The Prestige Page #7

Synopsis: In the end of the Nineteenth Century, in London, Robert Angier, his beloved wife Julia McCullough and Alfred Borden are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become enemies. Both become famous and rival magicians, sabotaging the performance of the other on the stage. When Alfred performs a successful trick, Robert becomes obsessed trying to disclose the secret of his competitor with tragic consequences.
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Director(s): Christopher Nolan
Production: Buena Vista Pictures
  Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 37 nominations.
 
IMDB:
8.5
Metacritic:
66
Rotten Tomatoes:
75%
PG-13
Year:
2006
130 min
$53,100,000
Website
8,020 Views


during The Transported Man,

but this makes you unique.

It shows you aren't using a double.

You mustn't hide it.

You must display it proudly.

I'm sure it takes great skill

to perform illusions with one good hand.

Yeah, it does.

So let people know.

You can be so much more than

he is and I can show you how.

I think

she's telling the truth.

I think we cannot trust her.

But I love her. I need her.

To open myself to such a relationship,

to the dangers of such an affair,

I need assurances of fidelity, of love.

But how to be sure?

I know a way. It's the only

way to know her mind.

How could he send you away?

She must help me

rid ourselves of Angier.

Today, my mistress

proves her truthfulness.

Not to me, you understand.

I've been

convinced since she led me to Root.

Today, Olivia proves her love for me

to you, Angier.

Yes, Angier, she gave you

this notebook at my request.

And yes, "Tesla" is merely

the key to my dairy,

not to my trick.

You really think I'd part

with my secret so easily after so much?

Goodbye, Angier.

May you find solace

for your forward ambition

back in your American home.

Tesla!

Tesla! Alley!

Alley!

Tesla never made a machine

like the one I asked for.

- I never said he had.

- You let me believe that he had.

You stole my money because

your funding was cut off.

You've been shooting

sparks in my top hat,

laughing at me all along,

while using my money to stave off ruin.

- I have seen Edison's men.

- Where?

In the hotel, I have a mind

to bring them up here.

That would be unwise, Mr. Angier.

It is true that you are

our last remaining financier,

but we have not stolen your money.

This is my cat.

When I told you I could make you

a machine, I spoke a truth.

Why isn't it working?

Because exact science, Mr. Angier,

is not an exact science.

The machine simply

does not operate as expected.

- It requires further examination.

- So where did my top hat go?

Nowhere.

We tried the damn thing a dozen times.

The hat went nowhere.

We need to try different material.

It may provoke a different result.

Great.

You are responsible for whatever

happens to this animal, doctor.

I hope whatever you were

really doing with my money

was more worthwhile, Mr. Tesla.

Alley!

So the machine was working?

I never checked the calibration,

'cause the hat never moved.

These things never quite

work as you expect them to.

That's one of the principal

beauties of science.

I'll need a couple of weeks to iron out

the problems with the machine.

We'll send word when it's ready.

Don't forget your hat.

- Well, which one is mine?

- They are all your hats.

You look so pretty

in this new dress of yours.

- Are we going to the zoo?

- No, Daddy has some errands to run.

- But you promised.

- I promised, did I?

Then go to the zoo, we shall.

Daddy will go run his errands,

and I'll be back before you know it.

So you go get ready. We'll go

see those chimpanzees.

Sarah... what are you doing?

Each of us have our vices.

Sarah, whatever you may think...

...your only competition

for my affections is our little girl.

I love you. I will always love you

and you alone.

- You mean it today.

- Absolutely.

Which makes it so much

harder when you don't.

More shopping. She does

love the smell of money.

The little lady wants to go to the zoo,

so I thought you could take her, yeah?

I mean, I can do it tomorrow, if not.

And, uh... Sarah,

she knows.

Uh, at least she knows

that something is not right,

so if you can just do

whatever you can to help me.

Talk to her, just

convince her that I do love her.

What is it, Freddie?

Listen, don't call me that, please.

It's nothing. It's just that

sometimes it seems wrong.

I told you, when you're

with me, you're with me.

Leave your family at home

where they belong.

I'm trying. I'm trying, Olivia.

- I'll get dressed.

- Yeah.

I saw Fallon hanging around again.

There's something about

that man I don't trust.

You trust me? Then trust Fallon.

He protects the things

that I care about.

We're sorry to see you go, Mr. Angier.

We were sorry to see

Mr. Tesla leave, as well.

He's very good to Colorado Springs.

Mr. Angier,

I didn't think it was necessary

to tell Edison's men about the box.

What box?

I apologize for leaving

without saying goodbye.

But I seem to have outstayed

my welcome in Colorado.

The truly extraordinary is not

permitted in science and industry.

Perhaps you'll find

more luck in your field,

where people are happy to be mystified.

You will find what you

are looking for in this box.

Alley has written you

a thorough set of instructions.

I add only one suggestion

on using the machine.

Destroy it.

Drop it to the bottom

of the deepest ocean.

Such a thing will bring you only misery.

Tesla's warning is

as unheeded as he knew it would be.

Today I tested the machine.

Taking precautions in case

Tesla hadn't ironed out

the kinks in its operation.

But if it went wrong,

I would not want to live

like that for long.

But here at the turn,

I must leave you, Borden.

Yes, you, Borden,

sitting there in your cell,

reading my diary, awaiting your death,

for my murder.

Angier's journal, that gesture

of good faith, that's a fake.

I assure you, it's not.

The provenance of the journal

is clear and under no doubt.

And it's written in Angier's own hand,

for which we have numerous examples.

It don't matter.

So my tricks.

- All of them.

- Including The Transported Man?

- Lord Caldlow will be very pleased.

- No, he won't.

They're not complete.

It's just the pledge

and the turn for each.

Without the prestige for these

tricks, these are worthless.

Yeah.

You get the rest of it...

when you bring my daughter here.

I want to say goodbye.

We have to go through it now.

We have to go through it now.

Now, listen to me, deny it all you want.

Olivia means nothing.

- Olivia?

- I need an assistant.

- I'll go to her, I'll tell her.

- You'll tell her what?

I know what you really are, Alfred.

- I know.

- Sarah, Sarah, Sarah.

- I can't keep it in.

- You can't talk like this.

- No. No.

- Sarah, shut up! Sarah, shut up!

I don't want to hear it anymore.

You can't talk like this.

You can't hide it anymore,

because I know, Alfred, I know.

I know what you really are, Alfred.

I can't live like this.

Oh, well, you think

I can live like this?

You think I bloody enjoy

living like this?

We have this beautiful house,

lovely little girl, we're married.

What is so wrong with your life?

Alfred, I can't live like this!

Well, what do you want from me?

I... I want...

I want you to be... honest with me.

No tricks.

No lies.

And no secrets.

Do you... do you love me?

Not today.

No.

Who's there?

I'm looking for an old friend.

I heard about a booking,

nice little theater,

- good up-and-coming magician.

- You're back.

It's good to see you, John.

Good rehearsal space.

Blind stagehands, I like it.

You always had a good eye for publicity.

Rate this script:4.3 / 3 votes

Jonathan Nolan

Jonathan "Jonah" Nolan (born 1976) is a British-American screenwriter, television producer, director and author. He is the creator of the crime drama series Person of Interest. He has co-written several screenplays with his elder brother, filmmaker Christopher Nolan, including The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar, and his short story "Memento Mori" was the basis for Memento. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "The Prestige" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Jul 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_prestige_16191>.

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