Touchstone Pictures opted to move the release date forward by a week, from the original October 27, to October 20, 2006.[34] The film earned $14.8 million on opening weekend in the United States, debuting at #1. It grossed $109 million, including $53 million from the United States.[3] The film received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Nathan Crowley and Julie Ochipinti) and the Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Wally Pfister),[35] as well as a nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form in 2007.[36]
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 202 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Full of twists and turns, The Prestige is a dazzling period piece that never stops challenging the audience."[37] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[38] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[39]
Claudia Puig of USA Today described the film as "one of the most innovative, twisting, turning art films of the past decade."[40] Drew McWeeny gave the film a glowing review, saying it demands repeat viewing,[41] with Peter Travers of Rolling Stone agreeing.[42] On At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper, Richard Roeper and guest critic A.O. Scott gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating.[43][44] Todd Gilchrist of IGN applauded the performances of Jackman and Bale whilst praising Nolan for making "this complex story as easily understandable and effective as he made the outwardly straightforward comic book adaptation (Batman Begins) dense and sophisticated... any truly great performance is almost as much showmanship as it is actual talent, and Nolan possesses both in spades."[45] CNN.com and Village Voice film critic Tom Charity listed it among his best films of 2006.[46] Philip French of The Observer recommended the film, comparing the rivalry between the two main characters to that of Mozart and Salieri in the highly acclaimed Amadeus.[47]
On the other hand, Dennis Harvey of Variety criticized the film as gimmicky, though he felt the cast did well in underwritten roles.[48] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter felt that characters "...are little more than sketches. Remove their obsessions, and the two magicians have little personality."[49] Nonetheless, the two reviewers praised David Bowie as Tesla, as well as the production values and cinematography. On a simpler note, Emanuel Levy has said: "Whether viewers perceive The Prestige as intricately complex or just unnecessarily complicated would depend to a large degree on their willingness to suspend disbelief for two hours." He gave the film a B grade.[50]
Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, describing the revelation at the end as a "fundamental flaw" and a "cheat." He wrote, "The pledge of Nolan's The Prestige is that the film, having been metaphorically sawed in two, will be restored; it fails when it cheats, as, for example, if the whole woman produced on the stage were not the same one so unfortunately cut in two."[51] R.J. Carter of The Trades felt, "I love a good science fiction story; just tell me in advance." He gave the film a B−.[52] Christopher Priest, who wrote the novel the film is based on, saw it three times as of January 5, 2007, and his reaction was "'Well, holy shit.' I was thinking, 'God, I like that,' and 'Oh, I wish I'd thought of that.'"[53]
The film has grown in stature since its release.[54][55][56] In 2009, The A.V. Club named The Prestige as one of the best films of the 2000s.[57] The film was included in American Cinematographer's "Best-Shot Film of 1998-2008" list, ranking at 36. More than 17,000 people around the world participated in the final vote.[58] In 2020, Empire magazine ranked it among "The 100 Greatest Movies Of The 21st Century".[59]
Music
The film score was written by English musician and composer David Julyan. Julyan had previously collaborated with director Christopher Nolan on Following, Memento and Insomnia. Following the film's narrative, the soundtrack had three sections: the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige.[60]
Track listing
All music is composed by David Julyan
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Are You Watching Closely?" | 1:51 |
| 2. | "Colorado Springs" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "The Light Field" | 1:50 |
| 4. | "Borden Meets Sarah" | 2:11 |
| 5. | "Adagio for Julia" | 2:03 |
| 6. | "A New Trick" | 4:29 |
| 7. | "The Journal" | 2:55 |
| 8. | "The Transported Man" | 2:36 |
| 9. | "No, Not Today" | 2:31 |
| 10. | "Caught" | 1:39 |
| 11. | "Cutter Returns" | 2:13 |
| 12. | "The Real Transported Man" | 2:28 |
| 13. | "Man's Reach Exceeds His Imagination" | 2:08 |
| 14. | "Goodbye to Jess" | 2:53 |
| 15. | "Sacrifice" | 5:15 |
| 16. | "The Price of a Good Trick" | 5:05 |
| 17. | "The Prestige" | 1:40 |
| 18. | "The Tesla" | 1:30 |
Some critics were disappointed with the score, acknowledging that while it worked within the context of the film, it was not enjoyable by itself.[61][62] Jonathan Jarry of SoundtrackNet described the score as "merely functional," establishing the atmosphere of dread but never taking over. Although the reviewer was interested with the score's notion, Jarry found the execution was "extremely disappointing."[61]
Christopher Coleman of Tracksounds felt that though it was "...a perfectly fitting score," it was completely overwhelmed by the film, and totally unnoticed at times.[62] Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks recommended the soundtrack for those who enjoyed Julyan's work on the film, and noted that it was not for those who expected "any semblance of intellect or enchantment in the score to match the story of the film." Clemmensen called the score lifeless, "constructed on a bed of simplistic string chords and dull electronic soundscapes."[63]
The song "Analyse" by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is played over the credits.[64]
Home media
The Region 1 disc is by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, and was released on February 20, 2007, and is available on DVD and Blu-ray formats.[65] The Warner Bros. Region 2 DVD was released on March 12, 2007.[66] It is also available in both BD and regionless HD DVD in Europe (before HD DVD was canceled). Special features are minimal, with the documentary Director's Notebook: The Prestige – Five Making-of Featurettes, running roughly twenty minutes combined, an art gallery and the trailer. Nolan did not contribute to a commentary as he felt the film primarily relied on an audience's reaction and did not want to remove the mystery from the story.[67]
The film was released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Ultra HD Blu-ray on December 18, 2017, in the United Kingdom.[68] The film was also released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on Ultra HD Blu-ray on December 19, 2017, in the United States.[69]
