The Prestige (2006)

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Rival magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) will stop at nothing to not only outdo but destroy one another.

Cat Burglars (Scene Stealers): Looking for the secrets behind one of Alfred’s tricks called The Transported Man, Robert visits famed electrical genius Nikola Tesla (David Bowie). Tesla is working on a teleportation machine but has never been able to get it to work properly, having tried it many times on a top hat as the subject. In order to test the machine again, Tesla instructs his assistant Mr. Alley (Andy Serkis) to remove a black cat from the case Tesla is carrying. “That’s my cat!” Alley points out. (Does that make it an Alley Cat?)

Reluctantly Alley places the cat on the floor and tethers its leash to a hook. He says Tesla is responsible for whatever happens to the animal.

The Prestige - Alley Andy Serkis holding black cat

The Prestige - Alley Andy Serkis placing black cat on floor

The Prestige - Alley Andy Serkis Tesla David Bowie and Angier Hugh Jackman with black cat on floor

They turn on the machine and the cat is surrounded by electricity and lightning. This doesn’t seem to hurt or bother the cat (in actuality the electricity was a special effect added afterwards.)

The Prestige - black cat surrounded by lightning

The Prestige - black cat hissing while surrounded by lightning

The Prestige - Alley Andy Serkis Tesla David Bowie and Angier Hugh Jackman with black cat on floor being hit by lightning animated gif

Once the machine is turned off, the cat remains and apparently nothing has happened.

The Prestige - black cat sitting on floor

Angier turns to leave as Alley releases the cat, which follows Angier outside.

The Prestige - black cat on floor being released from tether

The Prestige - Alley Andy Serkis watching black cat running after Angier

The Prestige - black cat running across floor

As Angier is leaving the compound, he hears a cat screeching (a classic Poor Cat screech). He is startled to find a large amount of top hats lying on the ground, as well as two black cats, the second identical to the first they had just used in the experiment, collar and all.

The Prestige - black cat in woods with top hats

The cat actors were provided by Animal Actors of Hollywood with Cheryl Shawver as cat trainer and Jesse Brackenburry, Lee Roeser, Meghan C. Fraser and Cathy Pittman acting as cat wranglers.