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Christopher Nolan

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Christopher Jonathan James Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American film director, writer and producer. He is best known for directing the psychological thriller Memento, sci-fi action thriller Inception, and rebooting the Batman film franchise, for which he has received considerable acclaim. He often collaborates with his brother, screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, and recently with actors Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy. Nolan is the founder of the production company Syncopy Films and is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States.

Christopher Nolan
Born
Christopher James Nolan[1]
Occupation(s)Film director, Producer & Screenwriter
SpouseEmma Thomas (1997–present)

Early life

Nolan was born in London, the son of an English father who worked as an advertising copywriter and an American mother who was a flight attendant.[2][3] He spent his childhood in both London and Chicago. Nolan found an interest in botany and "dicots" early on until he found his father's camera. He began film-making at the age of seven using his father's Super 8 camera and his toy action figures.[4] While living in Chicago as a child, he also made short films with future director and producer Roko Belic.

Nolan was educated at Haileybury College, an independent school at Hertford Heath in Hertfordshire, England, and later studied English literature at University College London while filming several short films in the college film society. The first, Tarantella, was shown in 1989 on Image Union, an independent film and video showcase featured on PBS. Another notable short film was called Doodlebug with Jeremy Theobald who later starred in Following.

Professional career

Nolan directed his first feature film, Following, in 1998. The film depicts a writer who is obsessed with following random people. Scenes are shown out of chronological order, and as such the viewer becomes disoriented; having to deduce the elements of the story in the same way as the protagonist calculates what is going on around him. Nolan made the film for just $6,000.[5] 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 1998 San Francisco Film Festival, and was eventually distributed on a limited basis by Zeitgeist in 1999.

As a result of the film's success, Newmarket Films optioned the script for Nolan's next film, Memento. Memento (2000) is a critically acclaimed cult film[6] and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award (Oscar) for best screenplay. The movie is based on the short story Memento Mori, written by Christopher's brother, Jonathan Nolan. It follows widower Leonard Shelby (played by English-born Australian actor Guy Pearce) who suffers a head injury and is unable to form new memories.

In 2002, Nolan directed Insomnia, an American remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, albeit with major changes in both the plot and the nature of the main character.

In 1997, Warner Bros Pictures put its Batman film franchise on an indefinite hiatus when the fourth installment, Batman & Robin, was released to negative reviews and disappointing box office. In 2003, Nolan, together with Blade screenwriter David S. Goyer, convinced Warner Bros. to take the risk of entrusting the first of a revived Batman film series to a relatively unknown director. Batman Begins was released on 15 June 2005 and became a box office hit, ranking as the eighth highest grossing film of 2005 domestically and the ninth highest grossing worldwide. It received a very positive critical and public reception, with many ranking it as superior to Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film, for instance receiving, according to Rotten Tomatoes, an overall 85% positive review compared to 71% for Burton's film. Strengths of the movie included its dark and intelligent storyline, strong emphasis on character, and the predominant themes of fear and duality. Batman Begins was a major winner at the 32nd annual Saturn Awards. The film won for Best Fantasy Film, Best Actor for Christian Bale and Best Writing for Nolan and Goyer. The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

The Prestige, released on 20 October 2006, is an adaptation of the Christopher Priest novel about two rival magicians in the 19th century. It reunites Nolan with Batman Begins stars Christian Bale and Michael Caine. The movie had a mostly positive response from critics and made over $109 million worldwide.[7] The film was co-scripted by his brother, Jonathan Nolan and co-produced with his wife, Emma Thomas.

In the months following The Prestige's release, Nolan made numerous comments suggesting that he would return to direct the sequel to Batman Begins.[8] In late July 2006, the sequel was officially confirmed as The Dark Knight with Nolan at the helm and Heath Ledger joining the cast as The Joker, Batman's arch-enemy.[9] Nolan and his brother Jonathan wrote a script, based on a treatment written by himself and David S. Goyer. The film began production in early 2007 and was released on 16 July 2008 in Australia and 18 July 2008 in the United States, to overwhelming critical acclaim with some critics calling it the greatest comic-book based movie ever made.[10] It also had enormous box office success, setting the record for the highest-grossing weekend opening in the U.S. with over $158 million and becoming the 2nd highest grossing film of all time domestically, and the fourth-highest worldwide at the time (both unadjusted for inflation); it has since been surpassed by Avatar on both markets.[11] At the 2009 Golden Globe Awards, Christopher Nolan accepted the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture on behalf of the deceased Heath Ledger. Nolan was nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Director for The Dark Knight. While the movie did not receive any nominations for the five major categories at the 81st Academy Awards, it was nominated for a total of eight Oscars, and won two, the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, and a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Ledger.

After the release of Nolan's 2008 film The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. contracted Nolan to a seven-figure deal to direct the science fiction film Inception. The film was based on a script written by Nolan and has been described as being "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind".[12] Filming began in summer 2009, and Inception was released on July 16, 2010 to largely positive reviews.[13]

Directorial style

Nolan's films often feature a non-linear narrative presentation (Following, Memento, Batman Begins, The Prestige, Inception) and psychological themes like his idol Stanley Kubrick. He is known to work without a second unit, overseeing every shot of the film by himself. His later films discard the title sequence.

Upcoming projects

On March 10, 2010, Nolan confirmed that he and David Goyer have been working on an idea for a Superman film. Nolan says, "He basically told me, 'I have this thought about how you would approach Superman.' I immediately got it, loved it and thought: That is a way of approaching the story I’ve never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way… A lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that’s what I know how to do." It is unlikely that he will direct, but would have significant creative input in the process.[14]

Nolan also confirmed his involvement with a sequel to The Dark Knight and gave some information regarding the story. The next Batman film will be Nolan's last in the series and a conclusion to the story. Nolan says, "Without getting into specifics, the key thing that makes the third film a great possibility for us is that we want to finish our story. And in viewing it as the finishing of a story rather than infinitely blowing up the balloon and expanding the story . . . I’m very excited about the end of the film, the conclusion, and what we’ve done with the characters. My brother has come up with some pretty exciting stuff."[15] Warner Bros. has set the date for the next Batman film for July 20, 2012.[16] On June 4, 2010 Christopher Nolan spoke with Empire magazine and confirmed that the Joker will not return. When asked he said, “No…I just don’t feel comfortable about it.”[17]

Recurring collaborators

Nolan often casts certain actors in multiple films. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, and Gary Oldman are among his most frequent acting collaborators.

Emma Thomas has produced most of Nolan's films, with the exception of Memento and Insomnia.

Actor Following
(1998) 		Memento
(2000) 		Insomnia
(2002) 		Batman Begins
(2005) 		The Prestige
(2006) 		The Dark Knight
(2008) 		Inception
(2010) 		Untitled Batman Sequel
(2012)
Christian Bale  N  N  N  N
Michael Caine  N  N  N  N  N
Russ Fega  N  N  N
Morgan Freeman  N  N  N
Larry Holden  N  N  N
Mark Boone Junior  N  N
Nicky Katt  N  N
Colin McFarlane  N  N
Cillian Murphy  N  N  N
John Nolan  N  N
Gary Oldman  N  N  N
Andrew Pleavin  N  N
Lucy Russel  N  N
Jeremy Theobald  N  N
Ken Watanabe  N  N

Filmography

Year Film Studio Gross Credit(s)
1998 Following Momentum Pictures $48,482 Director
Writer
Producer
Cinematographer
Editor
2000 Memento Newmarket Films $39,723,096 Director
Writer
2002 Insomnia Warner Bros. $113,714,830 Director
2005 Batman Begins Warner Bros. $372,710,015 Director
Writer
2006 The Prestige Touchstone Pictures
Warner Bros. 		$109,676,311 Director
Writer
Producer
2008 The Dark Knight Warner Bros. $1,001,921,825 Director
Writer
Producer
2010 Inception Warner Bros. $116,658,412 Director
Writer
Producer

Short films

Year Film Credit(s)
1989 Tarantella Director
Writer
Producer
1996 Larceny Director
Writer
Producer
1997 Doodlebug Director
Writer
Producer

Awards and nominations

Following (1998):

Memento (2000):

Batman Begins (2005):

The Prestige (2006):

The Dark Knight (2008):

Rotten Tomatoes ratings

Film T-Meter Top Critics
Following 79%[18] N/A[19]
Memento 92%[20] 94%[21]
Insomnia 92%[22] 94%[23]
Batman Begins 84%[24] 60%[25]
The Prestige 75%[26] 56%[27]
The Dark Knight 93%[28] 91%[29]
Inception 86%[30] 78%[31]
Average 86% 79%

Publications

Articles

Personal life

Nolan married Emma Thomas, his longtime film producer, in 1997. They have three children and reside in Los Angeles, California.

See also

References

  1. ^ IMDB. Biography for Christopher Nolan
  2. ^ http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/07/1031115958092.html
  3. ^ http://www.ariel-leve.com/st_interviews/christophernolan.html
  4. ^ http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/review-1260075-nolans-move-from-highgate-to-hollywood.do
  5. ^ Interview with Christopher Nolan [1]
  6. ^ Foss, Sara. (2009-03-03). Film capsules Schenectady Gazette. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  7. ^ The Prestige (2006)
  8. ^ "Nolan Talks Next". IGN FilmForce. 12 October 2005. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  9. ^ Garth Franklin (31 July 2006). "It's Official: "Batman 2" Gets A Title". DarkHorizons.com. Retrieved 2007-03-09.
  10. ^ "The Dark Knight Review".
  11. ^ "All Time Worldwide Box Office Grosses".
  12. ^ Fleming, Michael (February 11, 2009). "Nolan tackles 'Inception' for WB". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  13. ^ Fleming, Michael (April 1, 2009). "Trio in talks for 'Inception'". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2009. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  14. ^ Brendan Bettinger (2010-03-10). "Christopher Nolan Speaks! Updates on DARK KNIGHT Sequel and SUPERMAN MAN OF STEEL". Collider. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  15. ^ http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/03/christopher-nolan-takes-flight-with-superman-we-have-a-fantastic-story-1.html
  16. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=27748
  17. ^ Dan Mecca (2010-06-04). "Chris Nolan Says No Joker In 'Batman 3,' Talks Superman". The Film Stage. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
  18. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Following
  19. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of Following
  20. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Memento
  21. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of Memento
  22. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Insomnia
  23. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of Insomnia
  24. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Batman Begins
  25. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of Batman Begins
  26. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of The Prestige
  27. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of The Prestige
  28. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of The Dark Knight
  29. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of The Dark Knight
  30. ^ Rotten Tomatoes T-Meter Rating of Inception
  31. ^ Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics Rating of Inception
 
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Preceded by Batman film director
2005-2012 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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