The Prestige Page #5

And the only way

that I know how to do it

is to find you a bloody good double.

All right.

Take a good look.

Let's get out there and find me.

Whoo!

Look, look.

What's that?

- It's for you.

- What's this for?

Come.

You...

- I asked you last week...

- You caught me in a wrong mood.

- But you won't ever...

- Sarah,

I'm gonna have

to change my mind, aren't I?

The act is taking off. Soon we'll be in

a bigger theater, things will work out.

I can't believe it. Thank you.

Thank you. It's beautiful.

- Gerry?

- Darling, look at you.

Mr. Cutter, Mr. Angier,

I'd like you to meet Gerald Root.

Mm-hm.

A pleasure. Pleasure

to meet you fine gentlemen.

Would you like for me

to tell you a little joke? Come here.

Yes. Are you laughing now?

I have to take a piss.

- He's out of his mind.

- Of course, he's an out-of-work actor.

He's perfect. He needs a little help.

But when I get done with him,

he could be your brother.

I don't need him to be my

brother, I need him to be me.

Give me a month.

So you open the door...

...and...

Come on.

Couldn't you have found a softer one?

Well, it's not for sleeping on.

So, if you come down through there...

- ...does Root go up through there?

- Yep.

It's going to be amazing.

Well, it has to be. Borden's

trick is getting noticed.

The place was packed today.

You went and saw his show again.

Ready to meet yourself, Mr. Angier?

All I have to do is

keep myself stinking drunk,

and no one will be able

to tell the difference.

Have a little faith, sir.

Now, would you favor us

with a performance, Mr. Root?

You'd drink, too, if you knew

the world half as well as I do.

Did you think you were unique?

I've been Caesar, I've played Faust.

How difficult could it possibly

be to play the Great Danton?

You can go back to being

yourself now, Root, for nothing.

I'd rather be him for now.

I find it, uh... amusing.

"My liege,

I did deny no prisoners."

- You look wonderful.

- Oh, thank you.

Root has to keep a low profile.

Anyone sees him, the game's up.

I don't know how you do things.

I'm not sure I wanna know.

Have you thought what we should call it?

There's no point being coy. Borden

calls his trick The Transported Man.

Ladies and gentlemen, much

of what you've seen may be termed

as illusions or entertaining trifles.

Alas...

...I cannot claim

this next feat as illusion.

Watch carefully.

You will see no trickery,

for no trickery is employed.

Merely a technique familiar

to certain citizens of the Orient

and various holy men of the Himalayas.

Indeed, many of you may be

familiar with this technique,

but for those of you who

are not, do not be alarmed.

What you're about to see

is considered safe.

To our achievement.

The manager says he's

never seen a reaction like it.

At least he saw it. I spent

the ovation hiding under the stage.

No one cares about

the man who disappears.

They care about the one who comes out.

I care about the man in the box.

Thank you. I don't know,

maybe we could switch before the trick.

I'm the prestige,

and Root's below stage.

No, the anticipation

of the trick is everything.

We need your showmanship

to build up the suspense.

Once Root opens his mouth, it's over.

He can't introduce this trick.

Of course I can. I'm the Great Danton.

Root, you bloody fool,

get out of that wardrobe and makeup.

Anyone could walk in here at any minute.

Congratulations, all.

Life is not full of these

moments. We worked hard.

We need to celebrate properly.

What's wrong? Is it your wife?

No, it's the trick.

It isn't good enough.

Borden's trick is nothing

compared to ours. He has no style.

He doesn't spend the finale

hiding under the stage.

- I need to know how he does it.

- Why?

So I can do it better.

I need you to go and work for him.

Work for him? Are you joking?

You'll be my spy.

We just got our start.

You want me to leave?

That's how we advance. Think of it.

People are excited by Cutter's

version. Imagine what we'd do

with the real illusion. We'd have the

greatest magic act anyone's ever seen.

- He knows I work for you.

- Exactly why he'll want to hire you.

- He'll want my secret.

- Why would he trust me?

Because you're

gonna tell him the truth.

Hmm?

Good girl.

You must be curious to see what

so much money has bought you.

Fitting you should be here

for her maiden voyage.

Your hat.

You might want to stand back.

I don't understand.

Perhaps it would be best

if you left us to it.

Is there a problem, Mr. Tesla?

- No. Come back next week.

- Next week?

- Next week, it will be fine.

- Tesla!

Just a little temperamental.

- Interesting workshop.

- Yeah, we make do.

- My name is Olivia...

- I know who you are.

Here to steal the rest of my show?

To give your show what it's missing.

- Yeah, what might that be?

- Me.

I was just

saying that, wasn't I?

- A woman's touch.

- I've left Angier.

- All right.

- I want a job.

Yeah.

I know you've no reason to trust me.

Why wouldn't I trust you?

You're only the mistress of my

enemy. Why wouldn't I trust you?

- Mr. Borden.

- Alfred.

I'm going to tell you the truth.

Now that is a slippery notion

in our line of work,

isn't it, Miss Wenscombe?

I am here because he sent me here.

He wants me to work for you

and steal your secret.

What does he need my secret for?

His trick is topnotch.

He vanishes,

and then he reappears instantly

on the other side

of the stage, mute, overweight

and, unless I'm mistaken, very drunk.

It's astonishing. How does

he do it? And tell me, Olivia,

does he enjoy taking his bows

under the stage?

It's killing him. He's obsessed

with discovering your methods.

He thinks of nothing else,

takes no pleasure in our success.

And I've had enough.

There is no future with him.

He sent me here to steal your secrets,

but I've come to offer you his.

This is the truth... is it?

Think you'd better get dressed, sir.

Root, you're late and more drunk than

usual. Get down below stairs right away.

No.

No, we need to have

a little chat, Mr. Cutter.

We have a problem. Cutter, Borden

is performing right across the street.

Yeah, we have a bigger problem.

Root. He's realized

that he can make demands.

Wha...? He's blackmailing us?

I was surprised, to tell you the truth.

It usually takes them

a lot longer to figure it out.

- How much does he want?

- It makes no difference.

- We've got to stop doing the trick.

- Stop the trick? Look at this.

Last week they said you were

the premier stage performer in London.

Not magician, mind you.

Performer of any kind.

- What's your point?

- My point is, you've climbed too high

to get away with

professional embarrassment.

We don't do any tricks we can't control.

Just pay him for now. We keep

doing the trick until Borden opens,

and then we'll phase it out.

All right.

Cutter was always surprised

how fast Root turned bad.

To what do I owe the pleasure

of this rather welcome pint of ale?

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