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Ali Ahmed
Professor Dan Harris
MPT
2 October 2015
Analyzing Christopher Nolans 3 Best Films
Thesis Statement: Christopher Nolans directing style across these three films has become
progressively more objective.
Christopher Nolan is a British filmmaker who started his career with the famous
short film titled Doodlebug. Since then, he has managed to carve a distinct niche for
himself in Hollywood as one of the best directors of his time. Memento (2000), The
Prestige (2006) and Interstellar (2014), made fourteen years apart, are undoubtedly three
of Christopher Nolans best feature films to date. Throughout his career, Nolan has
tackled complex and non-linear storylines and with the passage of time his directing style
has become progressively more objective.

In Memento (2000), the story unfolds through the eyes and perception of guy
Pearces character, Leonard Shelby. The plots focus revolves around Leonard
understanding his world and how his need for revenge has become his sole reason to live.
From an audiences perspective, this is very subjective A very interesting point about
Memento (2000) is that it simultaneously utilizes a mix of both objective and subjective
storytelling. Whereas the color sequences in the movie serve to throw the audience into
the subjective world of Guy Pearces character, the intercutting with the black and white
sequences present a very objective third-person view of Leonards life. For example, the

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desaturated sequences have a documentary-type cinema verite` style to them in which the
audiences is given more of an expositional account of Leonards condition.

The voice over narration by Leonard throughout these black and white sequences
also add a very objective feel whereby the audience take his words at face value.
Compared to this, the color sequences seek to withhold information from the audience
and only presents it as and when it is revealed to the protagonist himself. This is a clear
example of expressionistic filmmaking as Christopher Nolan seeks to put the audience
right into the distorted frame of mind of Leonard Shelby. In this light, Memento (2000)
seems to tread on the thin line between objectively endearing Leonard to the audience
while highlighting his very subjective mental state in a reverse chronological order.

With The Prestige (2006), the focus throughout the story is squarely on the rivalry
between Robert Angiers and Andrew Borden as they try to outdo each other. By once
again playing around with the events that take place in the story and telling them in a
non-linear fashion, Christopher Nolan adds a very subjective feel to all the characters.
The audience, throughout the movie, faces a difficult task in deciding which character is
actually the protagonist and which is the antagonist.

Since The Prestige (2006) is also a period piece, the mise en scene as a whole is a
very objective representation of Victorian England and the story is told using Classical
Hollywood techniques of the invisible camera and seamless editing. Even the jump back
and forth across time seems to flow smoothly. For example, in the opening sequence

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Michael Caines character is explaining to Bordens daughter how a magic trick works,
the scene is intercut with Angiers performing a trick on stage. Taken in this sense, The
Prestige (2006) definitely seems to tell the story of these two magicians and their rivalry
without necessarily putting the audience in either of their mind space.

Interstellar (2014) is by far the most daunting work of Christopher Nolan to date.
One of Christopher Nolans favourite movies while he was growing up was 2001: A
Space Odyssey and this served as one of his inspirations for making Interstellar (2014).
While at the heart, this film is about the bond between a parent and a child, the plot is
rooted deeply in applied and theoretical physics. Christopher Nolan hired CalTech
Astrophysicist Kip Thorne to serve as a scientific advisor with the result that all the socalled science fiction elements in the movie, all the theories and suppositions are actually
established scientific theories. This gives the story a very factual basis on which to build
the plot further. Some critics didnt appreciate the use of too much exposition in
Interstellar (2014), it must be noted that while exposition does play a large part in giving
Interstellar (2014) a very objective and factual feel, it is also somewhat necessary in
science-fiction films.

In Memento (2000), for example, the main conflict is between Leonard

and himself because he eventually proves to be his own biggest obstacle in getting to the
truth about who killed his wife. In order to emphasize the impact on Leonard of his
Anterograde Memory Loss condition, Christopher Nolan decided that the audience
should best view the events unfold from within Leonards mind so to speak. This gives

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the film a highly subjective feel because the audience literally learns along with
Leonard. Also, any new information that is presented is also essentially filtered through
Leonards fractured mind and is thus inherently questionable to say the least.

This character-driven plot is taken one step further in The Prestige (2006) where
the conflict is between two magicians, both played by popular actors in Christian Bale
and Hugh Jackman. In order to objectively tell the story of their mutual rivalry as
opposed to focusing on a particular characters side of it, Christopher Nolan portrays the
story as if told from a third persons point of view. Michael Caines character takes on the
role of the narrator for the most part with the result that audiences constantly feel as if
they are observing the rivalry unfold before them.

Interstellar (2014)s conflict is about man versus nature and nothing could be bigger
than mankind trying to seek out new worlds to inhabit. In a very literal and figurative
sense, the characters step out of their world to visit new planets. The scientific theories
backing their expedition can very well be referred to as a sort of a character in the movie
because without those theories their mission would have been futile. The entire plot line
is, therefore, very much steeped in contemporary astrophysics, which makes it very
factual and impartial.

Nolans use of camera movement in Memento (2000) also complements the story
superbly. For example, Cinematographer Wally Pfister and Nolan came up with the idea
that the camera should follow Leonard from behind as he interacts with other characters.

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This puts the audience in the same movie space as Leonard. New information is only
revealed when Leonard finds out about it. Half of the film has a very definite film noir
feel to it especially the low-key black and white sequences, Carrie Ann Moss character
acting as the femme fatale and the whole murder mystery running throughout the movie.

All these cinematographic aspects seek to enhance the disoriented state of mind
that Leonard Shelby is in. It almost feels as if throughout the film, a very definite story is
unfolding as Chris Nolan has managed to incorporate the recognizable elements of film
noir to give the story and the characters solid ground to stand on but it is being narrated
by a very disturbed mind so the events in the story all becomes quite subjective in a
holistic sense. The viewer shares Leonards thoughts and his biases along with his sense
of alienation and this makes the story very subjective i.e. from Leonards point of view.

For The Prestige (2006), Nolan once again teamed up with ASC Wally Pfister. The
camera placement is more distant with respect to the characters, which gives the feel of
observing the story from a neutral point of view. For example, there was no point of view
shot throughout the film, which suggests that Nolan didnt want the audience to enter into
any characters frame of mind or to sympathize with anyone. He preferred instead that the
audience just view the story from as close as possible. The camera is always used as more
of a tool for observing the narrative in an objective manner rather than forcing the
audience to attach meaning to stylized shots.

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Nolans magnum opus, Interstellar (2014), was all shot on IMAX film cameras
using minimal CGI. According to Nolan himself, if filmmakers today want to use the best
available technology for capturing film, then these cameras are a must.

This time Nolan had Hoyte Van Hoytema as his cinematographer who had the
demanding job of shooting hand-held with an IMAX film camera. Similar to The
Prestige (2006), Interstellar (2014) also aims to objectively tell a story rather than
skewing it in any one characters favor. Even before Interstellar (2014) was released,
there were rumors surrounding the scientific accuracy of the plot once it was revealed
that renowned Astrophysicist Kip Thorne would act as Producer and Scientific Advisor to
Christopher Nolan. There is a fair amount of intertextuality at play here. For example,
Michael Caines character, Professor Brand, is actually based on Kip Thorne himself. All
the theories in the movie about wormholes and the existence of multi-dimensional space
have been backed up by Professor Thorne himself. So, therefore, Michael Caines
explanation of the scientific aspects of Coopers mission are all grounded in modern day
science, giving it a very definitive feel. Interstellar (2014) is much more of a visual film
than either of Nolans other two movies under discussion. Similar to The Prestige (2006),
the camera is mostly invisible throughout the film except for a few visually appealing
scenes.

The mention of the invisible camera will not be complete without referring to the
editing style of these three movies. While Dody Dorn was the editor for Memento (2000),
The Prestige (2006) and Interstellar (2014) were both edited by Lee Smith.

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Memento (2000), when it came out, was a bit of a trend setter with regards to its
backward storytelling and a complex editing job done remarkably well. There are two
distinct editing styles at play in Memento (2000). The black and white sequences seem
slightly disjointed with lots of inserts thrown in coupled with the voice-over. For
example, when Leonard is speaking on the phone and talking about his condition, there
are lots of inserts of his tattoos and anything he touches such as his keys or his Sammy
Jankis tattoo. These serve primarily to exposit Leonards condition and background. The
color sequences are edited more seamlessly to draw the audience in. Not much stylized
editing takes place during these. Eventually, these two timelines meet towards the end. As
stated before, editing-wise, Memento (2000) is a mixture of both subjective and objective
editing styles where a good deal of interpretation is left to the viewer, a hallmark of
Christopher Nolan.

In The Prestige (2006), there are actually three storylines that have been edited
simultaneously. These are the ending when Borden is in jail, the middle when Angiers
goes to meet Tesla and the beginning when Borden and Angiers are both working for
Michael Caines character. Even in the very opening sequence, Michael Caines character
explains the necessary three parts of any magic trick i.e. the Pledge, the Turn and The
Prestige and this is then mirrored in the film by cross-cutting among all three parts of the
story. It is almost seems as if Michael Caines character is the storyteller and the audience
are viewing a somewhat objective account of the magicians rivalry, just like any ordinary

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storyteller would narrate a story. Needless to say, it is hard to find a Christopher Nolan
movie that does not follow this non-liner pattern.

Interstellar (2014) follows a fairly classical style of editing for the most part but
shows some glimpses of expressionism as well. For example, when Cooper is viewing
the twenty year backlog of messages from his family, the camera stays on Cooper until he
breaks down and starts crying. This is done to highlight the impact that listening to those
messages has on Cooper. To put it in perspective, Interstellar (2014) is on the whole a
very objective story of a space voyage mixed in with the subjective feelings of a father
for his daughter.

It is interesting to note that unlike most directors, Christopher Nolan also writes the
screenplay for his movies as well. All three films under discussion in this paper were cowritten by Christopher and his brother. While Memento (2000) was an adaptation of a
short story by his brother Johnathan Nolan, The Prestige (2006) was an adaptation of
Christopher Priests novel of the same. Interstellar (2014) was an original script that
Christopher and his brother co-wrote. Interestingly, Christopher Priest, author of The
Prestige (2006), has said that he only met Nolan after primary filming on The Prestige
(2006) had finished. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the movie adaptation of the
novel is all essentially Nolans take on the story and not necessarily the original authors.
The point to note here is how strongly Christopher Nolan believes in taking directorial
control over his work and shapes it according to his vision. It must be mentioned that

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Christopher Priest, the author who wrote the novel was happy with how the movie turned
out.

Keeping this in mind, it is quite remarkable to observe how his stories and his
directing style have evolved over the course of these three movies from subjective to
strongly objective. It must be stated that Christopher Nolans often complex storylines
coupled with his desire to put the characters internal state of mind on display
necessitates telling these stories in certain ways. In other words, there is a method in the
madness.

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Works Cited
Wally Pfister: The Complexities of Chris Nolan's Movies are in the Story
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IdzBcpr1A4

Wally Pfister talks about working with Christopher Nolan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTVW5629keE

For the Love of Film Interstellar IMAX Featurette

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdwHVtAan38

18-Minute Analysis By Christopher Nolan On Story & Construction Of 'Memento'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qduOF_sl1IQ

Christopher Nolan & Kip Thorne Break Down The Physics of Interstellar | TIME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9tUFJG0lWA

Neil deGrasse Tyson on "Interstellar"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7tV7v71k-I

Interstellar: Nolan's Odyssey - 720p HD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ2gOUwmIQQ

The Hollywood Reporter's Full 'Interstellar' Discussion With Christopher Nolan &
the Stars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b1ibbFGPSE

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Wally Pfister gives his thoughts on cinematography

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q-pBcuQd2Y

Christopher Nolan Interview - Interstellar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlTfLREt9ko

"Interstellar" - Where We're Going (Cinematography & Film Tribute)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgiAugNDmWw

Christopher Nolan: The Prestige film review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b5OrIFx8u4

The Prestige Film 2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK1XfijGzCE

Facts You Didn't Know: The Prestige

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnSuGjluVtQ

Christopher Nolan Interview - The Culture show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_P2N5GwJOo

Prestige Interview: Unscripted with Christian Bale & Hugh Jackman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBDpcjkLOgk

24-Minute Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' documentary w/ cast & crew

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5YZSQ5m9NY

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Christopher Nolan On Character & Perceptual Distortion In 'Memento'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQqZNZE9ByE

Christopher Nolan & Guy Pearce talk 'Memento' in 2001 interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM8mvSPL5OU

Christopher Nolan Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glq4noPRtok