The Nolan Variations
The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan
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4.6 • 15 Ratings
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
An in-depth look at Christopher Nolan, considered to be the most profound, commercially successful director at work today, written with his full cooperation. A rare, revelatory portrait, "as close as you're ever going to get to the Escher drawing that is Christopher Nolan's remarkable brain" (Sam Mendes).
In chapters structured by themes and motifs ("Time"; "Chaos"; "Dreams"), Shone offers an unprecedented intimate view of the director. Shone explores Nolan's thoughts on his influences, his vision, his enigmatic childhood past--and his movies, from plots and emotion to identity and perception, including his latest blockbuster, the action-thriller/spy-fi Tenet ("Big, brashly beautiful, grandiosely enjoyable"--Variety).
Filled with the director's never-before-seen photographs, storyboards, and scene sketches, here is Nolan on the evolution of his pictures, and the writers, artists, directors, and thinkers who have inspired and informed his films.
"Fabulous: intelligent, illuminating, rigorous, and highly readable. The very model of what a filmmaking study should be. Essential reading for anyone who cares about Nolan or about film for that matter."--Neal Gabler, author of An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood and Walt Disney, The Biography
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Drawing on interviews conducted over three years, film critic Shone (The Irishman: The Making of the Movie) shines a light on Christopher Nolan, who has "long perfected the art of talking about his films while giving away nothing about himself." Shone devotes a chapter to each of Nolan's films, from his 1998 debut, Following, to the forthcoming Tenet, while tracing a few common themes. These include what the Anglo-American Nolan gained from his teenage years attending a "really establishment, old-fashioned" U.K. boarding school (principally, "how to relate to an establishment you're inherently rebelling against but can't push too far"). Another is the counterpoint between his exacting planning while scripting and shooting ("rules are very important" in giving a fantastical story credibility) and his openness to experimentation and "surprise," as when he unexpectedly discovered the perfect last shot for The Dark Knight in unedited stunt footage. Shone also emphasizes the importance of collaboration for Nolan, including with composer Hans Zimmer (who "teaches me a new musical term with each film") and Inception's star Leonardo DiCaprio, whom Nolan credits with pushing the project from a genre heist film toward a "more character-based direction." Shone provides thoughtful context for Nolan's commentary, but readers will most value Nolan's own words about his work.
Customer Reviews
Storytelling Above All Else
Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker likes to cut against the grain of the Hollywood ethos. He only works on one project at a time, his films are delivered on time & under budget, he prefers original material, and he challenges his audiences preconceptions. Similarly, this book tries to break free of the traditional trappings of a biography or memoir.
What we get from Tom Shone is a detailed schematic of not only the creative process of each of Nolan’s films, but also an unpacking of the larger zeitgeist at the respective time. To top it off, he adds in a detailed historical tracing through art, cinema, and literature to search for the seeds that formed the précis that would become masterpieces like Inception.
Don’t be mistaken, this book is not a relentless praising of Nolan’s work for the “Nolanites” like myself. It’s a cerebral journey with the fair amount criticism to remain objective and balanced in most places. When you zoom out, Tom Shone is really posing a question. When we see the way Nolan has applied his own variations to traditional film making and storytelling, where does he sit among the greats?