DVD/FILM Review: THE PRESTIGE REVIEWER: Lawrence Burgess POSTED: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 DVD RELEASE DATE: February 20, 2007 STUDIO: Touchstone TRAILER: Apple Trailers Christopher Nolan is quickly etching himself among the elite of Hollywood's directors. His follow-up to the 2005 success Batman Begins is an adaptation of Christopher Priest's novel, The Prestige. A mostly strong cast, powerful cinematography, effective editing, and a well-woven and deceptive story make this film one of the rare gems of 2006. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are rival magicians at the turn-of-the-century London. Their rivalry is the centerpiece of the film, and surrounded by a slew of thought-provoking characters -- Cutter (Michael Caine), Julia Angier (Piper Perabo), Sarah Borden (Rebecca Hall), Nikolas Tesla (David Bowie), Alley (Andy Serkis), and Owens (Roger Rees). Despite strong performances all around, the weakness of the film is the casting of Scarlett Johansson as Olivia Wenscombe. Johnansson is merely fodder for Bale, Jackman, and Caine. One may question this odd trend in Nolan's films, merely to grab the MTV young male demographic. Johansson is much like Katie Holmes in Batman Begins -- she is outclassed and outperformed by her cast-mates. Johansson is also outdone by Piper Perabo, in a surprisingly powerful performance (yet her screen time is limited). One also wonders if a possible future Selina Kyle will go to a pretty face or a solid actress. Much like all of Nolan's successes, the cinematography is a powerful piece of the picture. Oscar-nominee Wally Pfister sets a flawless frame. Though most of the shots are hand-held, Pfister's vision once again meshes with Nolan's. We are drawn into a deceptive and provoking tale. The editing sets an appropriate mood -- deception. Lee Smith changes the tempo of cuts with the tempo of the film. The seamless edits match each and every beat of the film. As the story tends to sway from one variable to another, the editing appropriately succeeds in complementing such frequent change. The story is rooted in deception. Jonathan Nolan adds multiple layers to each and every character. There are no definitive plot points, but a constant barrage of pinches, keeping the viewer's mind active and unable to form a thoughtful conclusion. The conclusion of the film borrows heavily from old radio shows (“The Shadow,” in particular). This is one of the great films of the year. Despite Johansson's weaknesses, the cast is strong and the story hungrily draws in the viewer. This is not merely a warm-up to 2008, but a film rooted in intelligent deception while tinkering with the boundaries of fiction. GRADE: A DVD FEATURES: *Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French *Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0) *"The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight of Hand of Christopher Nolan" *The Art of The Prestige Gallery Lawrence Burgess graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History from West Virginia State University in December 2006. He currently is employed with the WV Tax Department and is studying for entrance to law school. He is the founder/C.E.O. of Old Black Hat Films, a non-profit organization which specializes in historical, educational, and local WV films. O.B.H. also has locally released a free DVD for educational purposes. Lawrence is a rabid Batman fanatic, football and film afficionado, and a left-wing weirdo. He also has coined the moniker "THE CHIN" for Aaron Eckhart, the newly-announced Harvey Dent... and is initiating "The Chin Revolution," for no apparent reason. Lawrence resides in Dunbar, West Virginia, with his beloved fiancee, Kristen, and three cats.