The Prestige ending explained: How did Angier and Borden perform 'The Transported Man' magic trick?

The Prestige is a 2006 psychological thriller based on a 1995 novel of the same name by writer Christopher Priest. The movie was directed by Christopher Nolan, known for his award-winning films like Inception, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer.

The Prestige revolves around two magicians named Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, respectively. Over the years, they become bitter rivals, each trying to do better than the other's magic act at every turn. Their major point of contention is the Transported Man trick, which each of them achieves differently.

In the film's ending, it is revealed that Borden had a twin to perform the trick, while Angier used a Tesla cloning machine to do the work for him.

The official summary of the film reads:

"After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other."

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Unveiling the secret behind 'The Transported Man'

Hugh Jackman as Angier in a still from The Prestige (Image via Warner Bros.)

The premise of the film revolves around two magicians, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden. Initially, they work for the same magic engineer, but a tragic accident involving the death of Angier's wife turns them into rivals. In an attempt to outmatch each other's performances, the two develop their versions of a trick called 'The Transported Man.'

The trick involves the magician seemingly transporting across two ends of the stage in separate wardrobes shown to the audience. The ending of the film shows how exactly both Angier and Borden performed the act, respectively.

Borden had an identical twin who shared his face and stage identity. The two would maintain separate identities and disguises offstage, but the twin factor helped them perform the trick on stage. Borden would be in one wardrobe, and his twin would appear in the second, making the act appear seamless.

On the other hand, Angier made inventor Nikola Tesla create a duplication machine for him. This machine would generate a clone every time the Transported Man trick was performed. At the end of the film, Angier's theater catches fire, and the camera reveals the aftermath of his experimentation. The audience sees thousands of dead clones floating in tanks before the film cuts to black.

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Who are the cast members of The Prestige?

Christian Bale as Borden in a still from The Prestige (Image via Warner Bros.)

The film starred several notable names, including Christian Bale and Michael Caine, who had previously worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight trilogy. The full cast and respective roles in The Prestige have been listed below:

• Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier/Lord Caldlow
• Christian Bale as Alfred Borden/Bernard Fallon
• Michael Caine as John Cutter
• Scarlett Johansson as Olivia Wenscombe
• Piper Perabo as Julia McCullough
• Rebecca Hall as Sarah Borden
• David Bowie as Nikola Tesla
• Andy Serkis as Mr. Alley
• Ricky Jay as Milton the Magician
• Roger Rees as Owens
• W. Morgan Sheppard as Merrit
• Samantha Mahurin as Jess Borden
• Daniel Davis as the judge

The Prestige received two Academy Award nominations following its release: for Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography. Produced with a budget of $40 million, the film performed well at the box office, grossing $109 million worldwide.

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Audiences can watch The Prestige online streaming on platforms like YouTube Movies and Amazon Prime Video as per regional availability.