The Prestige, as a movie, is a work of art. The basic storyline follows two rival magicians in Victorian London, each trying to best the other and discover their rival's secret. The storyline itself is set up like the three-part magic act opening with the pledge, followed by the turn, and ultimately the revealing prestige. This allows for a much deeper movie than a simple rivalry or magical show could allow. The real magic of this film comes with following the two main characters, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, through their series of adversarial twists. The audience never knows which to support, the showman and obsessor Jackman, or the mysterious magician Bale.
When one purchases a DVD however, they look beyond the glory of the film, and on to the extra features. This new release has pretty limited special features, totaling just over 19 minutes in length. viewers looking for some more mystifying magical feats in deleted scenes will be sorely disappointed. Another very common feature, outtakes, also didn't make the cut for this DVD's extra features, although with the dark storyline and immense character development, that may have detracted from the greatness of The Prestige. What you will find, however, is "The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight Of Hand Of Christopher Nolan." This is divided up into five sections, "Conjuring The Past," "The Visual Maze,"
"Metaphors of Deception," "Tesla: The Man Who Invented The Twentieth Century," and "Resonances." These various sections cover all the technical aspects of The Prestige, such as lighting, costume, and set design, as well the historical setting of the movie. While there is also no director's commentary, most of the important ground is covered in these sections. If this isn't enough, there is a little more. "The Art Of The Prestige," a gallery with stills from the movie is included, as well as behind-the-scenes and poster previews.
This DVD may not have all of the special features that die-hard fan would want, but this is only the first release. There is a very good chance that some form of a collector's edition is on its way, usually with more discs, and more features than one would need. Fans and first-time viewers alike should pick up this DVD, if not for the features, than the fantastic film itself.