More than just Prestige

What is it more to the Prestige?

The more I think about it, the less important it is that which Angier clone is killed. Then again maybe not.

Since they share the same memories, I like the idea of Angier being uncertain of which of him is going to die. I think it doesn't really matter to him that much because of a couple of things.

1. Angier wants the Prestige applause for himself. Does it really matter who dies since there is no way to distinguish the two anyway? He didn't have to keep on killing his clones. He could have simply just made one clone or two or three. He's rich; he can pay for their lives. Heck, legally, they all could be Lord Codwald or whatever his name is.

Killing I suppose can be or as been attributed to two things. One being the stronger argument or could simply be a combination of both.

A. Angier keeps killing himself, waiting for Borden (Freddy) to come backstage to be framed for his murder. Cutter wouldn't have gone down anyway if Freddy hadn't gone backstage. The problem with this is that how did "prestige" Angier know that that was the show that he was supposed to die? Is there any hint in the film that suggests that "prestige" Angier was watching Borden (Freddy)rush into backstage?

B. Angier just simply wanted the applause all to himself. Rather Angier has become so consumed by revenge and the "art" that he would kill himself every night. I don't think this was Angier doing penance for his wife's death. I think his wife's death isn't the primary conflict, but just a catalyst. He is more obsessed with Borden by the climax of the film.



Hence, more meat for the twin argument. Does it matter which Angier dies? Not really, since they're all the same person. They only become different because one dies and the other lives. This again is a strong point for the Bordens are twins argument. That fact that we (and Sarah as well) can distinguish between the two. This is why the cloned Angiers are such important contrasts to the twins. Angier is unwilling to share the Prestige with the other Angier. It's not about the trick or the applause anymore. It's about Borden.

Apparently a Borden he did not expect, because like us, Angier believed the pledge, that Borden is just one ordinary person. They shared the Prestige, a critical difference between the twins and the clones.

What bothers me is the apparent willingness of each Angier to perform the trick, knowing full well that he will fall into the trapdoor. The whole scheme's in his head as he delivers his patter. He knows one will die. How could he do that knowing what he knew? Especially if he knows it will be him. I suppose that's where the mourning reading comes from, but again it's much more (albeit less noble) than that. I suppose that's the risk that Angier talks about in the end.



So for the last time, does it matter which Angier is which? I think not. I feel that since they are exact genetic, emotional duplicates of each other, there is no way to tell them apart. On the other hand, the X-factor of the Borden twins is that they're just that, twins. Genetic duplicates, but clearly not the same emotional person.

A further, more disturbing implication, is the consciousness of Angier is unaware of who he is. It simply boggles that mind to try to draw the line somewhere between, original and copied (maybe this is really a statement on the state of piracy in the context of a developing society!). RnnBys on the imdb The Prestige boards, makes an excellent point:

When Angier is waiting for his machine to be built by Tesla, he is treated to a demonstration. First with his hat, then with the cat. In the original construction of the machine, there was no trap door. The original stayed inside the machine, and the clone was outside (which needed to be "calibrated" by Tesla later so he could place those clones where he wanted). So, to be clear, the original stays inside the machine, clone reappears somewhere else.

Now you must think of the mindset of that clone. Suppose it is you or I that is being cloned. Also assume that all of the memories and idiosyncrasies are copied and given to that clone. That would mean when the clone reappears at some other location, he would believe he was the original and he was merely transported. The real one inside the machine would [correctly] believe he is the real version. So now you have 2 seperate entity's believing they are the original.

This is why the clone who falls into the water struggles and doesn't appear to want to commit suicide. He doesn't at all. The night before, he was the one who appeared off stage on the balcony. And as we already established, he believed he was the original. So when he steps into the machine tonight, he believes he will be the one who is transported, since he was convinced the night prior that he gets transported. He doesn't. The original falls through the trap door he set up for the clone, but it does not turn out that way. Every night one gets to experience the prestige, and the next night unwittingly dies to allow his clone to repeat. Proof: Angier says that he does not know whether he will be the man in the box or the man who recieves the applause for the prestige.

If I am correct, then the particularly tragic part is the original, unadulterated Angier (the one we see most of the movie until Angier starts performing the trick) is the only one of all of his versions to have never seen the Prestige, because he was never actually teleported.

We, as an audience, are meant to deceipher which Borden twin is which, possibly not meant to tell the two Angiers apart. Each and every Angier had the same expeirence and the exact same motivation. Freddy and Fallon, on the other hand, clearly have different goals on one level as shown by Olivia and Sarah. However all three (or four or five or dozen) men share the same goal of delivering the definitive performance of the Transported Man. Their methods were different, but ultimately only one gets transported to the end to take part in the prestige and that man is Fallon.