The Prestige — Movie Quotes

The line is first heard in voiceover at the very beginning of the film and is later spoken by Borden to Sarah's nephew as he performs a simple coin trick.

This is the film's opening line and a recurring motif. It functions as a direct challenge to the audience, inviting them to pay attention to the details and solve the film's puzzle. It underscores the central theme of perception and deception, suggesting that the truth is hidden in plain sight if one is truly looking.

This is part of Cutter's opening narration explaining the three parts of a magic trick, which frames the structure of the film itself.

This quote explains the psychology of a magic audience and serves as a thesis for the entire film. It suggests that people prefer the wonder of the illusion to the often mundane or gruesome reality behind it. It implies that the audience is complicit in their own deception, a theme that resonates with the film's final, shocking revelations.

Angier reads this line from Borden's diary while trying to uncover the secret to "The Transported Man." At the time, he doesn't grasp the true, literal meaning of the sacrifice Borden is making.

This line encapsulates the core theme of the film. It explicitly states that true mastery of their craft requires immense, painful sacrifice. For both Borden and Angier, this goes beyond mere dedication, involving the sacrifice of lives, loves, and their very identities.

Angier says this to Cutter after performing a version of "The Transported Man" with a lookalike, expressing his dissatisfaction with being the one hidden under the stage—the man in the box.

This quote reveals Angier's vanity and his motivation for seeking a trick where he gets to be the one on stage for the applause. It highlights the difference between him and Borden: Angier is a showman obsessed with glory, while Borden is a purist obsessed with the method. Angier cannot stand having a double receive the adulation, which drives him to seek a more extreme solution.

Tesla says this to Angier in his Colorado Springs laboratory while discussing Angier's request for an "impossible" machine.

This quote reflects Tesla's worldview as a scientist and visionary. He believes that humanity is not limited by what is possible, but by the courage to pursue it. It foreshadows the terrifying nature of the machine he will create for Angier, a device so powerful and morally fraught that using it requires immense—or perhaps foolish—nerve.