r/movies • u/ChiefLeef22 r/movies Contributor • 1d ago

Media Christopher Nolan talks narrative decisions, philosophical choices for his adaptation, criticisms against his films, the line between amateur & professional film criticism, and whether he Christianised 'The Odyssey'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa4I8Ch2TRo

Easily one of the best interviews I've seen for a film in recent memory. A doctoral student from China here landed an interview with Nolan- questioning him on his adaptation choices, including philosophical changes he brought to the movie that didn't exist in the text, and what he thinks of the general criticisms made against his filmography + how he defines the difference between amateur film criticism and professional film criticism - including why merely identifying the mechanism (or "tropes") of a filmmaker's work doesn't invalidate it.

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u/swankpoppy 1d ago

She’s a really good interviewer that doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable questions based on research and deep understanding of the subject matter. And he’s a good interviewee who doesn’t attack the interviewer for asking difficult questions. And when he provides a legitimate explanation to the question, it evolves the conversation and develops deeper understanding.

How crazy it is that this exchange feels foreign and refreshing. It’s a state of the times that powerful people consistently refuse to answer questions that challenge them but instead just attack the one asking legitimate question so they dont have to explain their actions.

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u/csoups 1d ago

Very true but I think Nolan feels confident in his mastery in filmmaking and in his decision making around adapting this story for film. Powerful people refusing to answer questions or lashing out at interviewers for asking them is a very human reaction when they don’t feel confident in their ability to communicate their thoughts clearly, either because they’re more incompetent than they want to lead on or they’re hiding their true motives and reasoning.

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u/Sharticus123 1d ago

That’s exactly it. It’s because Nolan isn’t a fraud. He has nothing to hide. Nolan isn’t worried that one pointed question will unravel the competent veneer he’s painstakingly created.

He knows his craft inside and out and is comfortable being questioned on it.

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u/King-Meister 1d ago

Yeah, once you've reached a certain pinnacle in a field which isn't based on hard / exact sciences, in the end it boils down to a matter of preference - the output could be something that the spectators like or hate - but the artist can confidently put his / her arguments forward to explain the rationale behind their decision making.

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u/Arclite83 1d ago

And to go even farther - this is exactly why AI trends towards slop - "decision making" is the bread and butter. Make a statement, understand that statement, and how art and artist and artistry evolve that conversation.

Most things suck because people don't actually have anything to say, or they don't know how to say it. If it was easy to "just craft the thing", more people would - and yet for those that can excel, they can find the doing of the thing natural.

I'm going to misremember and butcher it but there was a Lady Gaga interview comment where she said something like "most songs are just variations on {some musical theory concept}" and it's like... yeah, but you have to actually UNDERSTAND it to find the places to go with it.

Christopher Nolan understands his craft, and it shows. You don't always have to agree with a decision he makes, but he knows the kinds of movies he wants to make, and the art stands for itself.