BLU-RAY REVIEW

Prestige, The

Featured In Issue 119, April 2007

Picture4.5
SoundNR
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Touchstone Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
53680
(MPAA Rating):
PG13
(Rating Reason):
For violence and disturbing images
(Retail Price):
$34.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
130
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2006
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
02/20/07
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Christopher Nolan
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
PCM 24/48 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale) are competing magicians who share a common goal: to be the best hand-is-quicker-than-the-eye master of them all. But when one man appears to be better than the other, jealousy and obsession strike, and the rivalry that was once friendly turns into anything but. The Prestige is based on the novel by Christopher Priest. (Tricia Spears)

Special features are the same as on the DVD reviewed in Issue 118, with the addition of a Movie Showcase and up-front ads, and they include: The Director's Notebook: The Cinematic Sleight Of Hand Of Christopher Nolan, which is a 19-1/2-minute documentary available to watch in chapters or in its entirety. Also, there are four different still galleries under The Art Of The Prestige and sneak peeks.

The 2.35:1 Blu-ray Disc looks beautiful, with deep, rich blacks, bold colors, and natural fleshtones. Details are relatively well defined, but fine details are not as impressive as on the best high-definition releases. (Danny Richelieu)

The uncompressed linear PCM 5.1-channel encoding is enjoyable, with well-recorded dialogue (although with slightly less than stellar articulation), and a good mix across the front stage for music and atmospheric effects. The surrounds, while used fairly often, are not major factors in the overall presentation. There are moments, however, when the soundtrack can be quite exciting. (Danny Richelieu)