I recently read the book and wanted to make some comparisons to the movie. I definitely recommend both the movie and the book.
The Prestige -
In the book, the prestige refers to the empty shell that gets left behind when Angier goes through the machine. In the movie, it is simply the third part of a magic trick, bringing it back the thing that disappeared.
Ingenieurs -
Ingenieurs play a very minor role in the book. Both magicians have them and that's all there is to it. In the movie, ingeniuers are very important. Angier's ingenieur Cutter (Michael Caine) is the star witness in Borden's trial. Borden's ingenieur Fallon is also very important.
Trial -
There's no trial in the book. Borden dies a natural death. Angier dies from injuries caused by Borden meddling with the machine's electricity. In the movie, both have violent deaths.
Julia Angier (Piper Perabo)
In the book, she has a miscarriage because of Borden. She was an actress who initially helped Angier to do memory tricks. Angier then moves on to seances and she was part of that act. Borden sees his aunt paying for a fake seance and is determined to expose the fraud. After the miscarriage, Julia goes on to have other children and lives a long life. Borden and Angier never worked together in the book and barely knew each other. In the movie, Julia drowns because Borden tied the wrong knot. In the book, there is a brief mention of how Angier himself almost drowned because of Borden's meddling and I guess the movie uses that incident.
Sarah Borden
In the book, she has a happy life, never even knows that Borden has a mistress.
Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson)
In the book, it was Olivia's idea to leave Angier to go to Borden. Borden did not know that Olivia was Angier's mistress. He only finds out when she tells him. In the movie, Angier forces Olivia to go to Borden and she tells Borden up front that she was sent by Angier.
I always found it curious that studios come out with same kinds of movies at about the same time. Less than two months apart? Did people who went to see the Illusionist also go see the Prestige?
The Prestige
Release Date: 20 October 2006, $53m US Box
The Illusionist
Release Date: 1 September 2006, $40m US Box
