Looking to Christopher Nolan’s film The Prestige (2006), I am going to attempt to answer the question: What is the significance of this film and its relationship to others?
The moment I would like to look at is the scene when Borden and Angier go to watch the Chinese magician at the beginning of the film. After watching the man’s show, Borden figures out that the Chinese man is really not crippled. His age and condition are an act, which allows him to hide his methods behind the performance. Borden says to Angier that total dedication to the act is key, and it is the only way to get out of “here,” as he points to the squalor and small-time theater.
I believe this moment and quote from Borden to be key to the significance of this film. As a director, Nolan has certainly separated himself from others in terms of style—both narratively and aesthetically. We may even call him an auteur, as his body of work thus far reflects this similar style throughout. If one then considers Nolan an auteur, we can see that he has totally dedicated himself to his trade, working to perfect his style. Perhaps Borden was right, since Nolan’s total dedication has given him great success in his field.
I personally consider Nolan an auteur, so I believe that Auteur Theory could be applied to his body of work to investigate his particular style of filmmaking. I believe that if we begin with the idea that Nolan totally dedicates himself to his projects, then it would be easy to pick out specific examples of how this is reflected in his films. For example, I could go back through The Prestige and pick out all the scenes in which Borden’s gloves tell a story of their own—whether it is he or his twin. This close attention to detail reveals the dedication Nolan has for the film, and I believe his other films would also provide many examples of this.
