Christopher Nolan: Director Extraordinaire When people go to the movies, they want to see something new, something exciting, something that makes them want to go back and see the movie again. Stories have become predictable and movies have to be set up just the right way to make sure the audience doesn t lose interest. Depending on what kind of story the movie wishes to present, a number of factors can go into the staging of a film. For instance romances depend on their characters and their characters likability to captivate an audience for two hours while action movies need an interesting premise and good special effects. When creating movies like Inception, Memento, and The Prestige, movies that make the audience think, that truly capture an audience without letting go until the final twist, there is a lot to think about in setting up and in directing. Christopher Nolan creates imaginative, original movies that grab his audiences and leave them wanting to watch it again through his dependence on non-linear plot structures and consistent utilization of cross-cutting, his unique premises, and his interpretation of the enthralling theme of obsession. The first way to make an audience have to think during a movie is to fashion a plot that doesn t move in chronological order. The non-linear plot structure has actually become one of Christopher Nolan s trademarks in film ( Christopher ). In Memento, there are actually two plotlines, one shot in color that starts at the end of the story and works backwards and one shot in black and white that starts at the beginning of the story and pushes forward. The plotlines alternate every couple of minutes---often without a smooth transition and with a rather hasty use of the editing technique known as cross-cutting---distinguished clearly by the change of color or lack thereof. At the end of the movie, the plotlines crash into each other, forming the climax of the film and revealing the twist: the good guy isn t so much of a good guy (Memento). In
Inception, the plot structure is more linear, but it uses a lot of flashbacks to expose the painful backstory of the protagonist, Cobb, showing a little more about him every time the audience is thrown into his dreams and memories (Inception). The Prestige is the most non-linear of these three films. Scenes from the beginning of the story are shown in juxtaposition to scenes from the end of the story, without much of a distinguishing change. Nolan employs the editing techniques of cross-cutting and also jump-cutting often in this movie, so the viewer is left to fend for himself and pick apart when the scene he s watching occurs in relation to the scene prior. Obviously, this makes for a very interesting plot and Nolan is very calculated in how much he reveals to the audience with each scene so that not too much of the story is discovered prematurely. In all three movies, the audience has to piece together the story and it is inevitable they will feel some detail was missed or forgotten during the course of the film. Suddenly, scenes from the beginning of the movie make sense and the viewer wants to revisit those scenes to see what was overlooked before. This is probably why the non-linear plot structure is such an effective tool in making viewers return to the movies, and it is undoubtedly why Christopher Nolan uses it as often as he does. Another way to hook and enrapture audiences is to base the movie on an interesting premise. Christopher Nolan is able to create movies that seem new and original because of their complex premises. The Prestige is all about magic and the pursuit of the ultimate illusion, told through the ultimately futile competition between two magicians who hate each other (The Prestige). The main characters Angier and Borden attend each other s magic shows to somehow get back or one-up the other. It is a continual struggle between the two characters, one doing something to upset the other then the other seeking and exacting revenge for it. Eventually, this constant back and forth leads to the disintegration of what was once loved by and precious to
them. The premise of Memento revolves around one character and his unfortunate short term memory loss due to an even more unfortunate event during which his wife was raped and killed (Memento). The short term memory loss allows Nolan to utilize his backwards plot structure, which also helps to have the audience feel a little like Leonard, the main character, and experience a little of his condition. This was unlike any other movie of its kind. Nolan s film, Inception, is also based on an interesting premise: a world where one can enter another s dream to extract secrets and memories from or to plant an idea or concept in his subconscious. The former is much easier and more attainable than the latter, which is deemed impossible by more than one character in the film (Inception). This premise can be considered completely original as Nolan had to explain his ideas and all the rules of this dream-invading in the exposition of the film and continue to develop the premise as the movie advanced. Viewers had not had exposure to this notion before, so they had to think and pay attention to the movie so as not to get completely lost in the pure conventions of Nolan s dream world. The unique premises of his movies appeal to the audience and take the audience away from what they know, with The Prestige pinning its two main characters against each other, Memento dealing with mental diseases and instabilities, and Inception creating a completely new form of theft and way of life. Viewers find these unconventionalities enjoyable and they like seeing the world in a new and exciting way. Nolan uses this to his advantage, concocting premises and ideas that he knows will be deemed enticing. Getting people to think about the movie and getting them interested is more than the plot structure and premise. It also requires an exciting theme. The themes of Nolan s movies not only interest audiences but also keep them coming back to the movies ( Christopher ). After all, what could be more fascinating than a person driven by an obsession? In Inception, the main
character Cobb is driven by the need and obsession of getting home to his kids. This is, of course, on the surface of his character only; he is also obsessed by the guilt of driving his wife to kill herself by the inception he performed on her, the idea that her world was not real and she had to escape to reality through suicide (Inception). This obsession eventually puts him and the rest of his team in danger which creates a conflict irresistible to moviegoers. The Prestige s Angier and Borden are obsessed with two things: the ultimate illusion and revenge. Angier s wife died during a show due to a faulty knot tied by Borden, so Angier repays Borden by shooting him in the hand and thus taking two of his fingers. Eventually, Borden comes out with the greatest illusion England has ever seen and Angier struggles to steal it from him. Soon, Angier is found yelling at his assistant that he doesn t care about his wife, only the trick to the illusion (The Prestige). The obsession leads to Angier s and even Borden s eventual demise at the end of the movie. This interpretation of obsession and the consequences thereof enthralls audiences as they eagerly watch all the way to the bitter end. Leonard of Memento is perhaps the most obsessed character of these three movies. He gives his otherwise pointless life purpose by tattooing on himself that he needs to find John G who raped and murdered his wife (Memento). This is the only reason he can keep himself motivated to live in the disheveled, messy way he has to due to his condition. The audience can sympathize with Leonard and viewers can even find themselves rooting for his revenge, until the end of the movie where it is revealed Leonard lies to himself to keep himself happy and to keep his obsession and drive to live alive. Audiences love the theme of obsession, whether it be because it teaches them the consequences of what being obsessed can do or because it simply entertains them to see the obsession played out. Whatever it is, Nolan takes advantage of it and incorporates this theme into his films in order to intrigue his audiences and keep them entertained.
It s not easy making films that truly captivate an audience. Christopher Nolan masterfully utilizes his signature plot structures, original premises, and established themes to create movie after movie that makes the audience feel the need to watch it again.
Works Cited "Christopher Nolan." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. Inception. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Warner Bros., 2010. Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Guy Pearce and Carrie-Ann Moss. 2001. The Prestige. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Warner Bros., 2006.