Christopher Nolan – the future of Cinema

Every once in a while, Hollywood has had its share of directors whose vision has surpassed that of the others and who have been way ahead of time when it comes to film making. Be it Alfred Hitchcock in the 60s or Stanley Kubrick in the 70s, Martin Scorsese in 80s or Steven Spielberg in the 90s, very decade has had its true heroes. However, if one director is to be picked who has been exceptionally brilliant in the past decade, it has to be ‘Christopher Nolan’ hands down. The London born director of Irish origin began making films at a young age of seven and ever since has produced some of the best moments in cinematic history. Although he started his career making short films like Tarantella, Larceny and Doodlebug, it was only in 1998 that he made his first full length feature film. Here is a brief look at his rather glorious filmography:

1) Following:

Nolan’s first full length feature film made at a miniscule budget of $ 6000 marked the arrival of a legend. The film was shot in black and white and starred mostly friends of Nolan. While it did not have a theatrical release it was showcased in a number of film festivals and won rave reviews all over. This neo noir movie by far boasts of one of the best screenplays ever and the editing (if it was there) has to be deemed as the most compelling piece of work ever. The thriller which has a runtime of less than 70 minutes tells the story of a neurotic novelist who follows random people to analyzes them. It can easily be called the most underrated suspense thriller in the history of Hollywood.

2) Otnemem:

It was the success of ‘Following’ at the film festivals that prompted Nolan to make his first commercial movie. Again made at a modest budget of $ 5 million, ‘Otnemem’ went on to become a cult film in the film noir genre. It won’t be wrong to call this ‘Otnemem’ more of a jigsaw puzzle than a Hollywood film. Finally, there was a film after which the average movie goer had his IQ levels slightly raised after watching a film rather than the film eating on his intelligence. The film was hailed “the most accurate portrayal of short term amnesia and the different memory systems in the popular media”.

3) Insomnia:

His next film was a remake of a Norwegian film by the same name and once again Nolan had struck gold. This crime drama set in Alaska is one of the best films made in recent times exploring the psyche of the human mind and the hidden demons inside each one of us. It boasted some of the best performances by its leads: Al Pacino, Hillary Swank and Robin Williams. This film had established that Nolan was not a one film wonder but indeed a master story teller.

4) Batman Begins:

Now that Nolan had become an established film maker, he took his first giant stride by reviving the Batman franchise. With the flurry of superhero films like Spiderman, Fantastic 4 and many others around the same time, Batman Begins was expected to be another run of the mill superhero movie. But Nolan surprised everyone with his version of a darker and fiercer Batman. He gave Batman a new direction with his vision of the Batman arsenal — the Batsuit, Batcave, Batmobile, and the Batsignal as had been portrayed never before.

5) The Prestige:

With the critical and commercial success of Batman Begins, a sequel was always calling. But Nolan once again took the path less traversed by directing the Prestige which explored the revelry and then rivalry of two magicians. This thriller with its constant twists and turns takes the viewer on a topsy turvy ride once again leaving him guessing right till the end like his previous thrillers. This novel adaptation was hailed by many critics as the best fantasy thriller of the 21^st century has come down as one of the cult classics of recent times.

6) The Dark Knight:

Finally in 2008, 3 years after the first part the Batman franchise had Nolan beckoning with him being at the helm of affairs this time round. The Dark Knight was unlike any other film that the world had seen before. The direction was spot on, casting perfect, camerawork brilliant, cinematography beyond excellent, music haunting and everything seemed to be in a perfect harmony. With Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the eccentric and maniacal Joker, Nolan had once again redefined the scope of a cinematic Super villain. He had simply created magic on celluloid; scenes like the transformation of the Batmobile to the Batpod have laid down new domains when it comes to action in movies. The Dark Knight was nominated for 8 Oscars but was conspicuously left out of the Best Director and Best Film categories. The Academy decision behind extending nomination for best film from 5 to 10 films was largely made on the conspicuous absence of The Dark Knight in the Best Film category.

7) Inception:

‘Your mind is the scene of the crime’ reads the tagline of Nolan’s latest movie releasing on the 16th of July, 2010. It is enough to spark a flood of emotions ranging from excitement to intrigue in the mind of any film connoisseur. In my opinion Inception will be the film that shall have Nolan collecting the much deserved Academy Award for Achievement in Direction. If initial reports are anything to go by, then this is definitely another masterstroke from the maverick director. Here are the views of a few noted film critics who have had the fortune to catch the initial uncut previews of Inception:

“A wildly entertaining and dazzling mind-trip not to be missed. Kubrick would have been proud.”

“Inception is an exhilarating cinematic experience that suggests there is still room, even in the blockbuster world, for big ideas and dangerous emotions, and that may be the single most thrilling thing about it.”

“A devilishly complicated, fiendishly enjoyable sci-fi voyage across a dreamscape that is thoroughly compelling.”

“I walked out hypnotized. Here's a movie that's 3 steps ahead of you, on 4 different levels, at 5 blinding speeds.”

“If movies are shared dreams, then Christopher Nolan is surely one of Hollywood's most inventive dreamers, given the evidence of his commandingly clever Inception”.

PS: This is not a tribute or homage to Nolan and he is not dead for all those wondering. I felt that instead of writing about someone who is uselessly already past his prime or may be even dead, I’d rather provide encouragement to someone who still has the potential to give us some cinematic brilliance. I know Chris Nolan will read this. Also, I am not one of the critics to have seen Inception; so please do not blame me if the movie is beyond comprehension (as most people feel about Nolan's movies)