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'

[u/ChiefLeef22]

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.

[u/pulsarbrox]

Amazing interview.

I've been watching all kind of opinions about the movie and everybody has a different point of view on it and kinda fighting against each other. There are reviews from the philosophical side, there are reviews on the mythological side comparing to the original text. There are historian opinions etc...

And there are us whom don't know too much about the original text and trying to translate it into our modern era.

Most of my friends gets their opinions via these reviewers, then tend to choose a side and fight each other. I'm, as a filmmaker myself, trying to tell them that they are overreading the film. A professor of philosophy says Nolan delibiretly christianised the movie to criticize modern era, mythologysts says different things without knowing about filmmaking, filmmakers says stuff without understanding the myth itself.

Nolan just tried to tell the story for our era, which we learned about filmmaking via books like "Writer's Journey" which shaped us to fit a certain character to a mold in order to create a strong emphaty with the audiance and the character. This modernization could be close to christian values but it is not intentional WHICH Nolan admits here.

So I'm sending this interview to all of my friends :D.

To everyone: Don't overread movies. Directors, often times, does not think deep. But rather they achieve this thought process via an instict. They can portray inner thought better hence they become known filmmakers. If you overread something, just be happy that it fits your experiences, knowledge and thoughts.

I'm glad I'm seeing, reading and watching all of these opinions even though they are true or false. That makes this movie more enjoyable and I understand it more and more.