he recruited his brother Jonathan Nolan — with whom he ’s worked on many screenplays — to work on the script .
The Nolan crony worked on - and - off throughout the eventual five - year period as opposed to working on it incessantly , as they leave out in and out of other projects .
The Line “I Know What You Are” Was Ad-Libbed By Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Hall ’s supporting part inThe Prestigewas her large break that put her on the map . She ’s since proceed on to play critically acclaimed roles inChristine , The Town , andVicky Cristina Barcelona(as well asnot so critically acclaimed roles inIron Man 3andHolmes & Watson ) .
The present moment inThe Prestigewhen Hall ’s character says , “ I bang what you are , ” was n’t actually scripted . Hall ad-lib it , and initially felt sorry about it because she worry she ’d gift away the twist ending . However , Christopher Nolan like it and left it in the picture .
The Prestige Got Delayed By Batman Begins
After completingInsomnia , Christopher Nolan planned to follow it up withThe Prestige . However , he was later hired by Warner Bros. to reboot the Batman film franchise , and production ofThe Prestigegot delayed while Nolanreinvented the comic book film genre withBatman Begins .
WhenBatman Beginshit field , Nolan resumed oeuvre onThe Prestige , and entered talks with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman to star in the movie .
The Sets Were Designed In Christopher Nolan’s Garage
Christopher Nolan wanted to be capable to visualizeThe Prestige ’s preferences while he was write the script , so he recruited production designer Nathan Crowley to start designing the sets in Nolan ’s service department while the book was still being written .
Christopher and Jonathan Nolan included optic assistance such as drawings , side - bill , and weighing machine model in their shooting script forThe Prestige , which they finalized on January 13 , 2006 , just three days before filming begin on January 16 .
Despite Playing A Terrible Magician, Ricky Jay Was The Only Real Magician In The Cast
The character bet by Ricky Jay inThe Prestigeis a terrible thaumaturge , but Jay was actually the only real prestidigitator in the movie ’s cast .
He also acted as the film ’s magic adviser , and coached trail doer Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale on their sleight - of - hand technique .
There’s An Average Of One Time Jump Per Minute
As with a destiny of Christopher Nolan ’s movies , The Prestigejumps back and off across the story timeline throughout its runtime . There ’s a luxurious total of 146 time jump , either stick out to begin with in the timeline or in front into the future .
accept into account the film ’s runtime , The Prestigehas an norm of one time jump per moment .
Scarlett Johansson’s Unusual British Accent Led To A Fan Theory That Her Character Isn’t British
While critic mostly responded positively toThe Prestige , one aspect of the motion picture that obtain some negative criticism was Scarlett Johansson ’s rickety British accent in the theatrical role of Olivia Wenscombe . In fact , Johansson ’s emphasis has led to the conceptualisation of a fan theory that her character is in reality an American who is putting on a not - very - good British accent .
There is some merit to this theory , because all the other actors clear worked with outspoken coaches . The Australian Hugh Jackman and the English Christian Bale and Andy Serkis all sail through their own accents .
The Script Was Structured Like The Illusion From The Story
Christopher Nolan is no pedestrian when it comes to storytelling . He mathematically structure his screenplays to slowly ramp up up tenseness ortie the condition of the movie to its theme and messages . The Prestigeis no different . It has a traditional three - act structure , but these three act are used to stand for the three stage of the illusion in the story : the assurance , the bit , and lastly , the prestige .
Since the movie was based on a novel , Nolan had a hard time figuring out the cinematic option of all the literary devices that were used to separate the taradiddle in its original shape .
Sam Mendes Wanted To Direct This Movie
When Christopher Priest’sThe Prestigewas first optioned to become a picture show , Sam Mendes wanted to send it as his second film after his debutAmerican Beauty , which had just have seven Oscar nominations . However , a freestanding offer came from Newmarket Films , which wanted the book for writer - director Christopher Nolan , who was in post - production onMementoat the time .
NEXT : Well Done , Lads : 10 Behind - The - Scenes Facts About Dunkirk
