"The Prestige" is a novel written by Christopher Priest that follows the story of two competing magicians attempting to outdo the other. Set in a very gothic, Victorian-era London, a master magician's wife is killed by his teammate and competitor. The older magician attempts revenge at every available opportunity, which prompts the other to do the same. The gothic setting is caricatured almost to the point of becoming steam-punk. The magicians eventually meet Nicola Tesla, who becomes a part of each magician's ultimate "prestige."
The book, while brilliant, is perhaps surpassed by the movie adaptation starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as the competing musicians. The film is set in a Victorian England that is almost always foggy, like a Edger Allan Poe novel. The characters are as dramatic as opera caricatures, and the conflict is extremely high-stakes. Modern conflict generally gravitates towards ideas that contemporary viewers can relate to. "The Prestige," however, mercilessly traps the viewer in a spiraling trail of deceit and drama.
"The Prestige" is a tour de force of the modern gothic and a prime example that the genre is still alive and well.
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