Christopher Nolan
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| Christopher Nolan | ||||||||||
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| Born | Christopher Johnathan James Nolan July 30, 1970 London, England |
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| Spouse(s) | Emma Thomas (1997-) | |||||||||
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Christopher Nolan (born July 30, 1970) is an Academy Award nominated film director, writer and producer. The son of an English father and American mother, Nolan is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and United States. He is married to Emma Thomas, his longtime producer. They have three children together and reside in Los Angeles. Nolan is best known for directing the psychological thriller Memento and for resurrecting the Batman film franchise in the critically acclaimed Batman Begins.
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[edit] Early life
Nolan began film-making at age of seven using his father's Super 8 camera and his toy action figures. While living in the Chicago area as a child, he also made short films with future director and producer Roko Belic.
Nolan was educated at Haileybury College, an independent school near Hertford in Hertfordshire, England, and later studied English literature at University College London while filming several short films in the college film society. His short film Tarantella was shown on Image Union, an independent film and video showcase featured on PBS, in 1989. Another short film of his, Larceny, was shown during Cambridge Film Festival in 1996. One notable short film of his was called Doodlebug starring Jeremy Theobald who later starred in Following. He married Emma Thomas in 1997.
[edit] Themes
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Nolan's work is often based around an emotional or conceptual theme. Memento is about guilt (Leonard's failure to save his wife and inability to remember what he has done about it since), the nature of personal identity, and the human reliance on memory. Insomnia is about guilt (Dormer accidentally kills a friend) and the human reliance on sleep. Batman Begins is about guilt (Bruce Wayne's belief that he was responsible for the deaths of his parents) and the nature of fear. In The Prestige, Nolan focuses on guilt (Angier's anger over what happened to his wife) and the idea of obsession (the rivalry of the two magicians and the two inventors).
Obsession is another one of his recurring themes. In Memento, Leonard is obsessed with finding his wife's rapist and killer, in Batman Begins, Batman is obsessed with reducing crime and avenging his parents and in The Prestige, Angier is obsessed with destroying Borden. In all cases, obsession makes the characters risk their mental or physical health.
The way extreme states of the mind can distort perception of reality and ability to function are constants in his work. In Memento, it was a memory disorder making the leading character lose his skill to retain knowledge. In Insomnia, lack of sleep induces the protagonist to lose concentration and energy. In Batman Begins, intense - and sometimes induced - fear constantly makes characters perceive people and things as more dangerous than they really are. In The Prestige, obsessive behavior turns two friends into rivals and sends them into a downward spiral.
Another is that of a protagonist as a vigilante hero. In Memento, Leonard takes it upon himself to avenge the apparent murderer of his dead wife. Insomnia's Detective Dormer plants evidence to incriminate criminals who escape 'the system'. He secretly works behind the backs of the authorities to reach his own sense of justice. In Batman Begins, billionaire Bruce Wayne takes to the streets as an avenging superhero, preying on the criminals that go unpunished by the police. In The Prestige, a magician attempts to sabotage the career and life of a rival whom he blames for the tragic death of his wife. Invariably, the vigilant protagonist accomplishes his ends, but makes great sacrifice of his own life, morality, or chance for happiness.
He is also known for using non-linear storytelling. This is most notable in Following, Memento and The Prestige where scenes are shown out of sequence, often causing the viewer to question what is really happening in the story. His films Insomnia and Batman Begins have a more linear storytelling format, but still heavily incorporate flashbacks into the plot.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Following
Nolan directed his first feature film, Following, in 1996. The film depicts the story of a writer who becomes obsessed with following random people. Scenes are shown out of chronological order, and as such the viewer becomes disoriented, having to piece together the elements of the story in the same way as the protagonist pieces together what is going on around him.
Nolan made the film for just $6,000. He shot it on weekends over the course of a year, working with friends he had met at the University College London film society. It began to receive notice after premiering at the San Francisco Film Festival of 1998, and was eventually distributed on a limited basis by Zeitgeist in 1999.
As a result of the film's success, Newmarket optioned the script for his next film, 'Memento'.
[edit] Memento
While not a gargantuan hit but still a box office success, Memento (2000) is a critically acclaimed cult classic and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award (Oscar) for best screenplay.
The movie, based on a short story written by Christopher's brother Jonathan Nolan titled Memento Mori, follows widower Leonard Shelby (played by English-born Australian actor Guy Pearce) who, as a result of a head injury delivered by his wife's rapist, is unable to form new memories. What distinguishes the film within its genre is Nolan's technique in presenting events within the storyline partially in reverse-chronological order and in chronological order. Using this technique, Nolan forces viewers to relate with the mentally-impaired protagonist, since they encounter each event disoriented.
The same method of disorientating audiences is used in Nolan's previous film Following, which is very much a precursor to the production of Memento. Following, however, presents a three-act structure in which the three acts are cut together, whereas Memento presents two linear timelines—one running forwards, one backwards—which are cut together and meet in the middle. The changeover from forwards to backwards is signified by the transition from black and white film stock to color.
[edit] Insomnia
In 2002 Nolan directed Insomnia, an American remake of a 1997 Norwegian film of the same name (although with major changes in both the plot and the nature of the main character). The plot involves two detectives brought to Alaska to assist local authorities locate a killer. However, the search occurs during the "sunny" season in Alaska, and the film's protagonist, Al Pacino, is unable to sleep because of the constant light. His days without sleep lead to bad decisions and Nolan's characteristic confusion, for both the protagonist and the viewer. The film also stars Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. The movie was praised by critics as a rare case of a well-done American remake of a European film, and although it wasn't a giant hit, it still had a solid box office performance.
[edit] Mr. Hughes
Prior to the announcement by Martin Scorsese that he was planning to make The Aviator, Nolan had begun scripting his own biopic of Howard Hughes, to star Jim Carrey. Nolan, in an interview with Empire dated July 2005, stated, "I guess I just didn't write quickly enough." The project was ultimately abandoned, and has no direct connection to Scorsese's project.
[edit] Batman Begins
Nolan had said that while he was content with his directing resumé, he had always dreamed as a child to direct a big blockbuster film, and he got his first opportunity to do so in 2003.
In 1997, Warner Bros., owner of the Batman movie franchise, released Batman and Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher. The film received mostly negative reviews and earned the least box office revenue out of the series, forcing Warner Bros. to cancel any sequels and put the franchise on indefinite hiatus.
Six years later, Nolan, together with Blade screenwriter David S. Goyer, pitched the idea of restarting the franchise with a serious origin story. Warner Bros. took the risk of hiring the relatively unknown director to direct the new installment of one of their biggest franchises. The actor selected to play the leading role, Christian Bale, was already a favorite choice among Batman fans long before he actually got the part, due to his work in movies such as American Psycho and Equilibrium. Batman Begins was released on June 15, 2005 and has become a solid box office hit, ranking as the third biggest blockbuster of the summer. It received a very positive critical and public reception, with many ranking it as superior to even the 1989 version[original research?]. Batman Begins was also seen as having a dark but intelligent storyline and strong emphasis on character, two aspects that many summer blockbusters are known to lack.
Batman Begins was a major winner at the 32nd annual Saturn Awards, considered the most important awards devoted to genre fans. The film won for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor for Christian Bale and Best Writing for Nolan and Goyer.
[edit] The Prestige
The Prestige, released on October 20, 2006, is an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel of the same name about two rival magicians in the 19th century. It reunites him with Batman Begins stars Christian Bale and Michael Caine. Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie also appear. The movie had a mostly positive response from critics and made over $109 million worldwide.[1] The film was co-scripted by his brother, Jonathan Nolan.
[edit] Upcoming projects
[edit] The Exec
Based upon the graphic novel of the same name, The Exec shows future business played out as war. The screenplay is to be written by Christopher's brother Jonathan.
[edit] The Keys to the Street
While Nolan wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of the Ruth Rendell novel of the same name, he looks unlikely to direct it, reportedly since it "has a lot in common with the three films [Nolan] has made".[1]
[edit] The Dark Knight
In the months following the film's release, Nolan made numerous comments suggesting that he would return to direct the sequel to Batman Begins.[2] In late July 2006, the sequel was officially confirmed as The Dark Knight with Nolan at the helm and the late Heath Ledger joining the cast as The Joker, Batman's arch-nemesis.[3] The first image of Ledger as The Joker was released in a viral marketing campaign that included putting Joker cards in several comic shops and also a website with fake advertisement for Gotham's attorney Harvey Dent campaigning for District Attorney. The advertisement was "vandalized" in a different site that included a game in which people could post codes that would reveal the image one pixel at a time. Another viral campaign was made as the first teaser trailer was released, including several fans putting on Joker make-up and participating in a scavenger hunt during the 2007 San Diego Comics Convention. Since then, several other viral sites with different information about the movie's storyline and games were released, including a contest for fans to dress up as Joker and take pictures in front of landmarks from their cities. The first full theatrical trailer, which largely features Heath Ledger as The Joker, was released on December 14 with the movie I Am Legend. In IMAX theaters, I Am Legend was preceded by a short prologue from The Dark Knight also featuring The Joker, entirely shot in the IMAX format. The Dark Knight is the first Hollywood movie that has entire sequences shot in that format. Actress Katie Holmes, who played the hero's romantic interest in Begins, has been replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose brother Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in 2003. Aaron Eckhart, who turned down the leading role in Memento, is going to play Harvey Dent, who in the comics becomes the villain Two-Face. Eric Roberts is going to portray Gotham mafia boss Sal Maroni, who in the comics is responsible for Harvey Dent's disfigurement by acid that makes him become Two-Face. Jonathan Nolan has written a script, based on a treatment written by Christopher and David S. Goyer. The film began production in early 2007 with a scheduled July 2008 release.
[edit] The Prisoner
Universal Pictures has signed a deal for Christopher Nolan to direct a feature version of TV series classic The Prisoner. The series ran for 17 episodes in 1967. Patrick McGoohan played a government agent who resigns, is kidnapped and placed on an isolated island known as "The Village". He's given a new identity -- Number Six -- and interacts with an island staff trying to get him to reveal why he resigned. The screenplay adaptation comes from David Webb Peoples and Janet Peoples, the husband and wife writing team who last collaborated to make Twelve Monkeys. The film will take place in modern day. This project is projected to begin production after work is completed on The Dark Knight, with the studio currently hoping for a release date in the summer or fall of 2009.
[edit] Director filmography
[edit] Major motion pictures
- Following (1998) (also writer-producer)
- Memento (2000) (also writer)
- Insomnia (2002)
- Batman Begins (2005) (also writer)
- The Prestige (2006) (also writer-producer)
- The Dark Knight (2008) (also writer-producer)
- The Prisoner (2009)
[edit] Short films
- Tarantella (1989) (Also writer-producer)
- Larceny (1996) (Also writer-producer)
- Doodlebug (1997) (Also writer-producer)
[edit] References
- ^ The Keys To The Street. ChristopherNolan.net (August 11, 2002). Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ Nolan Talks Next. IGN FilmForce (October 12, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
- ^ Garth Franklin (July 31, 2006). It's Official: "Batman 2" Gets A Title. DarkHorizons.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
[edit] External links
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| Following (1998) • Memento (2000) • Insomnia (2002) • Batman Begins (2005) • The Prestige (2006) • The Dark Knight (2008) |
