The Prestige

The World is Solid Through and Through

I recently had a chance to see the film The Prestige, thanks to a power outage in my neighborhood. I had expected I would enjoy the film, and I did. I'll try not to spoil it for any who have not seen it. There are plenty of twists and turns, but there is also a bit of magic -- the prestige.

It is the ending I'll speak about, but as abstractly as possible. Later I'll post a spoiler post that might go into more detail. The point I'd like to make about the ending of the film rests in the final few lines. People are always looking for that illusion -- the trick. It is easy to make a man disappear, but to re-appear: that's magic. What if we carry this into the world outside the film. What is it saying? What is society's prestige? What is the illusion society desires -- the illusion that keeps the "audience" happy, and returning to their daily lives?

Yes, the film is about magicians and the art of deception. But what if society created deceptions that pleased use? -- like a performance at a magic show. What would these tricks be? Money? Work? Status?