More about The Prestige: The Hidden Analogy ruclips.net/video/-_UOlsQyFmc/видео.html The Symbolism of the deaths ruclips.net/video/854a3Y2yXeo/видео.html The Prestige of Caesar, Faust & Angier ruclips.net/video/79R_OdeqrwA/видео.html Tesla was an actor ruclips.net/video/7lFBRvtPpTM/видео.html
I think you’re right. When Andy Serkis first shows up, I was thinking he was really Tesla. Then when they revealed Bowie, I was so amazed that it was Bowie I kind of forgot about Serkis. Classic misdirection!
Same cuz Andy circus is the best actur to play a mad scientist or something and also Tesla said he “had his assistant write detailed instructions on the machine” Why wouldn’t he write them hinself
one more clue it’s shown when Angier finally gets the machine in the box, the letter that comes with it says the assistant wrote some instructions about how to use the machine which means the “assistant” knew how the machine works ‘cause he actually made it.
"I just want the machine" and that cunning smile "finish your drink. I wanna show you something. I think you'll have a special appreciation for our work"
Wow, mind blown. Prestige is my favourite movie. I saw it first at 2010, been seeing it every year, finding new things everytime I watch it. One thing I always found irritating was why Alfred wrote 'Tesla' in that paper. I was thought it was to get rid of Angrier for that particular moment and save Fallon. This theory of ally being Tesla is right and fits perfectly to this puzzle peice of a movie. Amazing work, subscribed.
@@mikespearwood3914 One problem with it is that Tesla was a well known public figure. The act would have needed to start so many years prior to him studying. People would remember him from school etc... If they started the act later people who went to university with him or studied with him would see immediately that the man being presented as Tesla was not the same man they went to school with.
@@TheBoxingNinja Tesla was known as a *great* germaphobe. The guy owns like 18 napkins and uses them to wipe the germs off his silverware before eating. It is very, very, very unlikely that he would took off his glove.
I always assumed that Borden and Fallon weren't twins, but that tesla had cloned Borden but instead of killing his clone like Angier they decided to share a life for their trick
That's what I also assumed but then I remembered Tesla looking so appaled when the machine does not work on the hat, and then later discovering it is a clonning machine instead.
It's an interesting theory. There's one problem, tho. Nolan himself reportedly flied to meet Bowie to convince him to accept the role of Tesla because he thought he was the only one that could take the role because his quirky personality and demeanor would make the scifi element of the movie believable to the audience. Of course, that could be "misdirection" as well, but it's more likely that we gotta take it at face value, and that he was indeed meant to be Tesla in Nolan's mind.
If so then Nolan convinced Bowie to portray the fake Tesla that can convince the audience. Besides this theory has no contradictions & Tesla himself did have a black cat as a pet.
It's been a year, and thanks to Oppenheimer's many interviews, we now know that Nolan actually doesn't use the internet or a smart phone to contract the actors; he always meets the actors and hands them the script in person. The theory might be true after all.
..besides, we know what Tesla looked like and he looked nothing like Andy! The story Nolan is telling has enough twists and red herrings without disgarding historical fact.
Another possible hint to this. During the machine's test with Alley's cat, he acts like this is the first time its happened. Later when Angier discovered the duplicate hats, there are numerous cats. This can be explained if Alley's worry over his cat was just a front. In actuality, he was already knowingly testing on his cat.
The sequel would have a plague of black cats descending on Colorado Springs. Always wondered what happened to the cats and hats, if Alley/ Tesla removed them before leaving or if Eddison's men found them and were like wth?
Interesting theory. Tesla at one point in history worked for Edison though, so wouldn't Edisons henchmen recognize that alley isn't the assistant but Nikola himself? They surely would have at the demonstration.
1. Age matters 2. Remove people's moustaches, and see the change. They will look a lot different. They would also be angry and would be hitting you for stealing their moustaches.
@@techpriest4347”Not necessarily”presupposes a certainty that Edison’s men would recognize Tesla if that was who Alley was. If I was Tesla, I wouldn’t bet on hiding in plain sight like that, being that I’ve already had a lot of pictures taken.
No he is not. the cat is not an argument. If so the real tesla has a mustache. Also in the scene that burned with alley their laboratory shows the face of tesla disappointed and with some wilting. As in the test with the hat, he stood motionless and looked at it nervously. If this theory stood, they would not show bowie' s expressions to the public.
Yeah, interesting except for the fact Alley Löwenstein was Tesla’s real assistant during his time researching in Colorado Springs. Nolan isn’t Tarantino...he respects history, unless it takes CGI to get the numbers on the beach of Dunkirk correct.
I watched the film back in 2007, loved it. Year or 2 later I came back and was wondering where this reveal was. I had in my head like some mandella effect, that Alley was Tesla. So strange to see it as a theory now.
Alfred Borden always was talking about "sacrifice", you have to be willing to sacrifice what's most important for a higher value Robert Angier always though he was sacrifice something "important" but he wasn't willing to sacrifice what he was exactly obsess: The Prestige. He was to be show the main character he always wans the spot light on him, when he try the transported man with his double he didn't like it he wans to be the one on the sage not under the stage.
Wait, what about later when Borden tells Angier that the keyword wasn't, in fact, the method...it was just the keyword. It appears Borden's initial claim was mere misdirection. I just watched this movie last night after watching your video so it's fresh
I think it’s a pretty solid theory. Bowie and Serkis do kinda look alike in the film. Not sure what it would really add to the story though. Just another ‘gotcha moment’ you couldn’t possibly get the first time watching.
Alright, let me put list arguments why, I think, Tesla's assistant is *not* the Tesla himself in the movie: 1) Assistant's character has no visiul resemble with the "real" Tesla as a historical figure. On the contrary, David Bowie's character has the same mustache, same haircut, dressing habits and hair color 2) It is known fact, that Nolan especially wanted Bowie to play Tesla's character, as he was sure only he could nail it and portray him believable. In fact, he wanted him as Tesla so much that he took his time to reach for Bowie personally, as he initially declined the role 3) Even if this theory is true, it brings absolutely no new meaning to the plot as whole, neither does it give another perspective to the events shown in the movie. Hence this theory is redundant and should be dismissed due to the principle of Occam's razor
1) Historical figure Tesla would be the false tesla in this world, though, right? that is to say, nobody would have known what he really looked like if the secret were kept. 2) yeah, but, that could apply to the tesla stand-in as well imo. like, nolan wanted what bowie would have brought to the role to misdirect the audience 3) it works in terms of reinforcing one of the film's main themes, ie, duality, but that's about it imo
I actually think it would add some clarity to the movie. It would explain why Borden wrote that Tesla was the keyword without him having to have used the cloning machine. Yes he wrote it to send angier on a goose chase but it would make sense if he gave him the answer to the transported man in a very ambiguous way in that he’s using the misleading tactics of Tesla. He’s not lying to Angier but he’s not straight up giving him the answer to the transported man.
They both took turns. When he loved Sarah he was Alfred, when he did not he was Fallon. In the end the one that loved Sarah stayed alive and the other one died. He tied the double knot which was strong but harder to get off.
I read about Nikola Tesla in high school and he was an ambitious engineering that turns him a genious, Alley always was with rubber gloves always working and Tesla appears more like a Writer or Philosopher not an Engineer, engineer like to be dirty and were the most comfortable clothes without matter if we look rich or poor.
Tesla was known as a great germaphobe. He used to use one of his 16 napkins to wipe off the germs of his silverware before eating. And in the movie we see him took of his gloves, eat with others, etc.
It's in the movie & in the book. Book Tesla is not secretive, like in the movie, and in both versions, he is desperate for money. I could see how this theory could make a little sense, but the building of the machine in the book much a much more collaborative process between Angier and Tesla. Plus, both versions of Borden admit that they sent Angier on what he thought was a wild goose chase, to test Olivia Winscomb's loyalty.
That doesn't mean that Nolan hasn't gone down a different route in regard to "Tesla" being a diversionary imposter character. He changed a lot from the source material to his movie apparently.
I just don't think it makes a lot of sense to have Serkis as Tesla when the real Tesla looked a lot like Bowie's character. I understand that this is all a story and creative misdirection can be done but I don't think Nolan thought this way. Plus the main aspect of the film is about "obsession" to which Bowie's character understood and tried to get him out of even trying the machine in the first place.
It works for the movie, but it doesn't work for history; too many people had contact with Tesla for him to be merely the frontman for a genius instead of a genius himself. The entire journal was just a ruse to distract Angier, so its code word "Tesla" represented Borden's method. The answer to how Borden did the trick, a double, was obvious and pointed out by Cutter very early on; unable to accept that, Angier became vulnerable to the ruse and Borden obliged.
Anyone would have recognized Tesla at the Expo and most definitely Edison's men for they know his description very well. Tesla is also prominently known for his mustache. Andy Serkis is 5'8" while Nikola Tesla was 6'2" as tall as Hugh Jackman.
I very much enjoy this theory ! While I very much want David Bowie to be such an important figure; I would gladly submit to this for the sake of tying into the themes.
Neat theory. But why does Alley not have an accent? (I know Angier doesn't have an accent either, but it would be a lot harder for a Serb to learn a flawless American accent than for an Englishman.)
Your video has inspired me to rewatch the movie. At 1:22:47 (in the movie), Borden writes in his journal (which Angier is reading): "[Olivia] gave you this notebook at my request. And yes, 'Tesla' is merely they key to my diary, not to my trick. Did you really think I'd part with my secrets so easily after so much?" Also, at the end, when Angier reveals his identity as Caldlow to the imprisoned Borden, Borden hands Caldlow a piece of paper with his secret to save his daughter. Caldlow just tears the paper apart and tosses it, but it's evidence that Borden had not revealed his secret to Angier before when he said 'Tesla' was the keyword and the method. (Presumably, this new piece of paper just says 'twin brother' or something along those lines.) So I don't think that, by writing 'Tesla', Borden revealed the secret to his trick, as you suggest - unless he just wrote the quote above out of spite. Either way, you may still be right that Alley is really Tesla.
This is a ridiculous theory! People would've known what Tesla looked like. So to say the short assistant with a thick New York is really Tesla makes zero sense!
Also "Tesla" at one point says our bodies can "even produce energy". The real Tesla knows that we dont produce energy, just convert it as energy can neither be created nor detroyed. Given Nolan's scientific eye, it seems unlikely that this is a mistake he'd make. It's more like an actor (Bowie/fake Tesla) dressing up his conversation with Angier.
This is next to impossible in real life context , Tesla as a young man, left his country to work for Edison, they exchanged words a lot, and Tesla presented Edison many of his invention, in which Edison mocked, ridicules and stole it, and eventually the fallout happened when Edison refused to give Tesla the promised reward for improving his crappy machines.
I always thought Borden used Tesla's machine to clone himself once so he can do his trick. Especially because with all of Angiers money and resources he would be able to find out about Bordens twin brother. Also the fact that they took turns being the prestige meant that both of them would have to possess the skills to do the whole magic act. I thought this was obvious.
This one video on your channel puts all of @Filmtheory to literally shame as this takes so much more thought and perception then any of the nonsense on that channel
There are no clones. We beleving in the machine It's the trick of the movie. The movie it's a psychological thriller not science fiction movie. Both diaries are manufactured to fool the readers. Most of the movie seen on screen it's characters reading the events written in the diary..."The pledge" We end up believing n the clone machine and Borden tricks. "The turn" At the end, audience watching the movie still believing in the cloning the machine is the true prestige for Nolan. We want to be fooled. Angier went around the world, spent a fortune and did terrible things by killing multiple doubles for his limited shows. Borden knows it at the end that's why he doesn't want to look further for the tricks. He got fooled by his own tricks losing wife and brother.
@@mistertheory I would love to see that. I have never seen this theory explore yet anywhere on RUclips. In the movie it's very difficult to separate what is true from what it is manufactured reality. I would suggest the only scenes that we can trust are the one where Burden twins and Angier interact. Also, Cutter scenes are real in my opinion. He is the only one that knows Burden double trick. He is also unaware of the multiple doubles being sacrificed to take Burden out by Angier. Once he finds out all the murders and lies he takes Burden side. Cutter is the moral eye of the movie. . To conclude, what are the odds Burden send Angier to Tesla to waste his time and Tesla actually having the clone machine? Quite silly. This makes me believe Tesla scenes are also manufactured in Angier diary. I would love to see this option explore and see if there is any holes in it.
It’s an intriguing theory, but frankly I don’t buy it. There’s a scene where Alley was doing a public presentation with the machine to demonstrate alternating current. If he was Tesla, he wouldn’t have appeared publicly there, because one of Edison’s men would’ve recognized him. I don’t see merit to assume David Bowie’s Tesla is an actor, since that would be an insult to David Bowie’s work on portraying the character.
Since Tesla wanted to keep himself secluded from public and Edison's men he downplayed as an assistant which makes sense as the movie is all about the significance of the assistants than the actual performers.What my question is ...why would Nolan choose David Bowie... This is my answer....tell me what you feel... Mainstream approach is Nolan chose a famous celebrity to play the iconic scientist Tesla Or... Nolan chose David Bowie to play a fake Tesla. Why David Bowie when there are so many other stars who could have rather acted in the role. David Bowie is not an actor..he is a singer..a musician...did Nolan deliberately choose someone from a different profession to act in the role , on purpose? Since he isn't the real Tesla...he chose someone who is not an actor by profession to play a fake Tesla. The whole movie is about how a magician dresses up his trick to fool the audience. Did Nolan dress up a singer as an actor to fool the audience?? Leaving a slight hint that he's a fake Tesla while the real one is the assistant 😳
This is very good however I would argue that the history of Tesla shows his engineers were the ones that built his empire. Tesla was still Tesla. But he was just the figure head and money man. Otherwise the theory is perfect for me.
It was real. At the end, after Borden shoots Angier, it pans to the tanks which are full of Angier bodies. It only shows 1 Angier in the last shot but you can see figures of human bodies in the other tanks. If I’m wrong and was deceived, then I give up, lol. This movie is deep.
@@jacklantern4337 Yeah lol could be he was using puppets or fakes and the 1 angier we see is the drunk doppleganger that was sacrificed to just prove a point ☝️
@@jacklantern4337 it wasnt clones, angie (really not angie but a double i think) tells bordon to look at the water tanks around him, clearly to impress him, so no he was trying to trick him into thinking he could create clones. Its not a sci fi movie. U were tricked and so were many other viewers.
@@ButterflyAmbienceVideos Then that means every shot with Tesla..was a false narrative. And remember when Angier shot “himself” at the end…that also means that was a false narrative. Angier was lying on a slab after he died in that water tank. Body was then buried. But the very last shot shows another Angier in a water tank. I’m pretty sure that was on purpose to reinforce the viewers that Angier did in fact use a cloning machine to perform the trick. You might be right…but we have to assume that every scene in that movie wasn’t “real”, but merely misdirection.
“It took courage every night…not knowing if I’d be the man in the box…or in the prestige”. If that’s not evidence he cloned himself, then I don’t know what is.
Alright. I applaud your creativity but I’m going to stop you there because you may not know about the actual history that this film brushes up against. This is a really silly theory because Tesla was a real dude, who we have photographs of, who we know what he looked like, his well-known eccentric mannerisms, and fastidious self-hygiene/grooming (he was a germaphobe before germ theory had been fully proven, y’all), HIS NATION OF ORIGIN and therefore how he spoke English and how likely sounded, such as in the film, and his reclusiveness was not cartoonish; he was highly protective of his ideas after being massively ripped off and his inventions being stolen by Edison’s men repeatedly (a raid of this type is referenced in the film, even); as a result Tesla often refused to meet with investors until he knew they were serious and could be trusted; but it’s not like he didn’t have a major major ego himself and would never have done something as fucking pointless as use a double and hide his true identity-after all, he came to American to change the world with his inventions. He wasn’t exactly shy. And I think he wanted the recognition that would have come with achieving his goals, which were to end all wars and solve humanity’s energy issues by harvesting electricity from the earth’s crust. Again, discussed in the film; not sure if you knew this was real and not just further storytelling. And more importantly, I don’t think Christopher Nolan would ever be disrespectful to one of the most important men in history as to like….hide some made up, poorly thought-out, tertiary plot line that wouldn’t have impacted the plot even if it was true, about Nikola freaking Tesla. You heard how Chris Nolan chose to refer to him in the film-he wasn’t just a scientist. And he was infinitely more than a magician. Tesla was a wizard. A man who could make magical, reality bending inventions for his time as though he were supernaturally gifted or intuned with knowledge from other places than earth. Better luck next time. This theory is very weak and can be debunked without even having to think about it. But I always encourage trying to think this way about movies as complex as the prestige. Unfortunately in this case we are actually talking about one character who is a real historical figure and human being who we know a fair amount about.
@@VeryImportantPepe I’m just a huge nerd for the real Nikola Tesla. Go google how many modern day objects that we use that he invented. And even though he was utterly snubbed with the Nobel prize for the invention of radio, he was its true inventor. It was in his earlier days before he realized everybody on the planet (besides himself) is pretty much out for themselves and not for the betterment of humanity. He knew the guy was developing in, and Tesla was like “oh good for him. He’s using 17 of my patents in his research. Let him continue.” Poor guy. If he’d won the Nobel prize as he should have, he’d never have any issues getting funding ever again. Sadly he died nearly broke.
I honestly hated this movie, watched it first time a weeke ago. but I couldn’t get it out of my head, and after seeing this and all of the other cheeky tricks I actually think it’s great.
NOW I FALL FOR THE ANSWER THE BLIND MAN (ANGIER ASISTANT) IS TELLING YOU ANGIER IS BLIND 😱😱 HE CAN´T SE THE TRICKS , MAYBE IS BLIND FOR ANGER (ANGIER = ANGER) OR REVENGE BUT HE NEVER SAW THE TRUTH
More about The Prestige:
The Hidden Analogy ruclips.net/video/-_UOlsQyFmc/видео.html
The Symbolism of the deaths ruclips.net/video/854a3Y2yXeo/видео.html
The Prestige of Caesar, Faust & Angier ruclips.net/video/79R_OdeqrwA/видео.html
Tesla was an actor ruclips.net/video/7lFBRvtPpTM/видео.html
I think you’re right. When Andy Serkis first shows up, I was thinking he was really Tesla. Then when they revealed Bowie, I was so amazed that it was Bowie I kind of forgot about Serkis. Classic misdirection!
Nah. Tesla was a European introvert who spoke English with a thick Croatian accent.
@@PaulSchober weird and introverted enough to fake an accent??
Same cuz Andy circus is the best actur to play a mad scientist or something and also Tesla said he “had his assistant write detailed instructions on the machine”
Why wouldn’t he write them hinself
one more clue it’s shown when Angier finally gets the machine in the box, the letter that comes with it says the assistant wrote some instructions about how to use the machine which means the “assistant” knew how the machine works ‘cause he actually made it.
"I just want the machine" and that cunning smile "finish your drink. I wanna show you something. I think you'll have a special appreciation for our work"
You're a magician, who's gonna believe you??
Nolan is fucking genius hands down he is greatest in his league
Wow, mind blown. Prestige is my favourite movie. I saw it first at 2010, been seeing it every year, finding new things everytime I watch it. One thing I always found irritating was why Alfred wrote 'Tesla' in that paper. I was thought it was to get rid of Angrier for that particular moment and save Fallon. This theory of ally being Tesla is right and fits perfectly to this puzzle peice of a movie. Amazing work, subscribed.
This is Reddit fan fiction, it doesn’t hold any real merit
@@201hastings It's a bloody good theory that's actually plausible.
@@mikespearwood3914 One problem with it is that Tesla was a well known public figure. The act would have needed to start so many years prior to him studying. People would remember him from school etc... If they started the act later people who went to university with him or studied with him would see immediately that the man being presented as Tesla was not the same man they went to school with.
@@magetaaaaaahe was not well known early on. The theory still holds.
@@magetaaaaaahe was not well known early on. The theory still holds.
man this made the movie even better. Good catch
That’s also what I thought! His theory really makes the movie better!
Nolan disproved that, sounds like you have a problem with him.
@@DMalltheway When?
@@mikespearwood3914 In a interview.
@@DMallthewaylink?
When I first watched the movie, I was a bit confused why "Tesla" would shake his hand without gloves on. I think this theory has a lot of merit
After he shook his hands he made him grab a lightbulb for a trick, that wouldn't work with leather gloves.
He was showing off AC electricity.
@@TheBoxingNinja Tesla was afraid of touching anyone and always had his gloves on. I doubt he would take them off just to show off a trick
@@TheBoxingNinja
Tesla was known as a *great* germaphobe. The guy owns like 18 napkins and uses them to wipe the germs off his silverware before eating. It is very, very, very unlikely that he would took off his glove.
This is a Reddit fan theory so I say it holds no merit
@@201hastings I'm very sorry to hear that and will be returning my "accurate theory according to 201hastings" award. Please look for it in the mail.
I always assumed that Borden and Fallon weren't twins, but that tesla had cloned Borden but instead of killing his clone like Angier they decided to share a life for their trick
Wow maybe.
That's what I also assumed but then I remembered Tesla looking so appaled when the machine does not work on the hat, and then later discovering it is a clonning machine instead.
It's an interesting theory. There's one problem, tho.
Nolan himself reportedly flied to meet Bowie to convince him to accept the role of Tesla because he thought he was the only one that could take the role because his quirky personality and demeanor would make the scifi element of the movie believable to the audience.
Of course, that could be "misdirection" as well, but it's more likely that we gotta take it at face value, and that he was indeed meant to be Tesla in Nolan's mind.
If so then Nolan convinced Bowie to portray the fake Tesla that can convince the audience.
Besides this theory has no contradictions & Tesla himself did have a black cat as a pet.
It's been a year, and thanks to Oppenheimer's many interviews, we now know that Nolan actually doesn't use the internet or a smart phone to contract the actors; he always meets the actors and hands them the script in person. The theory might be true after all.
You can tell an actor one thing and do another
..besides, we know what Tesla looked like and he looked nothing like Andy! The story Nolan is telling has enough twists and red herrings without disgarding historical fact.
Another possible hint to this. During the machine's test with Alley's cat, he acts like this is the first time its happened. Later when Angier discovered the duplicate hats, there are numerous cats. This can be explained if Alley's worry over his cat was just a front. In actuality, he was already knowingly testing on his cat.
Not at all, the same car after the initial test to fight the clone cat, may be caught the smell
Too many hats . 2 cats.
The sequel would have a plague of black cats descending on Colorado Springs. Always wondered what happened to the cats and hats, if Alley/ Tesla removed them before leaving or if Eddison's men found them and were like wth?
omg!!! my mind is blown away, there is always so much layer and meaning in Christopher Nolan movies, wow.
This is soooo deep, wow this movie keeps giving me more & more. I kid you not, this is my favorite movie by far
Interesting theory. Tesla at one point in history worked for Edison though, so wouldn't Edisons henchmen recognize that alley isn't the assistant but Nikola himself? They surely would have at the demonstration.
Not necessarily. If Eddison told them to "Go take care of tesla" then they'll fall for the same trick as everyone else
1. Age matters
2. Remove people's moustaches, and see the change. They will look a lot different. They would also be angry and would be hitting you for stealing their moustaches.
@@techpriest4347”Not necessarily”presupposes a certainty that Edison’s men would recognize Tesla if that was who Alley was. If I was Tesla, I wouldn’t bet on hiding in plain sight like that, being that I’ve already had a lot of pictures taken.
It’s not like it’s the age of social media, it would be pretty unlikely most ppl would have any idea what he looked like.
Edison was at the demonstration and he shouted something and the crowd dispersed and left the room.
No he is not. the cat is not an argument. If so the real tesla has a mustache. Also in the scene that burned with alley their laboratory shows the face of tesla disappointed and with some wilting. As in the test with the hat, he stood motionless and looked at it nervously. If this theory stood, they would not show bowie' s expressions to the public.
Yes the trick is that the assistant is actually him. It's so true. That's what the whole movie is about
😱😱😱😱. This makes so much sense
Yeah, interesting except for the fact Alley Löwenstein was Tesla’s real assistant during his time researching in Colorado Springs. Nolan isn’t Tarantino...he respects history, unless it takes CGI to get the numbers on the beach of Dunkirk correct.
Makes sense. The movie starts by telling us our attention is always been distracted. Nolan didn´t make a historical movie
@@alexmorrison9156 yes, I know...the whole film plays a magic trick being performed...hence the title
@@neildennis7294 The twist is the prestige.
@@sohamacharya171 I know
WOW. Yes! That does make so much sense. It seems so obvious now you've proposed it!! You are Clever n I'm loving your theory!
Now that I know the meaning of "Are you watching closely", I totally agree with your "theory".
This makes a lot of sense. David Bowies character never did anything it was always the assistant.
I watched the film back in 2007, loved it. Year or 2 later I came back and was wondering where this reveal was. I had in my head like some mandella effect, that Alley was Tesla. So strange to see it as a theory now.
Alfred Borden always was talking about "sacrifice", you have to be willing to sacrifice what's most important for a higher value Robert Angier always though he was sacrifice something "important" but he wasn't willing to sacrifice what he was exactly obsess: The Prestige. He was to be show the main character he always wans the spot light on him, when he try the transported man with his double he didn't like it he wans to be the one on the sage not under the stage.
I never picked up on this on my multiply viewings of the film..... this is really good work .keen eye
Wait, what about later when Borden tells Angier that the keyword wasn't, in fact, the method...it was just the keyword. It appears Borden's initial claim was mere misdirection. I just watched this movie last night after watching your video so it's fresh
I think it’s a pretty solid theory. Bowie and Serkis do kinda look alike in the film.
Not sure what it would really add to the story though. Just another ‘gotcha moment’ you couldn’t possibly get the first time watching.
This is the best theory on this movie that I've ever heard.
Alright, let me put list arguments why, I think, Tesla's assistant is *not* the Tesla himself in the movie:
1) Assistant's character has no visiul resemble with the "real" Tesla as a historical figure. On the contrary, David Bowie's character has the same mustache, same haircut, dressing habits and hair color
2) It is known fact, that Nolan especially wanted Bowie to play Tesla's character, as he was sure only he could nail it and portray him believable. In fact, he wanted him as Tesla so much that he took his time to reach for Bowie personally, as he initially declined the role
3) Even if this theory is true, it brings absolutely no new meaning to the plot as whole, neither does it give another perspective to the events shown in the movie. Hence this theory is redundant and should be dismissed due to the principle of Occam's razor
1) Historical figure Tesla would be the false tesla in this world, though, right? that is to say, nobody would have known what he really looked like if the secret were kept.
2) yeah, but, that could apply to the tesla stand-in as well imo. like, nolan wanted what bowie would have brought to the role to misdirect the audience
3) it works in terms of reinforcing one of the film's main themes, ie, duality, but that's about it imo
Nice razor use
I actually think it would add some clarity to the movie. It would explain why Borden wrote that Tesla was the keyword without him having to have used the cloning machine. Yes he wrote it to send angier on a goose chase but it would make sense if he gave him the answer to the transported man in a very ambiguous way in that he’s using the misleading tactics of Tesla. He’s not lying to Angier but he’s not straight up giving him the answer to the transported man.
Wow, very interesting. What a movie this was.
Can you please tell me... Who loves Sarah Alfred or fallon and who was Freddie Alfred or fallon and which knot Did he tie
They both took turns. When he loved Sarah he was Alfred, when he did not he was Fallon. In the end the one that loved Sarah stayed alive and the other one died. He tied the double knot which was strong but harder to get off.
@@shubhamjamwal5284 I watched movie again before your reply my friend and I'll get all that details. But thanks for your comment.
@@shubhanshusoni7898 it was my pleasure sir 😉
I read about Nikola Tesla in high school and he was an ambitious engineering that turns him a genious, Alley always was with rubber gloves always working and Tesla appears more like a Writer or Philosopher not an Engineer, engineer like to be dirty and were the most comfortable clothes without matter if we look rich or poor.
Tesla was known as a great germaphobe. He used to use one of his 16 napkins to wipe off the germs of his silverware before eating. And in the movie we see him took of his gloves, eat with others, etc.
Well this just blew my mind
It's in the movie & in the book. Book Tesla is not secretive, like in the movie, and in both versions, he is desperate for money. I could see how this theory could make a little sense, but the building of the machine in the book much a much more collaborative process between Angier and Tesla. Plus, both versions of Borden admit that they sent Angier on what he thought was a wild goose chase, to test Olivia Winscomb's loyalty.
That doesn't mean that Nolan hasn't gone down a different route in regard to "Tesla" being a diversionary imposter character. He changed a lot from the source material to his movie apparently.
I just don't think it makes a lot of sense to have Serkis as Tesla when the real Tesla looked a lot like Bowie's character. I understand that this is all a story and creative misdirection can be done but I don't think Nolan thought this way. Plus the main aspect of the film is about "obsession" to which Bowie's character understood and tried to get him out of even trying the machine in the first place.
Just like Ra's al Ghul lol
It works for the movie, but it doesn't work for history; too many people had contact with Tesla for him to be merely the frontman for a genius instead of a genius himself. The entire journal was just a ruse to distract Angier, so its code word "Tesla" represented Borden's method. The answer to how Borden did the trick, a double, was obvious and pointed out by Cutter very early on; unable to accept that, Angier became vulnerable to the ruse and Borden obliged.
I love this take! Ah, the black cat. Well done.
Just wow. This makes perfect sense.
Dude this entire video is a copy paste from a reddit post
Anyone would have recognized Tesla at the Expo and most definitely Edison's men for they know his description very well. Tesla is also prominently known for his mustache. Andy Serkis is 5'8" while Nikola Tesla was 6'2" as tall as Hugh Jackman.
but what if nobody knew what tesla really looked like, even edison's men?
@@sdccvideo1460 Oooohhh, like a real life Keyser Soze?
I very much enjoy this theory ! While I very much want David Bowie to be such an important figure; I would gladly submit to this for the sake of tying into the themes.
Neat theory. But why does Alley not have an accent? (I know Angier doesn't have an accent either, but it would be a lot harder for a Serb to learn a flawless American accent than for an Englishman.)
Your video has inspired me to rewatch the movie. At 1:22:47 (in the movie), Borden writes in his journal (which Angier is reading): "[Olivia] gave you this notebook at my request. And yes, 'Tesla' is merely they key to my diary, not to my trick. Did you really think I'd part with my secrets so easily after so much?"
Also, at the end, when Angier reveals his identity as Caldlow to the imprisoned Borden, Borden hands Caldlow a piece of paper with his secret to save his daughter. Caldlow just tears the paper apart and tosses it, but it's evidence that Borden had not revealed his secret to Angier before when he said 'Tesla' was the keyword and the method. (Presumably, this new piece of paper just says 'twin brother' or something along those lines.)
So I don't think that, by writing 'Tesla', Borden revealed the secret to his trick, as you suggest - unless he just wrote the quote above out of spite. Either way, you may still be right that Alley is really Tesla.
This is a ridiculous theory! People would've known what Tesla looked like. So to say the short assistant with a thick New York is really Tesla makes zero sense!
Also "Tesla" at one point says our bodies can "even produce energy". The real Tesla knows that we dont produce energy, just convert it as energy can neither be created nor detroyed. Given Nolan's scientific eye, it seems unlikely that this is a mistake he'd make. It's more like an actor (Bowie/fake Tesla) dressing up his conversation with Angier.
This is next to impossible in real life context , Tesla as a young man, left his country to work for Edison, they exchanged words a lot, and Tesla presented Edison many of his invention, in which Edison mocked, ridicules and stole it, and eventually the fallout happened when Edison refused to give Tesla the promised reward for improving his crappy machines.
They aren’t less inclined to hurt assistants. They don’t care about anyone.
Ok, maybe in movie land anything is possible, but no way real Tesla history supports this theory.
You’re Spot on
I lost braincells watching this, good job!
Edison met Tesla in real life, so he would know what he looked like.
Are you so sure he met the real Tesla….
I always thought Borden used Tesla's machine to clone himself once so he can do his trick. Especially because with all of Angiers money and resources he would be able to find out about Bordens twin brother. Also the fact that they took turns being the prestige meant that both of them would have to possess the skills to do the whole magic act. I thought this was obvious.
This one video on your channel puts all of @Filmtheory to literally shame as this takes so much more thought and perception then any of the nonsense on that channel
This theory is top notch non negotiable!
This would make more sense if Serkis was the assistant and Bowie the real Tesla. Why? Because casting, that's why.
There are no clones. We beleving in the machine It's the trick of the movie.
The movie it's a psychological thriller not science fiction movie.
Both diaries are manufactured to fool the readers. Most of the movie seen on screen it's characters reading the events written in the diary..."The pledge"
We end up believing n the clone machine and Borden tricks. "The turn"
At the end, audience watching the movie still believing in the cloning the machine is the true prestige for Nolan. We want to be fooled.
Angier went around the world, spent a fortune and did terrible things by killing multiple doubles for his limited shows. Borden knows it at the end that's why he doesn't want to look further for the tricks. He got fooled by his own tricks losing wife and brother.
Good idea. I will make a video about it.
@@mistertheory I would love to see that. I have never seen this theory explore yet anywhere on RUclips.
In the movie it's very difficult to separate what is true from what it is manufactured reality.
I would suggest the only scenes that we can trust are the one where Burden twins and Angier interact.
Also, Cutter scenes are real in my opinion. He is the only one that knows Burden double trick. He is also unaware of the multiple doubles being sacrificed to take Burden out by Angier.
Once he finds out all the murders and lies he takes Burden side. Cutter is the moral eye of the movie.
.
To conclude, what are the odds Burden send Angier to Tesla to waste his time and Tesla actually having the clone machine? Quite silly. This makes me believe Tesla scenes are also manufactured in Angier diary.
I would love to see this option explore and see if there is any holes in it.
That makes great sense.
Or he just tells him Tesla to throw him off
Christ🤦🏾♂️ now i have to watch it again, for the 7th time
Lol this from Reddit
It’s an intriguing theory, but frankly I don’t buy it. There’s a scene where Alley was doing a public presentation with the machine to demonstrate alternating current. If he was Tesla, he wouldn’t have appeared publicly there, because one of Edison’s men would’ve recognized him. I don’t see merit to assume David Bowie’s Tesla is an actor, since that would be an insult to David Bowie’s work on portraying the character.
I thought he was Tesla at first.
Since Tesla wanted to keep himself secluded from public and Edison's men he downplayed as an assistant which makes sense as the movie is all about the significance of the assistants than the actual performers.What my question is ...why would Nolan choose David Bowie...
This is my answer....tell me what you feel...
Mainstream approach is Nolan chose a famous celebrity to play the iconic scientist Tesla
Or... Nolan chose David Bowie to play a fake Tesla. Why David Bowie when there are so many other stars who could have rather acted in the role.
David Bowie is not an actor..he is a singer..a musician...did Nolan deliberately choose someone from a different profession to act in the role , on purpose?
Since he isn't the real Tesla...he chose someone who is not an actor by profession to play a fake Tesla.
The whole movie is about how a magician dresses up his trick to fool the audience.
Did Nolan dress up a singer as an actor to fool the audience?? Leaving a slight hint that he's a fake Tesla while the real one is the assistant 😳
I think that Cutter has a lot more going on, and is the real bad guy of the movie. Maybe.
Interesting... makes perfect sense
This is very good however I would argue that the history of Tesla shows his engineers were the ones that built his empire. Tesla was still Tesla. But he was just the figure head and money man. Otherwise the theory is perfect for me.
Nice!
Fooool
Uh yea but Tesla was a real guy who looked the way Bowie does, he's not a made up character
Do you think the cloning machine was real or just false narration and just a show for the real trick with the double?
It was real. At the end, after Borden shoots Angier, it pans to the tanks which are full of Angier bodies. It only shows 1 Angier in the last shot but you can see figures of human bodies in the other tanks.
If I’m wrong and was deceived, then I give up, lol. This movie is deep.
@@jacklantern4337 Yeah lol could be he was using puppets or fakes and the 1 angier we see is the drunk doppleganger that was sacrificed to just prove a point ☝️
@@jacklantern4337 it wasnt clones, angie (really not angie but a double i think) tells bordon to look at the water tanks around him, clearly to impress him, so no he was trying to trick him into thinking he could create clones. Its not a sci fi movie. U were tricked and so were many other viewers.
@@ButterflyAmbienceVideos Then that means every shot with Tesla..was a false narrative. And remember when Angier shot “himself” at the end…that also means that was a false narrative.
Angier was lying on a slab after he died in that water tank. Body was then buried. But the very last shot shows another Angier in a water tank. I’m pretty sure that was on purpose to reinforce the viewers that Angier did in fact use a cloning machine to perform the trick.
You might be right…but we have to assume that every scene in that movie wasn’t “real”, but merely misdirection.
“It took courage every night…not knowing if I’d be the man in the box…or in the prestige”.
If that’s not evidence he cloned himself, then I don’t know what is.
Brilliant
This theory has no substance when it comes to the events of the Movie.
Nice.
It is not important... Machine never work...
They treack is de n magnectizim is energy where que all are Made from
Naaa... bowie is Tesla
I knew it!!
Everyone assuming the machine makes clones need to really do their research on tesla. Come on dudes
It is called suspension of disbelief.
It's actually a time machine and teleporter combined 🕟
The man in the coil travels into the future leaving his past self on the coil
Alright. I applaud your creativity but I’m going to stop you there because you may not know about the actual history that this film brushes up against.
This is a really silly theory because Tesla was a real dude, who we have photographs of, who we know what he looked like, his well-known eccentric mannerisms, and fastidious self-hygiene/grooming (he was a germaphobe before germ theory had been fully proven, y’all), HIS NATION OF ORIGIN and therefore how he spoke English and how likely sounded, such as in the film, and his reclusiveness was not cartoonish; he was highly protective of his ideas after being massively ripped off and his inventions being stolen by Edison’s men repeatedly (a raid of this type is referenced in the film, even); as a result Tesla often refused to meet with investors until he knew they were serious and could be trusted; but it’s not like he didn’t have a major major ego himself and would never have done something as fucking pointless as use a double and hide his true identity-after all, he came to American to change the world with his inventions. He wasn’t exactly shy. And I think he wanted the recognition that would have come with achieving his goals, which were to end all wars and solve humanity’s energy issues by harvesting electricity from the earth’s crust. Again, discussed in the film; not sure if you knew this was real and not just further storytelling.
And more importantly, I don’t think Christopher Nolan would ever be disrespectful to one of the most important men in history as to like….hide some made up, poorly thought-out, tertiary plot line that wouldn’t have impacted the plot even if it was true, about Nikola freaking Tesla. You heard how Chris Nolan chose to refer to him in the film-he wasn’t just a scientist. And he was infinitely more than a magician. Tesla was a wizard. A man who could make magical, reality bending inventions for his time as though he were supernaturally gifted or intuned with knowledge from other places than earth.
Better luck next time. This theory is very weak and can be debunked without even having to think about it. But I always encourage trying to think this way about movies as complex as the prestige. Unfortunately in this case we are actually talking about one character who is a real historical figure and human being who we know a fair amount about.
You are aware the movie is fictional right?
@@vafanapoli5396 did you even read my fucking comment
High IQ lady
@@VeryImportantPepe I’m just a huge nerd for the real Nikola Tesla. Go google how many modern day objects that we use that he invented. And even though he was utterly snubbed with the Nobel prize for the invention of radio, he was its true inventor. It was in his earlier days before he realized everybody on the planet (besides himself) is pretty much out for themselves and not for the betterment of humanity. He knew the guy was developing in, and Tesla was like “oh good for him. He’s using 17 of my patents in his research. Let him continue.” Poor guy. If he’d won the Nobel prize as he should have, he’d never have any issues getting funding ever again. Sadly he died nearly broke.
@@laurelsilberman5705 REAL magic.
No.
I honestly hated this movie, watched it first time a weeke ago. but I couldn’t get it out of my head, and after seeing this and all of the other cheeky tricks I actually think it’s great.
NOW I FALL FOR THE ANSWER THE BLIND MAN (ANGIER ASISTANT) IS TELLING YOU ANGIER IS BLIND 😱😱 HE CAN´T SE THE TRICKS , MAYBE IS BLIND FOR ANGER (ANGIER = ANGER) OR REVENGE BUT HE NEVER SAW THE TRUTH
YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YE .YES THIS IS THE PIECE OF INFO I DIDINT GET THE F... CAT
ABSOFUCKINLUTELLY NICE VID