1 BORDEN (voice-over): Are you watching closely? (birds chirping) CUTTER (voice-over): Every magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge." The magician shows you something ordinary-- a deck of cards, a bird, uh... or-or a man. (applause) He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it... to see that it is, indeed, real-- yeah, unaltered, normal. But, of course, it probably isn't. Oi, where d'you think you're going?! I'm part of the bloody act, you fool! (electricity crackles) CUTTER (voice-over): The second act is called "The Turn." (crackling, deep rumbling) (loud cracks and pops) CUTTER (voice-over): The magician takes the ordinary something... ...and makes it do something extraordinary. Now, you're lookin' for the secret, but you won't find it. Because, of course, you're not really looking. You don't really wanna know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet, because making something disappear isn't enough. You have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act. The hardest part. The part we call "The Prestige." (muffled): Help! Help! Help! (thumping and muffled yells) PROSECUTOR (voice-over): The Prestige? And did Robert Angier, the Great Danton, your employer, get to that final part of his trick that night? Uh, no, sir. Something went wrong. PROSECUTOR: What went wrong? I saw someone making their way below stage. I followed him. It was Borden, watching Mr. Angier drown. PROSECUTOR: Wou-Would you please describe your occupation to the jury, Mr. Cutter? I'm an ingenieur. I-I design illusions and construct the apparatus necessary for performing 'em. PROSECUTOR: So, Mr. Cutter, was this water-filled tank beneath the stage part of Mr. Angier's illusion? No, no. It-It was-- Look, the tank was brought on for the first trick and then taken off stage. Borden must've placed it under the trap door after the interval. How large was this tank? Oh, it's-it's a normal tank for escape underwater, about 400 or 500 gallons. DEFENDER: How do you think Mr. Borden was able to move the tank under the trap door without anyone noticing? He's the magician, ask him. -(everyone laughing) -DEFENDER: I ask again that this man explain the mechanics of Mr. Angier's illusion. The Real Transported Man is one of the most sought-after illusions in this business. I have the right to sell it on. If I reveal the method here, then the trick is worthless! DEFENDER: How, then, can we know that the tank wasn't simply some part of the trick that went wrong? JUDGE: Mr. Cutter, I see your predicament, but Alfred Borden's life hangs in the balance. If you were prepared to disclose the details to me in private, I might be able to judge their relevance to the case. Might this be an acceptable compromise? CAPTAIN: I'm gonna have to ask you to turn out your pockets. Not my idea, sir. The warden saw his show in Manchester last year where he vanished into thin air. He's convinced he'll try an escape. (men yelling) I told him the only the way that Borden's gonna disappear is if I leave him out there with the other inmates. Check the locks. Twice. My name is Owens. I'm a solicitor. I represent Lord Caldlow, an accomplished amateur magician and historian of magic-- How much? Lord Caldlow is interested in-- How much for my tricks? 5,000 pounds. Talk with Fallon, my ingenieur, money's for 'im. Yes, I did. Uh, he offered to sell me your tricks. All except the most valuable one: The Transported Man. Well, I wouldn't forgive myself for sellin' my greatest trick. Even for your daughter? Now, if the newspapers are right and you are for the drop, your daughter is going to need looking after. Yeah, Fallon will take care of her. (chuckles): Bernard Fallon? A man with a past almost as obscure as your own. The courts have motioned that the girl is to be removed from his care. No, the girl will be an orphan. I know you're no stranger to the workhouse. It's better than here? I'm offering you a way to wrap up your affairs with dignity. And I'm offering your daughter a future. As Lord Caldlow's ward, she will want for nothing. Ever. Well, think it over. And Lord Caldlow would like you to have this. As a show of good faith. Thought it might be of interest. It's Robert Angier's diary. Including the time he spent in Colorado -learning your trick. -He never learned my trick. Really? On his return from Colorado, he mounted a version of The Transported Man that the papers said was "better even" than your original. If you want Angier's secrets, you go dig 'im up and ask him yourself. I want your secret, Mr. Borden. Consider your daughter. ANGIER (voice-over): A cipher. An enigma. (laughs) ANGIER (voice-over): A search. A search for answers. Even if Colorado is the end of my journey, it'll take much longer to unravel the rest of Borden's secrets. See, the cipher in his notebook is unlocked by a single word, but it'll still take months to translate his writing... and to know his mind. Well, my passion is equal to the task. (steam whooshing) (bell clanging) MAN: Mr. Angier? Welcome to Colorado Springs. ## The whole town has electricity. Yes, sir. (sighs) Well... quite a reception. You're our first guest of the season, Mr. Angier. Your, uh, telegram didn't indicate how long you'd be staying with us. As long as it takes. I will need a coach tomorrow to take me up the mountain. Well, the Peak's closed, sir. For scientific experimentation. Yes, I know. That's why I'm here. Whoa! Whoa! You'll have to walk the rest, I'm afraid, sir. (slow, suspenseful theme plays) (deep rumbling in distance) (deep, intermittent whooshing in distance) (electricity sizzles) (yells) (door slamming) MAN: I'm amazed how many of you newspaper writers can't read my sign! (Angier panting) Not the welcome I was expecting. I-I know you. You're the Great Danton. I saw your show in London seven times. You guessed every object the audience had in their pockets. I'm Alley. Sorry about the fence. People keep interfering with our work. I've come to see Tesla. Why? He made a machine for a... for a colleague of mine some time ago. Can you get me a meeting with him? Impossible, I'm afraid. I've brought a lot of money. I'm sorry, Mr. Angier. I simply can't help you. I'll be staying at the hotel. Indefinitely. Hey, what-what am I holding?! Your watch. (chuckles) ANGIER (voice-over): Borden's journal entry for April 3, 1897, describes a show at the Orpheum Theatre. That was just... that was days after he first met me. BORDEN (voice-over): We were two young men at the start of a great career. Two young men devoted to an illusion. Two young men who never intended to hurt anyone. MILTON: Which of you brave souls is willing to bind this lovely young woman? (overlapping shouts, laughter and exclamations) (applause) (applause dies away) If you would tie her wrists. Bind her feet. Around the ankle. Are either of you two gentlemen sailors? No. No. I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot. (drum tapping out military rhythm) (hook clicks shut) (claps twice) (winch clanking) (drumbeat stops) (drumroll) (gasps and cheers) BORDEN (voice-over): He's complacent, he's predictable, he's boring! I mean, Milton has gotten success, whatever that means, and now he's scared. He won't take any risks at all! I mean, he's squandering the goodwill of the audience with these tired, second-rate tricks-- They're old favourites, please. Favourites?! Come on, give me something fresh. He won't even try a bloody bullet catch. A bullet catch is suicide. All it takes is some smart-ass volunteer to put a button in the barrel. Fine, use a plant. ANGIER: You can't use plants for every trick. Then there'll be no seats left for the punters. All right, no bullet catch. Whatever. But the point is that a real magician tries to invent something new that other magicians are gonna scratch their heads over, you know? Yeah, and then you sell it to 'em for a small fortune. All right. Eh? I suppose you have such a trick, Mr. Borden, huh? Actually, I do. -Ooh! -Would you care to sell it to me? No. No one else could do my trick. Any trick can be duplicated, -right, Mr. Cutter? -Wrong. If Mr. Borden has invented his masterpiece, might be only he's prepared to do it. Milton is a great showman, but Borden is right, he won't get his hands dirty. If you wanna see what it takes to make real magic, go to the Tenley. There's a Chinaman there, and he really has what it takes. Chung Ling Soo. Tickets are pricey. I can't afford that. I know the bloke on the door. You two go and see that show, and whichever one of you can tell me how he does the goldfish bowl trick gets a prize. -All right. -Which is? Ten minutes on stage with my old friend Mr. Ackerman. -Really? -Who's Ackerman? The top theatrical agent in London. I saw you, uh, drop the knot again. -I think I turned my wrist. -Some nights, you just don't get it, do you? I mean, if that knot slips and Julia's on the hoist, she'll break a leg. It's the wrong knot. Like I said, the Langford double will hold tighter. The Langford double isn't a wet knot. It's too dangerous. If the rope swells up, she won't be able to slip it! I can slip a Langford underwater. She can slip it, we can practice. Hey, Borden, he said no. Oh, what--? Yeah, what, you know knots better than me, do ya? Listen, no more mistakes. All right. Yeah, do ya? You wanna take over? Just leave it. I didn't think so. Hey, Cutter, where's he from? Where are you from? He shifts props for Virgil at the Hall. Well, aren't you worried he'll steal your tricks? He doesn't deal in methods. And how do you know? Because I hired him to find out how Virgil does the orange trick. Well, I don't trust him. He's a natural magician. (chuckling): Course you can't trust 'im. I think he's all right. Well, you think everyone's all right. -Yeah, even you. -CUTTER: Angier. Watch your sightlines. If I can see you kissing your wife's leg every night, so can the blokes at the ends of row three and four! (drumroll) (applause) ANGIER (voice-over): It can't be. BORDEN (voice-over): No, it is. Look at the man. This is the trick. This is a performance. Right here. This is why no one can detect his method. Total devotion to his art. Utter self-sacrifice. You know? It's the only way to escape... all this, you know? (chuckles): All right. (voice-over): I can barely lift this thing and it's not even filled with water. Or fish. Look. I don't know. Hang on a second. (humming) He must be strong as an ox. He's been pretending to be a cripple for years? Mm. Any time he's in public. Any time he goes out. It's unthinkable. Borden saw it at once, but... I couldn't fathom livin' my whole life pretending to be someone else. You are pretending to be someone else. I don't think changing your name compares. Mm. Not just your name. It's who you are and where you're from. 'Cause I promised my family I wouldn't embarrass them with my theatrical endeavours. I thought of a name for you. Ooh. The Great Danton. (chuckles) Do you like it? But it's sophisticated. It's French. ANGIER (voice-over): Borden writes as if no one but he understood the true nature of magic. But what does he know of self-sacrifice? (whispering): You bloody fool. (applause) (quiet, suspenseful theme plays) -(gasps from the audience) -He killed it! What? What's wrong? BOY: He killed it. Shh. No, he didn't. See, look, now he'll bring it back. -See? -No, he killed it. No, he didn't. No. Look. See? He's all right. He's fine. Look at him. But where's his brother? (chuckling): He's a sharp lad, your son. Oh, he's, uh, he's my nephew. Ah. You're the lucky one today. (birds chirping) (indistinct voices) Are you watching closely? Look closer. Never show anyone. They'll beg you and they'll flatter you for the secret, but as soon as you give it up you'll be nothing to 'em. You understand? Nothing. The secret impresses no one. The trick you use it for (whispering): is everything. Well, uh... thank you for lunch, Mr. Borden. You're welcome. Alfred. It's Alfred. Alfred. So I, um... I could use a cup of tea. I'd scandalize the landlord. I think not. Right. You think that's, uh... is that enough to keep me out? I... I think so. So I'll... I'll... I'll see you again? BORDEN: Milk and sugar? (laughing) (slow, ominous theme plays) 1 What's in there? Angier's machine. You built this, Mr. Cutter? Oh, no, sir. This wasn't built by a magician. This was built by a wizard. A man who can actually do what magicians pretend to do. Tell me, Your Honour, what happens with these things after the trial? Oh, they've been sold to a Lord Caldlow. An avid collector, apparently very interested in the case. Yeah, well, d-don't let him take this. Why ever not? It's too dangerous. (scoffs) I'm sure beneath its bells and whistles, it's got a simple and disappointing trick. Most disappointing of all, sir. (door creaks) It has no trick. It's real. (scoffs) This is the tank Angier drowned in? Yes. This is the, uh... place where the performer's hand reaches through to the trick padlock. A standard magical apparatus for escapes? Yeah, with one important difference. This isn't a trick lock. It's been switched for a real one. What a way to kill someone. They're magicians, Your Honour. Showmen. Men who live by dressing up plain and sometimes brutal truths to amaze, to shock. Even without an audience? There was an audience. You see, this... this water tank was of particular significance to these two men. Particularly (voice-over): awful significance. MILTON: Which of you brave souls is willing to bind this lovely young woman? (martial drum roll plays) If you would tie her wrists. Bind her feet around the ankle. (drumbeat continues) MILTON: Are either of you two gentlemen sailors? No. (audience chuckling) I'm sure you can both tie a strong knot. (shackles clanking) (claps twice) (pulley clacking) (sharp clang) (ticking) (gasps and murmurs) Robert! (muffled gasp) (muffled gasp) (woman screams) No, no, no. No, no. (muttering) Julia! Julia! Ju...! (panting) (rushing water trickling) (ominous theme plays) (sputtering) ## CUTTER: I knew an old sailor once. He told me he went overboard... tangled in the sails. They pulled him out, but it took him five minutes to cough. He said it was like going home. What do you want, Borden? I'm sorry for your loss, Angier. Which knot did you tie? I keep asking myself that. And? And, uh... I'm sorry, I-I... I just don't know. You don't know? I'm sorry. You don't know?! You don't know?! -Alfred? Oh. -Good news. We got our first booking today. I don't think we've had the pleasure. Ah, Mr. Fallon is my ingenieur. Where did you get all the...? Begged, borrowed and, uh, don't ask. He's a very enterprising soul is, uh... is Mr. Fallon. So, the... Oh, we-we can't afford to pay him. The money will come when we get the audience. Yes, but what about until then? I mean, what-what I earn, it's barely enough for-for us. Don't worry about it. I mean, I'll share half my food with him or something. (chuckles) You're already going to be doing that with someone else. No. You're pre...? Uh... Having a baby. Oh, my God. We should have told Fallon. That is great. We're havin' a baby. -We're having a baby. -Oh, come here. (laughing) Oh... Alfred, what... what is this? That... Oh, this is just the-the-the-the trick to wake Ackerman up at the end of my act. Is it the... the masterpiece? The-The great trick? No, no, no. The world... The world is not ready for that one yet. No, this is just your run-of-the-mill daring, spectacular bullet catch. A bullet catch. Yeah, but it's safe. I promise. Look. Shoot me. (chuckles): What? Shoot you? Go on, shoot me. (sighs) Right there. No, I can't. No, no, not there! Shoot me here. Shh. Don't... (shot fires) Oh! (panting) (laughs) How's that? It's very good. Well, tell me how you do it. No, I can't do that. Well, then you can't do it. Alfred... I can't do it? I'm sorry, Alfred, but I...I can't raise a child on my own. You don't tell anybody that I told you. Okay. Gunpowder. Wadding. Then the bullet. Ramrod. Hold out your hand. The bullet is not even in the gun when the charge is fired. Once you know, it's actually very obvious. (chuckles) Well, I mean, you still get... It's dangerous. I mean, people still get killed doin' that. Well, how? Well, you know, I mean, sometimes you get a smartass. He can put a penny or a button or... I mean, God forbid, Sarah, somebody could put a bullet down there. Don't worry. Don't worry. Because I'm not gonna let anything happen. Everything's gonna be all right, because... I love you very much. Say it again. I love you. Not today. What? Well, on some days it's not true, and... today you don't mean it. Maybe today you're... you're more in love with magic than me. I like being able to... to tell the difference. It makes the... the days it is true mean something. All right. (indistinct voices) (audience hooting) Metal rings, ladies and gentlemen. If there are any ladies or gentlemen here. Solid metal. MAN: Seen that already. (laughing and heckling) Get out your gun, mate! Who threw that? WOMAN: I did, down here! Get out your gun, 'cause you're gonna need it! Yeah! Oh, get off. Gun! That's right. Gun! Show us the big one. (crowd booing and hooting) This is what you came for, is it? Huh? (gasping and murmuring) So... who wants to volunteer? (excited shouts) (clamouring) Right there, stop. (chatter stops) Are you man enough, sir? Yes. Which knot did you tie, Borden? Which knot did you tie, Borden? I don't know. -(shot fires) -(woman screams) (wailing) (crowd murmuring) (wailing continues) (chortling) BORDEN (voice-over): He came in to demand an answer. And I told him the truth. That I have fought with myself over that night. One half of me swearin' blind that I tied a simple slipknot... the other half convinced that I'd tied the Langford double. I can never know for sure. How can he not know?! (voice-over): How can he not know? He must know what he did. He must. -Sarah, that bloody hurts. -I'm sorry. I don't understand how it can be bleeding again. It's as... It's as bad as the day it happened. I have to get a doctor back. We can't afford the bloody doctor back. (baby fussing in distance) You've woken her. Great. I'm sorry. I need this to heal so I can get back to work. Alfred, you've got to face things. What tricks can you possibly perform with this kind of injury? I can still do... I can do card pulls. I can do some prop tricks. I can still do that, and I can do the trick that I've been telling you about. The one that they're gonna re... remember me for. We get a little bit of pre-hospital information as to what sort of 9 All right, so this is Tim, 34-year-old male. (OVERLAPPING VOICES) Got a status one 34-year-old male patient. Mate, we're gonna take good care of ya. (HELICOPTER ROTOR WHIRRS) We get a little bit of pre-hospital information as to what sort of injuries that we might expect. The higher the speed, you know, you're gonna have more significant internal injury. You've got much more chance to walk away when the speed of impact has been less. A bruised abdominal wall is better than a liver that's in pieces. A bit of concussion is better than a traumatic brain injury that'll affect you for the rest of your life. So there's a bit of difference. 1 (indistinct voices) (low, indistinct conversation) Never thought I'd find an answer at the bottom of a pint glass. Hasn't stopped you looking. Heard about a bookin'. Nice little theatre. Young, up-and-coming magician. Who? You. You got me a booking? Why? I wanna keep on working. And who's gonna hire the ingenieur that killed Julia McCullough in front of a sellout crowd at the Orpheum? Someone who knows it wasn't your fault. Someone who knows Alfred Borden and his repertoire of exotic knots. I hear he had a spot of bad luck catchin' a bullet south of the river. That's a dangerous trick, that one. We'll have to whitewash the windows, confound the more curious members of the public, but it will do. (loud thumps) Well, we should see about an assistant. I've made some arrangements. Have you settled on a name? Yes, I have. The Great Danton. It's a bit old-fashioned, isn't it? No, it's sophisticated. Cutter, the birdcage can't be our climax. -Everybody knows it. -Not like this, they don't. Anyway, I don't wanna kill doves. Then stay off the stage. You're a magician, not a wizard. You've gotta get your hands dirty if you're gonna achieve the impossible. (cooing) In here, Miss Wenscombe. No point in meeting Mr. Angier if you don't fit. On the right. What's so hard about this? Nothing, but you're going... down here. This... Hold it... Hold it there. This has gotta go around there. And this will conceal it? -Yeah, oh, sure. -Right? Yeah. Now take that one there. -Yeah. -Okay? -Pin this under. -Mm-hmm. -And this ties up here? -That ties at the front. Mm, that's good. (boards creaking) Breathe as little as possible. Mm-hmm. (dove cooing) Now, you see? That'll go. It'll flatten. -I see. Yeah. -Okay. She's not experienced... (voice-over): but she knows how to present herself. A pretty assistant is the most effective form of misdirection. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, for my final trick, I will require the assistance of two volunteers. Mr. Merrit, if you would oblige me? Yeah. Under? Under, yeah. There. -I put it round its foot. -Hey, careful. He's all right, isn't he? (quiet dramatic theme plays) You get a volunteer to put a hand there. Yeah. Another one there. Mr. Merrit, if you'll place your hands on either side of the cage, please. Thank you, Olivia. You best not be intendin' to hurt this animal, Mr. Angier. Of course not. You ready? Mm-hmm. Right. One... -two... -two... -three. -three. Go. (chuckles) Well, that's bloody marvellous, Cutter. Very nice. And the best part is... (cooing) (chuckles) I thought you said I had to get my hands dirty. Well, someday, perhaps, you will. I just had to know that you can. Very nice, very nice, indeed. -Thank you, Mr. Merrit. -Mm-hm. I, uh... haven't had the chance to compliment you on your beautiful theatre yet. Well, it'll be a lot more beautiful when it's full, Mr. Angier. (chuckles): Don't worry. Oh, you all say that. Why should I worry? If your tricks don't get 'em in, somebody else's will. Maybe somebody willing to do a bullet catch or a water escape, hmm? Cheap thrills, Mr. Merrit. People hoping for an accident, likely to see one, too. What would that do for your business? (chuckles) You got a week, John. Thank you, Mr. Merrit. (chuckles) (brisk orchestral music playing) (applause) Thank you. Uh, sir? In the third row there. Please stand up and show us your handkerchief. (audience giggling) This isn't mine. Perhaps you'd be so good as to return it to the lady in the aisle of the second row. I believe she has yours. (murmuring and applause) Thank you. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm making so many mistakes. -It's fine. -I'm so nervous. The audience doesn't seem to be responding much, Cutter. They've seen a lot of tricks before, but not this next one. (dove cooing) (piano playing classical music in auditorium) Put a cloth over. Uh, fingers crossed. I'll have the champagne ready. (music stops, applause) (chuckles) (audience groaning) Oh, you've seen this one before? MAN: We've seen 'em all before, mate! I'll make it a little harder, then, shall I? Two volunteers please, a lady and a gentleman, to hold this cage with me. I'll perform this feat in a manner never before seen by yourselves or any other audience anywhere in the world. (drum roll begins) Madam, if you'll place one hand on the back of the cage, one hand on the front. Thank you. Sir, one hand on the bottom of the cage, one hand on the top. (dove cooing) (drum roll continues) -(snapping) -(woman screams) (gasping and murmuring) (screaming continues) - I should have spotted him. - You had a lot of plates going. -I don't suppose they'll let us do this again. -No. So what's the climax of our show? MERRIT: Show? You don't have a show. Mr. Merrit, we have a week's engagement. To perform magic, not butcher birds or break my customers' fingers. Clear out-- anything here in the morning gets burned. Mr. Merrit... It's done, John. I've hired a comedian. You know I hate comedians. Well, there's, uh, plenty of good theatres, so... If we can come up with a new trick, change the name of the act... The name stays. Right. Well, then the, uh, the new trick's gonna have to be irresistible, then. I have a couple of methods to try out, and then we need a new angle on the presentation. Oh, and if you need some inspiration, there's a technical exposition at the Albert Hall this week. Engineers, scientists, you know? That sort of thing captures the public's imagination. (thunder rumbling, rain falling) (thunder rumbling) Mind if I join you? Tesla sends me down here during the storms. Perfect excuse to come join the Great Danton for a drink. (quiet chuckle) Two of 'em. Beautiful, isn't it, huh? God, I miss New York, though. -So why are you here? -The lightning lives here-- and, uh, not much else. Our work is secret. That a cipher? It's a rotating transposition that shifts every day of the diary. It's simple but time-consuming to translate, even when you have the five-letter keyword. Which is? We magicians have a circle of trust. You have a circle of trust with someone whose diary you stole? Maybe I bought it. And you're hoping to find a great secret in there. I've already found it. That's why I'm here. Tesla built one for another magician. But why would you want the same thing? Call it a professional rivalry. Mr. Tesla has built unusual machines for unusual people... but he would never talk about it. I understand discretion. I just want the machine. Finish your drink. I want to show you something. I think you'll have a... special appreciation for our work. I thought it was a secret. (chuckles): You're a magician-- who's gonna believe you? Not long now. Our equipment requires a great deal of current. Tesla electrified the whole town in exchange for using the generators when we need to. We do our tests when the townspeople are asleep. Mr. Tesla doesn't want to scare anyone. (soft electrical buzzing) Where are the wires? Exactly. And where's the generator? You saw it last week. That must be ten miles from here. Fifteen-- and I have to ride all of them before I get to bed. I'll send word for you in a few days, Mr. Angier. ANGIER (voice-over): Magic. Real magic. MAN (voice-over): Here at London's Royal Albert Hall! One of the miracles of our age! A technological marvel! You've never seen anything like it in your lives! Your eyes will not believe what they're witnessing! The miracle of Nikola Tesla, ladies and gentlemen! Free, clean power! Would you like to know the future, sir? The man who's speaking right now is going to change the world. Ladies and gentlemen, come one, come all! Immediate seating, no waiting! (loud electrical crackling, zapping, buzzing) (loud crackling, zapping continue) Ladies and gentlemen, -(people gasp, shriek) -I'm sorry, but... objections have been raised -They should be raised! -concerning the safety... Does that look safe to you? Part of Thomas Edison's smear campaign against Mr. Tesla's superior alternating current. MODERATOR: Mr. Alley, please. We have asked Mr. Tesla -to reconsider -ALLEY: Which he will not. -his presentation. -(people gasping) But I've been told he refuses to appear under any such restrictions. MAN: Clear the hall! This thing's gonna blow! Clear the hall! Ladies and gentlemen, please... (crackling, zapping continue) (people gasping) ## ## BORDEN: Hey. (chuckles): Hello, Jess! (groans): Ah... Have you had a nice day with Mummy? Huh? (Sarah laughs) Sarah. I love you. See? Today it's true. Yeah. Hello. ANGIER (voice-over): I saw happiness. Happiness that should have been mine. But I was wrong. His notebook reveals that he never had the life that I envied. The family life that he craves one minute, he rails against the next, demanding freedom. His mind... his mind is a divided one. His soul is restless. His wife and child tormented by his fickle and contradictory nature. So, what do you think? What do you think you'll call her? I don't know. Everybody needs a name. So what's hers? Baby Sarah. That's a lovely name. That's a lovely name. Well, you talk about what you want to do for the rest of the day. All right? Go on, you talk with her. They're taking her away? To the workhouse? Now, you keep talking. Tell Owens I've reconsidered. Take it. Go on, take it. It's for the best. Let me see. I'm gonna learn all the professor's secrets. Only if I teach you how to read. They're just stupid tricks, right? Haven't helped you get out of here, have they? Or can't you undo real locks, Professor? Well, maybe I'm just biding my time. Maybe one day I'll, uh... open my hand, get your attention, ask, "Are you watching closely?" Maybe a magic word or two. And then I'll be... gone. (laughing) How'd you get so famous, then, eh? Magic. (chain clatters) -Oi! Borden, get back here! -(laughter) (laughing): Thank you! Shut up! Get him down! Thank you! (laughter continues) Who's got a bloody key?! (deep humming in distance) ANGIER (voice-over): February 8, 1899. Today, finally a breakthrough. Tesla's agreed to see me. (deep mechanical rumbling, clattering) It's perfectly safe. (rumbling, clattering continue) (electrical zapping) (zapping continues) -(zapping stops) -So, this is the Great Danton. Mr. Alley has effused about your act to me on any number of occasions. Hold out other hand. (footsteps approaching) What's conducting the electricity? Our bodies, Mr. Angier, are quite capable of conducting and, indeed, producing energy. Have you eaten, Mr. Angier? (chuckles) I need something impossible. You are familiar with the phrase "Man's reach exceeds his grasp"? It's a lie. Man's grasp exceeds his nerve. Society only tolerates one change at a time. The first time I tried to change the world, I was hailed as a visionary. Second time, I was asked politely to retire. (chuckles) So here I am, enjoying my retirement. Nothing is impossible, Mr. Angier. What you want is simply expensive. If I were to build for you this machine, you would be presenting it merely as illusion? Well, if people actually believed the things I did on stage, they wouldn't clap, they'd scream. I mean, think of sawing a woman in half. Mr. Angier, have you considered the cost of such a machine? Price is not an object. Perhaps not, but have you considered the cost? I'm not sure I follow. Go home. Forget this thing. I can recognize an obsession. No good will come of it. Well, hasn't good come of your obsessions? Well, at first. But I have followed them too long. I am their slave, and one day, they will choose to destroy me. If you understand an obsession, then you know you won't change my mind. So be it. Will you build it? I have already begun to build it, Mr. Angier. I hope you enjoy the mountain air. This will take some time. 1 Uh... I thought you'd gone. I don't really have anywhere to go. You-you've been sleeping here? Yeah, Cutter said it would be all right till we get another booking. What are you doing? Uh, research. Part of a m-magician's job is to-to watch his competition to see what illusions... You're going to do something to that man, aren't you? Cutter's hoping that you'll let things lie. He says that if Borden thinks things are even between you two... Even? My wife for a couple of his fingers? He has a family now, all right? And he's performing again. Borden is out there living his life just as he always intended, as if nothing had happened. Now, look at, look at me. All right? I'm alone, and no theatre will touch me. Us. You're going to need a better disguise. (rings clanking together) (scattered applause) Need a volunteer. OLIVIA (voice-over): What happened? Did you hurt him? (grunts softly) What happened, Robert? You, sir. Just a rubber ball, yes? Thank you. Just a rubber ball, no. Not normal. Not a normal rubber ball. It's magic. He had a new trick. ## OLIVIA (voice-over): Was it good? It was the greatest magic trick I've ever seen. (scattered applause) ANGIER (voice-over): Did they applaud when you saw it? The trick was too good. It was too simple. The audience hardly had time to see it. He's a dreadful magician. No, he's a wonderful magician. He's a dreadful showman. He doesn't know how to dress it up, how to sell the trick. -Well, how does he do it? -He uses a double. No, no, no, no. It's too simple. This is a complex illusion. You only say that because you don't know the method. It's a double that comes out at the end. It's the only way. I've seen him perform the trick three times now, Mr. Cutter-- The Prestige is the same man. No, it's not. The same man comes out of that second cabinet, I promise you. It's the same man. He wears padded gloves to hide his damaged fingers, but if you look closely, you can tell. He doesn't know how to sell his trick to an audience, but I do. Yeah, well, we can use it as a climax to the show. Yes. The man stole my life, I'm gonna steal his trick. We've got to find someone who looks like you on stage. He doesn't use a double. Robert, I don't know how Borden does the trick, -you either... -Aha! ...you either wait for him to retire and buy the secret or you listen to how I would do it. 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. -BORDEN: Whoo. -(Sarah chuckling) Look. Look. (blows softly) What's that? That... is for you. What's this for? Come here. What? (chuckles) Did you...? I asked you last week, you said we couldn't aff... You caught me in a wrong mood. But you went over all the-the... Sarah, I'm allowed to change my mind, aren't I? The act is taking off, soon we'll be in a bigger theatre, things will work out. (laughing) I can't believe it. Thank you. Thank you. It's beautiful. Gerry? (gasps) Darling, look at you. OLIVIA: Mr. Cutter, Mr. Angier, I'd like you to meet Gerald Root. Mm. (whispering) (Olivia chuckles) A pleasure. Pleasure to meet you fine gentlemen. (sniffs) Would you like for me to tell you a little joke? Come here. Yes! Are you laughing now?! (chuckles) (gasps): Oh, dear. I have to take a piss. He's out of his mind. Of course he is. 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. Go in. So you open the door... and... (chuckling) (sighs) Come on. -Ooh! -(chuckling) Couldn't you have found a softer one? Well, it's not for sleeping on. So if you come down through there... Mm-hmm. ...does Root go up through there? Yep. Hmm. It's going to be amazing, Robert. Well, it has to be. Borden's trick is getting noticed. The place was packed today. You went and saw his show again. CUTTER: Ready to meet yourself, Mr. Angier? (exhales) (Root clearing throat) (chuckling) All I have to do is keep myself stinking drunk, and no one'll be able to tell the difference. Have a little faith, sir. All right. Now, would you favour us with a performance, Mr. Root? (chuckling) (whispers): Jesus. ## (clapping) ROOT: Yes, you would drink, too, if you knew the world half as well as I do. Did you think you were unique, Mr. Angier? I have been Caesar. I've played Faust. How difficult could it possibly be to play the Great Danton? CUTTER: You can go back to being yourself now, Root, for nothing. I'd rather be him for now. I find it, uh, amusing. (chuckling) My liege, I did deny no prisoners. (laughing): But... You look wonderful. Oh, thank you. CUTTER: Root has to keep a low profile. Anyone sees him, the game's up. I don't know how you do these things, Cutter. I'm not sure I want to know. CUTTER: Have you thought what we should call the trick? There's no point being coy. ANGIER (voice-over): Borden calls his trick The Transported Man. (applause) Ladies and gentlemen, much of what you've seen tonight may be termed as illusions or... (drum roll, cymbal crash) entertaining trifles. (applause) Alas... (drum roll) I cannot claim this next feat as illusion. Watch carefully. (drum roll continues) You'll 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 aren't, do not be alarmed, what you're about to see is considered safe. (cheering and applause) (laughter) (applause) 1 To our achievement. The manager says he's never seen a reaction like it. Well, at least he got to see it. I spent the ovation hiding under the stage. No one cares about the man who disappears, the man who goes into the box, they care about the one who comes out the other side. I care about the man in the box. Thank you. I don't know. Maybe... Maybe we could switch before the trick. That way, I could be The Prestige and Root ends up 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. ROOT: 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, Robbie. We worked hard. We need to celebrate properly. What's wrong? Is it your wife? No. No, it's the trick. It isn't good enough. Borden's trick is nothing compared to ours. He has no style. Well, 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, now you want me to leave? Well, that's how we advance. Think of it, Olivia, think. We got people excited by Cutter's version of the trick, but imagine what we could 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, Mr. Angier. It's fitting you should be here for our maiden voyage. Your hat. ALLEY: You, uh, you might want to stand back. (loud electrical sizzling and popping) (loud electrical sizzling and popping) I don't understand. Perhaps it would be, uh, best if you left us to it. Is there a problem, Mr. Tesla? Yeah, no, no, no, no. -Come back next week, uh... -Next week? Next week, it'll be fine. Tesla! It's just a little temperamental sometimes. (door opening and closing) (birds chirping) Interesting workshop. Yeah, we make do. -My name is Olivia Wenscombe... -Yeah, I know who you are. You here to steal the rest of my show? No, I'm here to give your show what it's missing. Yeah? What might that be? Me. (laughs) I was just saying that, wasn't I, Bernard? Woman's touch. OLIVIA: 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? I mean, 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 come and work for you and steal your secret. Well, what does he need my secret for? His trick is top-notch. He vanishes, and then he reappears instantly on the other side of the stage-- mute, overweight and, unless I'm mistaken, very drunk. (chuckles) It's-it's astonishing. How does he do it? And-and tell me, Olivia, does he enjoy taking his bows under the stage? No, it's killing him. He's obsessed with discovering your methods. He thinks of nothing else, he 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 actually 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. Now, get down below stairs right away. No. No, we need to have a little chat, Mr. Cutter. We have a problem. Cutter, Borden's performing right across the street. Yeah? We have a bigger problem: Root. He's realized 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. And how much does he want? Well, it makes no difference. We got to stop doing the trick. Stop the trick? Cutter, look at this. Well, look at yesterday's, look at last week, where they said you were the premier stage performer in London. Not magician, mind you. Performer of any kind. Well, what's your point? My point is, Robert, 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 whatever he wants for now. We keep doing the trick until Borden opens, and then we'll phase it out. All right. ANGIER (voice-over): Cutter was always surprised how fast Root turned bad. To what do I owe the pleasure of this rather welcome pint of ale? You're the Great Danton, aren't you? Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh. Of course I am, but don't advertise it, because -I'll be mobbed with fans. -Oi. ANGIER (voice-over): We paid him enough to keep him in beers, so you wouldn't expect him to rock the boat. Indeed, many of you may be familiar with this technique, but for those of you who aren't, do not be alarmed, what you're about to see is considered safe. And who are you? I am a humble admirer and a, uh... a fellow practitioner. Mm. Very good. (grunts) Another? Oh, if you insist. Another. I'm not performing tonight. But, well, uh, I'm only doing one show, but to be frank, my people pretty much run things these days. (whispers): Get up there! (whispers): Get up! Your illusion, The Transported Man, I'm not claiming to know your methods or anything, BORDEN (voice-over): but I had a similar trick in my act, and, uh, (whispers): I used a double. Uh-huh. I see. Very good. Well, it was, and then it went bad. What I didn't count on was that when I incorporated this bloke into my act, he had complete power over me. Complete power, you say. (laughter) (scattered applause) (laughing) Whoa! BORDEN (voice-over): Be very careful giving someone that power over you. (chuckles) Well, thank you. Um... Yes, thank you for the warning. Hmm. Cheers. (drum roll) I cannot claim this next feat as illusion. What you're about to see is considered safe. (screams) (groaning) (grunting) (laughter) (applause) (scattered laughter) (laughter) (applause) (melodramatic gasp) The Great Danton. (laughter and applause) I apologize. There simply is too much magic for my stage at the Pantages across the street. (applause) Pardon my intrusion! (applause) And go easy on the poor chap! He does try so very hard! I don't know how Borden found him. Kept him under wraps. I was careful. Yeah, well, he did. Do you think it was her? You weren't expecting me? I was expecting you sooner. Your message said afternoon. Well, it takes a bit for me to get around these days. He's taken everything from me. My wife, my career, now you. What do you mean? You sent me to... I sent you to steal his secret, not to improve his act. -That's my job. -Or to fall in love with him! -I did everything you asked! -Yes? Yes? -Then how does he do it? -Cutter was right, he uses a double. Course Borden said that. He didn't say anything. I've seen things-- makeup, glasses, wigs. We don't use any of it for the show, but I've seen it hidden backstage. It's misdirection. He leaves those things lying around to make you think he's using a double! All the time? He doesn't know when I'm looking. All the time, Olivia! That's who he is! That's what it takes! He lives his act! Don't you see?! Just because you're sleeping with him doesn't mean he trusts you. You think you can see everything, don't you? But the Great Danton is a blind fool! His notebook. You stole it? I borrowed it for tonight. I thought you could translate some of it, -but now I know... -I can't. -You can't? -Olivia, no one can. It's a cipher. Even with a keyword, it would take months to decode. And without the keyword? Perhaps never. We'll see. We will not see. If I don't get that back to him by tomorrow morning, -he'll know I took it. -Leave him. I can't. He knows where I live. (chuckling) This is his diary, Olivia. All of his secrets are right here in my hands. It won't bring your wife back. I don't care about my wife, I care about his secret. Look, I'll, um... I'll go to his workshop and stage a break-in. He'll know you took it. Yes, me. Not you. Understand? Robert. I have fallen in love with him. Then I know how hard this has been for you. Notebook? Then he's just getting started. (applause) (drum roll) (cymbal crash) (electrical sizzling and popping) (applause) (people clamouring) Good evening. I, uh... I'm walking tonight. Let him come. I don't care. -MAN: Professor! -WOMAN: Professor! (people continue clamouring) (man shouts) (suspenseful theme plays) (hammer pounding) (muffled gunshot, Cutter groans) -You all right? -I'm alive. Saves me cutting you an airhole! I'm impressed. Why's that? You're finally getting your hands dirty. It's what a good trick costs, Angier. Risk. Sacrifice. The sacrifice, I'm afraid, is all gonna be yours, unless you give me what I want. Which is? Your secret. My secret? Your method for The Transported Man. Fallon wouldn't tell me. In fact, he doesn't seem to talk at all. You have my notebook. Useless without the keyword. Write down your method, Mr. Borden. Describe it in full. ## I want the whole method, not the keyword. I don't even know if your secret's in your notebook. The keyword is the method. Where's my ingenieur? Alive?! How fast can you dig? Fallon! You hear me?! Fallon! ANGIER: How's the arm? Still attached. Did you find your answer? Our answer, Cutter. I haven't looked yet. I wanted you to share this. I already know how he does it, Robert. The same way he always has. The same way as we do. It's just that you-you want something more. Well, let's find out then, shall we? What does it mean? (chuckling) It means, Cutter, we have a journey ahead of us. To America. Robert. Mm-hmm. Listen to me. Obsession is a young man's game. Oh, come on. I can't follow you any further in it. I can't. I'm sorry. Well, then the rest is up to me. I'm sorry. BORDEN: Good evening. Hello, darling. (chuckling) Champagne, your finest. I didn't know we were going to be joined for dinner. Absolutely. We are celebrating. SARAH: Miss Wenscombe. Mr. Fallon. Well, what are we celebrating? Well, we've hit upon a new trick, haven't we, Fallon? What trick, Freddy? Yes, Freddy, what trick? I am going to bury myself alive every night, and then someone will come along and dig me up. Wonderful. No, I think my husband's had quite enough. No, pour the champagne. Come on, pour the-- That's right. Sarah, don't talk to me like that. I'm not a bloody child. Perhaps it would be better... SARAH: Perhaps if, Mr. Fallon, you might escort Miss Wenscombe home. My husband's being a... being a bore. I see no reason why -Oh, please. -the two of you should -Don't ruin this evening. -have to suffer as well. (chair legs screeching over floor) Good night, Mrs. Borden. Good night, Freddy. Good night. Freddy? Well, that's my name. Not at home. Well, I'm not always at home, am I? (chuckles) Well, couldn't you have at least taken off the... the beard? Sarah, I just came from the bloody theatre, just now. All right? And I'm out in public. Everybody else loves it. Why are you being like this, Alfred? I had a terrible ordeal today. I thought that something very precious... had been lost to me. So I just wanted to celebrate. Just a little. All right, what? What did you lose? I see. More secrets. Sarah, secrets are my life. Our life. No, Alfred, stop. This isn't you. Stop performing. (birds cawing) Well, I thought I had the place to myself, Mr. Brent. Unexpected guests. Not very polite. A lot of questions. First, I thought they might work for the government. No? Worse. They work for Thomas Edison. BORDEN (voice-over): Today, a most curious development. His assistant came to us with a proposition. Obviously, Angier has sent her and told her to admit as much. Does he enjoy taking his bows under the stage? He sent me here to steal your secrets, but I've actually come to offer you his. This is the truth... is it? No, that's what he told me to tell you. The truth... is that I loved him, and I stood by him, and he sent me to you like he would send a stagehand to pick up his shirts. I hate him for that. I can spot Angier's methods from the back of the theatre. So, what could you possibly have to offer me? You may know how he does his tricks, but you can't understand why no one can see that yours are better. You hide this. I had to look very closely to spot it when you were performing The Transported Man, but this makes you unique. It shows the audience 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. BORDEN (voice-over): 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? BORDEN (voice-over): She must help me rid ourselves of Angier. BORDEN (voice-over): 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 diary, not to my trick. Did you really think I'd part with my secret so easily, after so much? Good-bye, Angier. May you find solace for your thwarted ambition back in your American home. Tesla! Tesla! Alley! Alley! Tesla never made the machine like the one I asked for. We never said he had. But you let me believe that he had. You stole my money because your funding had been cut off. You've been... shooting sparks at my top hat, laughing at me all along, while using my money to stave off ruin! Now, I have seen Edison's men. -Where? -In the hotel. And I have every mind to bring them up here myself. TESLA: That would be unwise, Mr. Angier. It is true that you are our last remaining financier. But we have not stolen your money. Sir, my, uh, my cat. When I told you I could make your machine, I spoke a simple truth. Then why isn't the machine 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 a different material. It may provoke a different result. (cat meows) Copernicus, come on. You are responsible for whatever happens to this animal, Doctor. (cat meows) (electrical sizzling and popping) (exhales) Well, I hope that whatever you were really doing with my money was more worthwhile, Mr. Tesla. (cat meows) (cat meows) (cat yowls) (cat yowling) (hissing) (meows) (quiet, suspenseful theme plays) Alley! So the machine was working. ALLEY: I never bothered to check the calibration 'cause the hat never moved. These things never quite work as you expect them to, Mr. Angier. 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're all your hat, Mr. Angier. 1 (footsteps running) Mm. You look so pretty in this new dress of yours. Are we going to the zoo this afternoon, Daddy? No, no, no, no, no, remember, Daddy has some errands to run. - But you promised. - I promised, did I? Then go to the zoo we shall. So 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. (imitates chimpanzee) Sarah. What are you doing? We 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. Is that more shopping? She does love the smell of money, doesn't she? Uh, 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, she, I mean, at least she knows that something's not right, so... if you can just do whatever you can to help me with her. Talk to her. Just convince her that... I do love her. What is it, Freddy? Just don't call me that, please. It's nothing. It's just, you know, there's sometimes, sometimes it seems wrong. I've told you before, 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 was very good to Colorado Springs. Mr. Angier... I didn't think it was necessary to tell Edison's men about the box. What box? (suspenseful theme plays) TESLA (voice-over): I apologize for leaving without saying good-bye. 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. ANGIER (voice-over): 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. I mean, if it went wrong, I would not want to live like that for long. (electrical sizzling and popping) (electrical sizzling and popping) ANGIER (voice-over): 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, of which we had numerous examples. It don't matter. So... my tricks. All of 'em. Including The Transported Man? Oh, well... (chuckles) uh, Lord Caldlow will be very pleased indeed. No, he won't. 'Cause they're not complete. It's just The Pledge and The Turn for each. Well, 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 good-bye. BORDEN: Do we have to go through it now? SARAH: Do you listen? 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 can't not have an assistant. No, I'll go to her! I'll tell her I know what you... You'll tell her what? I know what you really are, Alfred. I... I know and I... -Sarah, Sarah. -I can't keep it in. Sarah, you can't talk like this. -Sarah, shut up. -I can't anymore. No, no. Sarah, shut up! I don't want (from distance): to hear it anymore! You can't talk like this! SARAH: And you can't hide it anymore, because I know, Alfred, I know. I know what you really are! Alfred, I... I can't live like this. Oh, well, you think I can live like this?! You think I bloody enjoy living like this?! SARAH: Stop it and listen! BORDEN: No! We have this beautiful house, lovely little girl, we're married! What is so wrong with your life, Sarah? 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. (whispers): Do you... Do you love me? Not today. No. (birds chirping) (birds chirping) (quiet, melancholy theme playing) (clank, birds shrieking) ## (birds chirping, screeching) (low, indistinct chatter) (chatter continues) (seagulls calling) (banner fluttering) (pigeons cooing, wings fluttering) (quiet, sombre theme plays) STAGEHAND: Who's there? I'm looking for an old friend. I heard about a booking. Nice little theatre. 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. I need your help, John. It's my last show. A limited engagement. Your last show? A wise man once told me obsession was a young man's game. I'm almost done. There's one thing left. The Real Transported Man. You wanna design a show round it. Yeah, I don't want you backstage. I need you front of house, managing. I need you to call in any favours or connections you have left to get us the right booking for the run. What sort of booking you after? The sort that Borden can't ignore. Oh. What an honour it is to see you again, sir. You told me you only wanted to show me one trick. It piqued my interest. Well, it's a-- it's a very clever trick, Mr. Ackerman. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Ackerman. Likewise, I'm sure. Well, let's get on, shall we? ANGIER: Turn it on, gentlemen. Very pretty. That's it, Cutter? He simply disappears? That's not a trick. Well, he has to come back. There has to be a-- -ANGIER: A Prestige? -Exactly. Pardon me. It's very rare to see... (exhales nervously) real magic. Yes, it's-it's been many years since I've seen-- Are you interested in helping us? Yes. But you'll have to dress it up a little. Disguise it. Give them enough reason to doubt it. You haven't spoken about her, Freddy. Not once. Why would I talk... about her to you? Hmm? Because she was a part of your life. And now she's gone. You know, the day before she killed herself, she said she wanted to meet me. That she had something to tell me about you. I was such a coward, I couldn't bring myself to face her. But... what would she have said? You wanna know the truth about me? Truth is that... I never loved Sarah. I never loved her. -You married her. -Yes. -You had a child with her. -Yes. Part of me. Part of me did, but... the other part didn't. The part that found you. The part that's sittin' here right now. I love you. No, Olivia, I love you. That's the truth. That is the truth that matters. You could be in some other restaurant with some other woman right now, talking about me that way. (whispering): No. Yes. It's... inhuman to be so cold. He's back. After two years. He's got a new trick. They're saying it's the best London's ever seen. (chuckles): You should see the look on your face, Professor. You should go to him. You two deserve each other. MERRIT (voice-over): But I'm afraid I'm booked. The Moscow Ballet-- they'll be playing through next year. Then get rid of them. There'll be a hundred performances. No more, no less. Five performances a week. No matinees. (paper rustles) And that's what you'll be charging for each ticket. Good day. 1 (applause) (footsteps on stage) Ladies and gentlemen, my first trick of the evening is one that involves considerable risk. Anyone in the audience who would be irrevocably damaged by seeing a man drown should leave now. For when I tell you the young lady who taught me this illusion actually died performing it, you will understand the seriousness of the dangers involved. Let's begin. (applause) In my travels, I have seen the future... and it is a strange future indeed. The world, ladies and gentlemen, is on the brink of new and terrifying possibilities. (taps cane on stage) (slow, suspenseful theme plays) (applause swells) What you're about to witness... is not magic... it is purely science. I would like to invite you to come up on stage now, so that you can examine the machine for yourselves. ## (electricity snaps and crackles) (crackling and sizzling) (electricity whooshes and stops) (footstep taps) (audience exclaims and murmurs) Man's reach exceeds his imagination. MAN: Bravo! (crowd cheers and whistles) Bravo. Bravo. One hundred performances. Why? Does his method dictate that? Is it a publicity move? What is it? He's a no-talent magician and they're callin' him the bloody best in England. Why? 50 yards in a second. In a second! And all that we know is he uses a trap door. Ah, brilliant. What is goin' on under that stage? Huh?! Why can't you outthink him? (quiet, ominous theme playing) BORDEN (voice-over): They do this every night after each performance, yeah? (sighs) (cart creaking) ## BORDEN: Huh. (birds chirping) We're done. (crumpling paper) All right? Let 'im have his trick. I don't need... I don't need his secret. So... don't go back there. You leave 'im alone. Both of us, just leave 'im alone. We're done. ANGIER: I told you, John, I don't want you backstage on this one. ANGIER: I would like to invite you to come up on stage now, so that you can examine the machine for yourselves. (quiet, ominous theme playing) ## Here, where do you think you're goin'? I'm part of the bloody act, you fool. (electricity crackling) Who was that? (machinery whirring) (electricity crackling) (machinery whirring) (intense crackling) (electricity whooshes and stops) (gurgling) (muffled): Help! Hey! Where's the bloody key?! Where's the bloody key?! (distant yelling) Where's the bloody key?! He's bloody drowning! Hold on! (yells) What've you done?! (sheet rustles) JUDGE (voice-over): Alfred Borden, you have been found guilty of the murder of Robert Angier. You will be hanged by the neck until dead. May the Lord have mercy on your soul. Mr. Cutter? Owens. Oh. Thank you for coming, Mr. Owens. It has fallen to me to dispose of Mr. Angier's equipment. But I noticed from this manifest that Lord Caldlow has purchased the bulk of the items. Mr. Cutter, if you needed to know where to deliver these items, surely-- No, no. It-It-It's just there is one particular item. Uh, this, uh, item, in fact... that I would like to, uh-- You would like to...? Bu-Buy. Buy yourself. Yeah, I suppose so. This is the machine? Yes. Yeah, well, I'm afraid Lord Caldlow was adamant about purchasing this particular item. Do you think I could talk to Lord Caldlow in person? Out of the question, I'm afraid. Of course, I suppose if, in the course of your delivery arrangements, your paths were to cross... ...I can't stop you speaking your mind. Thank you. 1 (clanking, door creaking) Still here, Borden? For now. Got a visitor. Lord Caldlow. With a little girl. Jess? (chuckling): Hello, my love. How are you? I've missed you so much. Fallon's missed you, too. We both have. Daddy, can I come in there? Not right now. Not right now, darlin'. No, but everythin' is gonna be all right. You must be Lord Caldlow. Call-dlow. Yes, I am. I always have been. They flatter you with all those chains, Alfred. Don't they know you can't escape without your little rubber ball? I pulled you out. Out of that tank. You know, all I wanted to do was prove that I was a better magician, but you couldn't leave me alone. I don't know what you've done... ...but you're not afraid to get your hands dirty anymore, are ya? No, not anymore. And I win. 'Cause no one cares about the man in the box, the man who disappears. You win? This ain't a bloody competition anymore, Angier. This is my little girl's life. And don't you dare put her in the middle of this. Oh, I know how hard it is to have someone so special taken away from you, don't I, Borden? And you can't take her with you, now, can you? Oh, she'll be looked after. Good-bye, Professor. Come on, darling. -BORDEN: No, no, no, no. Stop! -Come on, darling. Stop, stop, stop! Look! Here. That's what you're after. That's what this is about. Take it. - Your secret? - Yeah. You always were the better magician. We both know that. But whatever your secret was, I mean, you have to agree-- (chuckling): mine is better. Don't do this. Don't do this, Angier, no! Jess, Jess, Jess. Jess... I'm gonna take you home soon, I promise. -For God's sake. -I promise. Look. (whispering): I promise. I love you, Jess. - I love you. - ANGIER: Come on. -Come on. -I love you. I love you, Jess. Angier. Angier! What, you think this place can hold me?! Angier! They're gonna bloody hang me! They're gonna bloody hang me! You can put a stop to this now! - Listen! Listen! That man-- - Just shut up, Professor. Listen, that man is the one I'm meant to have killed. - Keep it down! - You dumb bastard, listen to me! Keep it quiet! Do not touch me! If he's alive, I'm not guilty! Guards! -I'm not guilty! -I don't care! -Angier! -Get hold of 'im! Good-bye, Professor. Angier! (birds chirping) Run along now. Sir? Mm-hmm. There's a gentleman waiting. Dear God. Hello, Cutter. You're s... You're still alive. How is it you're still alive, Robert? I saw you on a slab, for God's sake. -Go on, child. -Good night, sir. Good night, Jess. I've seen her before. I saw her in court with... Fallon. - (whispers): What have you done? - Well, she needs looking after. She needs her father. You're letting him hang, and I helped you. I came here to beg Lord Caldlow to let me destroy that machine. I am not gonna beg you for anything. You don't have to. I'm gonna make sure that machine is never used again. Then, Lord Caldlow... where do you want me to deliver it? My theatre. It belongs with The Prestige materials. John. I tried not to involve you. So... (chuckles) We go alone now... both of us. Only I don't have as far to go as you. (scoffs, chuckles) (key turning) Don't. You were right. I should have left him to his damned trick. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for a lot of things. I'm sorry about Sarah. I didn't mean to hurt her. I didn't. You go live your life in full now, all right? You live for both of us. Good-bye. (slow, sombre theme playing) ## (heavy doors creaking) (chains rattling) (whispering): Are you watching closely? (door creaks open) (gears clicking) (suspenseful theme plays) Put it down the end. (chamber clattering) (wheels rattling) (chains jangling) Take a minute to consider your achievement. I once told you about a sailor who described drowning to me. Yes, he said it was like going home. I was lying. He said... it was agony. (suspenseful theme plays) ## WARDEN (voice-over): Alfred Borden, this day, in the name of the king and the high court of England, you will meet your end. (whispering): No one cares about the man in the box. (rustling) Cutter? Cutter?! WARDEN: Do you have anything to say? (whispering): Abracadabra. (trapdoor thuds) (ball bounces lightly) (gunshot echoes) (gasping) (groans) (Angier gasping, groaning) (whispering): A brother. A twin. (whispering): You... were Fallon... (stammers)... the whole time. We were both Fallon. And we were both Borden. (panting) Were you... Were you the one who went into the box or the one who came back out? We took turns. The trick is where we would swap. (knocking) (panting) Cutter knew. Cutter knew. But I told him it was too simple, too easy. No. (knock) Simple maybe, but not easy. There's nothin' easy about two men sharin' one life. (screaming) I don't understand how it can be bleeding again. (whispering): Well, what... What about Olivia? And your... And your wife? We each loved one of them. I loved Sarah. He loved Olivia. We each had half of a full life... really, which was enough for us. Just. But not for them. See, sacrifice, Robert, that's the price of a good trick. (Angier gasps) But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? (pants, chuckles softly) (whispering): I-I've m... I've made sacrifices. No. Yes... (gasps) It takes nothin' to steal another man's work. (whispering): It takes everything. (electrical humming, crackling) (ominous chords playing) No. No, no, wait! I'm the...! (gunshot echoes) It took courage... (gasps) Mm... It took courage to climb into that machine ev-every night... not knowing... if I'd be the man in the box... or in The Prestige. Do you wanna-wanna see... what it cost me? You didn't see where you are, did you? Look. Look. (whispering): I don't care. You went halfway around the world. You spent a fortune. You did terrible things. Really terrible things, Robert. And all for nothing. (whispering): For-For nothing? (whispering): Yeah. (panting) You never understood... why we did this? (scoffs) The audience knows the truth. The world is simple. It's miserable. So... (inhales) Solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second... then you could make them wonder. And then you.... then you got to see something very special. (panting) You really don't know? (gasping) It was the... (whispering): It was the look on their faces. (gasping) (quiet moan) (exhales) (glass shatters) (flames crackling) CUTTER (voice-over): Every magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called The Pledge. The magician shows you something ordinary. The second act is called The Turn. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it into something extraordinary. But you wouldn't clap yet, because making something disappear isn't enough. You have to bring it back. Hey! (noble orchestral theme crescendos, then quiets) (flames crackling) CUTTER (voice-over): Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because, of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be... fooled. A self-fulfilling prophecy# Of endless possibility# Your warning rings across the street# In algebra, in algebra# The fences that you cannot climb# The sentences that do not rhyme# In all that you can ever change# The one you're looking for# It gets you down# It gets you down# There's no spark# No light in the dark# It gets you down# It gets you down# You travel far# What have you found?# That there's no time# There's no time# To analyse# To think things through# To make sense# ## Like candles in the city# You'll never look so pretty# While power cuts and blackouts# Sleeping like babies# It gets you down# It gets you down# You're just playing a part# You're just playing a part# You're playing a part# Playing a part# Oh, there's no time# There's no time# To analyse# Analyse# Analyse# Analyse# ## Ah... Ah# Ahh...# Uh-ahh-ahh# Oh...# ## Hmm# Ooh-ooh# Oh# Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh# Ooh# Ooh-ooh-ooh.# ## (song ends) (foreboding, melancholy theme plays) www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2017