Movies: "The Prestige" vs. "To Be"
Jul. 5th, 2007 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockI watched The Prestige tonight. It's an interesting film, and although it was well-acted, I can't help but wish that more of it focused on Christian Bale's character (his rival, Hugh Jackman's character, is essentially the protagonist.) While Hugh Jackman is a fine actor, easy on the eyes, and has plenty of dramatic chops, when you see them side by side...Christian Bale is just plain more interesting to watch. He's a better actor, and has a more mesmerizing screen presence. He's very handsome, but Hugh Jackman is more handsome, and I think ultimately that works in Bale's favor. Hugh Jackman is just too good looking to achieve the kind of edge to really push the envelope. He looks beautifully desperate or angry, but he can't really look as threatening. Christian Bale, on the other hand, can look scary as hell. He has that in common with Edward Norton.
But back to the films! The Prestige was interesting, and I'd give it a thumbs up. The only real failing I noticed was that the end stretched on too long, and the pace dragged when it should have soared. I'm sure they could have gotten the same point across with ten or fifteen minutes less talking; I blame the editor for this. Other than that it was good. It was not ultimately to my tastes, though... all along something about the movie kept me from loving it. Maybe the characters (all of whom are miserable in some way), maybe the pacing, maybe themes of obsession. I'm not sure. So I give it a B+. A solid film with plenty of surprises.
In many ways it reminded me of a Canadian short film, "To Be", 1990. [I tried finding it on youtube, but couldn't] That film employed a similar concept as one of the tricks in the film [I'm trying to be vague here], but whereas I thought The Prestige was good but not my thing, I loved this short film. I must have watched it a dozen times. It takes a simple idea and creates an expansive, multi-layered philosophical debate on the nature of things like mortality, existence, and individuality. It's pretty cutely animated, too. One minute it's funny, the next it's disturbing, and in the end it leaves you winded with quite a bit to think about.
But as interesting as those questions are, ultimately philosophy is not what The Prestige is about. The Prestige is about obsession-- ugly, unattractive, spiralling obsession. Which is probably why it didn't win my heart.
But back to the films! The Prestige was interesting, and I'd give it a thumbs up. The only real failing I noticed was that the end stretched on too long, and the pace dragged when it should have soared. I'm sure they could have gotten the same point across with ten or fifteen minutes less talking; I blame the editor for this. Other than that it was good. It was not ultimately to my tastes, though... all along something about the movie kept me from loving it. Maybe the characters (all of whom are miserable in some way), maybe the pacing, maybe themes of obsession. I'm not sure. So I give it a B+. A solid film with plenty of surprises.
In many ways it reminded me of a Canadian short film, "To Be", 1990. [I tried finding it on youtube, but couldn't] That film employed a similar concept as one of the tricks in the film [I'm trying to be vague here], but whereas I thought The Prestige was good but not my thing, I loved this short film. I must have watched it a dozen times. It takes a simple idea and creates an expansive, multi-layered philosophical debate on the nature of things like mortality, existence, and individuality. It's pretty cutely animated, too. One minute it's funny, the next it's disturbing, and in the end it leaves you winded with quite a bit to think about.
But as interesting as those questions are, ultimately philosophy is not what The Prestige is about. The Prestige is about obsession-- ugly, unattractive, spiralling obsession. Which is probably why it didn't win my heart.
