it's an illusion
m. and I recently watched The Illusionist and The Prestige, about a day apart from each other. I enjoyed both, and was pleasantly surprised that they are only similar insofar as they feature 1. old timeyness 2. magicians 3. their adapted nature (Steven Millhauser and Christopher Priest, respectively). Otherwise, they are about different things. The Illusionist is more of a simple love story, while The Prestige is a story about obsession and love and fame and etc. etc.
I could take my time here talking about how Hugh Jackman can look like 3 different people seemingly without prosthetic makeup, how Christian Bale reminded me of Eric Bana in Chopper, or how Edward Norton's goatee was the strangest I'd ever seen. However, I would like instead to put a question to you all: does it bother you or does it please you when historical figures are used in fiction/fantasy? I think that both sides are legitimate. When it happens, I tend to like the story more--as long as the historical figures are portrayed as real characters and not as foils to point out that This Is History (see: Forrest Gump). But it annoys m. because (and I'm paraphrasing) it takes him out of the story. I ask this because Nikola Tesla is a character in The Prestige.
I could take my time here talking about how Hugh Jackman can look like 3 different people seemingly without prosthetic makeup, how Christian Bale reminded me of Eric Bana in Chopper, or how Edward Norton's goatee was the strangest I'd ever seen. However, I would like instead to put a question to you all: does it bother you or does it please you when historical figures are used in fiction/fantasy? I think that both sides are legitimate. When it happens, I tend to like the story more--as long as the historical figures are portrayed as real characters and not as foils to point out that This Is History (see: Forrest Gump). But it annoys m. because (and I'm paraphrasing) it takes him out of the story. I ask this because Nikola Tesla is a character in The Prestige.
posted by Tessa at
7:01 AM
1 Comments:
I really like Priest's/Nolan's portrayal of Tesla. I think it added to the movie and made it more interesting. But I don't know if it was necessary (to have Tesla or to fictionalize him). I'd like to say it was, just because I liked the movie so much.
I don't need historical figures to be added to a narrative, and if they are it doesn't matter to me if they are presented 100% accurately or not. I like to take the movie or book as its own reality and watch it on its own terms, insofar as I perceive them. What takes me out of a story is unnatural acting or events or cliches. A lot of times I cannot pinpoint what bothers me about a movie I dislike. I'll just feel the urge to stop watching it. That also happens with movies I do like, but that's because Emily loves me.
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