The Prestige (2006)

A Special CinemaSTEM Screening

A late entry in the “read as little about this movie as possible before seeing it” hall of fame, The Prestige follows Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), rival stage magicians in Edwardian-era London. Partners until the tragic death of an assistant during a live performance, the two now feud bitterly and sabotage each other’s performances. But when Borden premieres a flawless trick he calls “The Transported Man,” traveling instantaneously between two locations on the stage, Angier’s compulsion to win at all costs grows as he furiously works to discover the trick’s secret.

That fixation will lead him on a quest into the unreal, which… do you like twists? Do you like surprises? Do you like other Christopher Nolan movies like Memento and Inception? You’ll love this. Based on a novel by Christopher Priest and also starring Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla (seriously, we’re not going to talk about it), The Prestige is a deft and engrossing mystery about the warping violence of obsession and the terrible burden of hate. It’s also the perfect candidate for our popular CinemaSTEM series, where we take your favorite movies and pick apart the science, technology, engineering, and math behind them.

After the film, professional magician and visual artist Thomas Hayden will discuss the science behind “Making A Magician” out of Hollywood’s biggest names. He will also dive deep into physics of the practical effects used in the filming of The Prestige and present an interactive magic performance that the entire audience can participate in.

Hayden has performed for clients such as Nickelodeon, Ernst & Young, Playlist Live, and Happy Valley Beijing. He has been a featured magic correspondent and consultant for numerous MTV Specials, America’s Got Talent, Penn & Teller: Fool Us!, Stageworks Theatre, and Gibson Guitars.