Ideas Wanted: 'The Prestige' - Editing Suggestions

One of my favorite films of the past few years is “The Prestige.”  However, I feel like it is ripe with opportunities for editing, due to it’s non-linear story structure and it’s rather sci-fi explanation for the central trick as creating human clones.

Anyone have ideas on how the movie/story could be re-cut and retold for a good fan edit?

I'm just gonna throw out some possibilities to jumpstart discussion:

(1) Tesla's machine is merely a transporter (not a replicator), therefore Angier has to use Root as a double for the trick.

(2) Tesla's machine is a sham that doesn't work at all (other than as a light-show prop), so Angier has to use Root for a double.

(3) Tesla's machine works as a replicator, but the clones created are inanimate (like in the book).  Furthermore, Angier loses his identity/soul over repeated replications over time and becomes a more of a ghost of his former self each time he uses it.

(4) Merge the Borden twins into a single person and never reveal how he pulls off the trick. [While this would alter a major plot point of the movie for the final reveal, I think it could be viewed like an actual magic act, where you're not supposed to find out how it's accomplished.  Therefore, Angier's obsession to figure out the trick is never realized).

Well, just because it's one of my favs, doesn't mean there are not opportunities for re-editing it or changing the storyline slightly.  And, if nothing else, an edit of the movie could attempt to achieve a closer adherence to the novel.

This is a forum for "Fan Edits," is it not?

Anyway, those were just some ideas.  I'm not forcing anyone to agree with them.  That's the whole point of this thread; to see what ideas other people have.

If one thinks the movie is "perfect as it is", then that's totally understandable.  However, that doesn't add much to a forum discussion on fan editing. 

Thanks for responding though. 

I'm not one to really call movies perfect, I think most have at least a thing or two that can be fixed. That being said, I really enjoyed the Prestige and don't really, on a personal level, think it needs to be changed, but by all means go for it! More power to you.

I did, however, just want to post to offer a word of warning: you have some pretty ambitious ideas there. Again, not necessarily a bad thing, but trust me, this fan-editing shit ain't so easy. Case in point, these past few days I have been working on just a personal fan-edit for myself, of which I thought would be rather easy to do so. Well, it isn't that easy. Just making simple cuts and rearrangements was stupidly hard, and I can't even really imagine trying to change around whole plot elements. This all culminated in a GREATLY increased appreciation for the talent and motivation that the great fan-editors possess (I'm looking at you Phantom Editor, MagnoliaFan, Adywan and ADigitalMan). Looking at your profile, I see you joined recently, but that doesn't really have any bearing on what skill level of editing you have. So all I'll say is simply to make sure you stay in your skill range, or you will get very frustrated. Very. Haha

So again, absolutely go for it. I don't want to discourage you at all, and despite the lack of responses so far, I think many others would be intrigued if you make good work on this front.

Lastly, of the four potential ideas you listed out, 3 and 4 are the best. I don't know how the hell you'd do them, but that's where your own creativity comes into play. Have at it

O and props on the USA pride avatar. Love it

Oh, I don't really have any skill level whatsoever in fan editing as of right now.  Although, I'd like to learn some basics whenever I get some more free time to devote to it.  So, I can't even imagine how difficult it probably is to change films, cut scenes, add scenes, and re-sync up music and dialogue and everything.  Crazy...

Anyway, all that being said, I think the the changes I was thinking of for The Prestige could be accomplished by removing scenes form the movie, and then simply extrapolating a different outcome based on what you see/don't see.

For example, let's say you only see one water tank with a body in it at the end of the movie rather than a whole bunch of them.  One could reach the conclusion the Angier only made 1 clone (animate or inanimate) or that it is Root.  (I'm not saying that would work from a plot or technical standpoint, I'm just trying to come up with a quick example).

As of right now, this is mostly an academic exercise anyway, just to find out what changes, if any, people would like to see.  Then the next step would be figuring out how to accomplish those changes, but that might some time off, or for a talented fan-editor to take up.

and of, course, any such edit would be titled: The Prestige: Re-transported Edition