The Ultimate Christopher Nolan Analysis: The Breakout Years

[@LikeStoriesofOld]

Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/lsoo Watch the final episode of the Ultimate Nolan Retrospective - which is titled "Road to Oppenheimer" and which covers Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet - right now: nebula.tv/videos/lsoo-the-ultimate-nolan-retrospective-road-to-oppenheimer In case you missed it, watch the previous episode that discusses Nolan's early years, and covers his movies Following, Memento, Insomnia and Batman Begins, right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnutkoF_jcSCi7s

[@Rubrick23.]

What's really going to throw you through a loophole about prestige. The look alike drunk is actually the original copy and he never continues magic after his wife dies. He cloned himself and forgot. That's why when we meet Edison he already has met our man and is off put that he doesn't remember the machine not working right.

[@kylesty6728]

I didn’t realize how much of an impact DiCaprio had on the script of Inception. What a great example of what great collaboration can produce. It remains one of my favorite movies.

[@rottensquid]

It just goes to show that, under the right circumstances, some of the best movies aren't so much singular auteur visions, but collaborative ones. On the other hand, the Dark Knight Rises seems to prove the opposite, feeling less like a movie than an argument over what movie it was trying to be. One might say that the Dark Knight was a perfect magic trick by a master magician, while Rises felt like two magicians, unable to agree on what trick to perform, let alone how to pull it off.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

same

[@alexman378]

@@rottensquidI think the trouble there was that things changed drastically when Ledger died, and a combination of deadlines, quick script changes and the workload of Inception is probably why it’s a bit disorienting.

[@r.c.c.10]

Same, I was surprised. I don't love Inception though, to be honest. It's just a well made above average gun action film with an interesting but underdeveloped fantasy element and with uninteresting characters. To me.

[@Paralianpoet]

​@@r.c.c.10Tf u talking about

[@kevinjain]

I can't express how grateful I feel to have found this channel. The content is pure gold for every fanatic who seeks to swim into the depths of movies. Following this page for the last 2 years and not disappointed.

[@maximuscesar]

The Prestige is the most rewatchable Nolan Movie. Definitely my favorite.

[@kyneticfilms]

It always feels new!

[@patrickconnelly69]

Same here brother. Followed closely with Interstellar.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Tenet. That movie is super rewatchable and frankly I think it's better than second time than the first

[@jeremyschiesser7086]

Profound message about the cost of deception, lies. It eats away at your mind, body, and spirit as it slowly destroys the world you love around you.

[@Rubrick23.]

What's really going to throw you through a loophole about prestige. The look alike drunk is actually the original copy and he never continues magic after his wife dies. He cloned himself and forgot. That's why when we meet Edison he already has met our man and is off put that he doesn't remember the machine not working right.

[@connor56347]

I never really understood why Inception seemed to have such a strong emotional core and moved me with its characters so much more than other Nolan films. Thank you for this brilliantly in depth analysis

[@rottensquid]

I think Nolan learned a lot from that film. Interstellar has just as powerful an emotional core, though in a completely different way, as it's a completely different story.

[@Ali-fo4uv]

@@rottensquidinception is crap

[@Rustincohle88]

​@@Ali-fo4uvdream can be subjective atleast for him . Don't be a intellectual by saying a crap

[@philipwhitcomb5358]

A video on this channel about my favorite director?! Hell yeah! Have a thumbs up!

[@joaoveganvisirlbo5320]

This is part 2... Part 1 is also very good. 🙂

[@nicolaslabra2225]

that whole piece on The prestige lines up pretty terrifyingly well with the advent of generative AI in the art world, "we are going into a world of terrifying new possibilites, the fact that what artists achieved with so much effort in their whole careers can be replicated easily by the AI, and the prospect of the complete loss of authenticity give The prestige a new dimension of relevance i couldnt have foreseen like 5 years ago.

[@HugoStiglitz88]

So true and I hate it probably even more than cutter hated teslas device

[@john-ic5pz]

AI is over hyped as to what it can do. from chat GPT to art. GPT spits out meaningless text as well as meaningful summaries of topics. there is a case of a lawyer using it to write a brief that he didn't proofread before submitting it. it was factually incorrect, citing caselaw that doesn't exist. the art I've seen is more fit for KZbin thumbnails and desktop backgrounds...they're eye candy more than art - something that induces an emotional experience/reaction. AI will replace only the least skilled of jobs...don't worry. that's what 'they' (ruling class) want from you. easier to sell ppl things when they're fearful, even low-key states of fear. ❤️‍🩹 ✌️

[@FusilAutomatique]

Even though you have monetised your works in a small way, this Channel is a work of pure benevolence. Bravo. You help me shed barbs from a weighted heart, thank you.

[@MrHousey36]

For me, The Prestige is Nolan's best film. Thank you for the best analysis of it I have seen.

[@dylana.9057]

I think you're wrong on the dark knight rises on a multiple of ways. Not only does talia shed a new light on a new light on Bane's true character which deepens his character traits but also explains how bane had access to all those tools & information which on a 2nd rewatch expose Bruce's lack of self awareness due to retirement & his true weakness : his heart. You've explained bruce's character journey very well, though i expected you'd talk about bruce & the batman symbol as an allegory of Nietzche"s ubermensch and the man who inspires the others to rise up & become "more". The will to live, the human insitinct to survive. His trauma of honoring his parents & the lesson his dad taught him, the idea of rebirth = a prominent philosophical idea amongst philosophers & different cultures. I think you could have talked about batman as a symbol. You analyzed the film as if it needed a thematic punchline like tdk because that's what you expected. The movie may not be as smart as tdk but it's more emotional, which tdk lacked. The very image of the batman symbol rebuilt at the end is what the dark knight rises symbolizes. It reminds the audience to have hope. Hope is the main theme of the dark knight rises. It argues about demagogues like Bane trying to profit from the division of society for their own purpose, arguing that social class based revolutions are not for & from the people. The people are manipulated by more powerful figures to enact a revolution that will lead to a no-change, overtime. They are empty acts of rebellion and violence, like the empty house Selina finds with the photo of the previous owners (she realizes the emptiness of such uprising). I think you forgot to mention the idea that Gotham's journey is a parrallel of bruce's journey. Both rotting & flawed inside. Both fall. Both are at their lowest for some time. Both try to fight back but fail. Both see despair ( as exemplfied by the captain who fears to fight) and yet retain some hope & then have the truth revealed to them i.e the Batman symbol is literally a light shining bright in the night, a symbol of hope in the darkness). It is about " the spirit of a revolution" to take arms & defend the city= a spirit of unity & cohesion of one entire city having a single common goal. To not let corruption & personal interests divide a city ( a plague in capitalism that also leads to Gotham's downfall due to Daggett's greed which let a man like Bane gain power). It shows the difference between a city with no spirit & a city with a spirit It exemplifies, albeit through a sociological science fiction lens, what happens when the people gain hope & fight together for their city & are ready to defend it. The dark knight rises shows what happens when human beings gain motivation again in their lives through a common ideology that unites them to do what's right. The Batman being the personnification of that ideology & the symbol that gave Gotham hope. For bruce, it is finding that ideology through a philosophical rebirth of his soul & finding the meaning to fight again when his city burns. The batman saved gotham. But this time, the people rose up, defended & saved the soul of their city, not batman. It is an answer to the ending of the dark knight . In which showed Bruce having to lie to save Gotham's soul as the Dark knight, a false triumph. The Dark knight rises shows a true triumph, united. Batman saved the city on a physical level. But It's the city itself that saved Gotham's soul. Batman gave them the key : hope & selfnesness even in the lowest moments. Batman fully becomes the symbol he aspired to be. He is Gotham's prophet with a final sacrifice. Gotham doesn't need Batman anymore. Bruce wayne is alive, the Batman is gone. Long live the Batman. And that's why i think the Dark Knight Rises is a beautiful film & a masterpiece of a conclusion that rounds off an incredible trilogy. Thank you for reading if anyone did. Thank you Nolan🐐

[@adamw36]

This is exactly the comment I was looking for. Thank you for writing all of this out. As LSOO said, The Dark Knight was "lightning in a bottle". TDK Rises was never going to reach that exact same level, and the expectations were always going to be too high for the final film because of it, but in the end I think Nolan did an exceptional job and it was much much better than critics and fans gave credit to. What you laid out is exactly how I felt about it and there were certain things you touched on that I could never put into better words but which you totally got right! In particular the part about Batman as a symbol reaching its full potential, like Christ as a figure, the ultimate archetype to which man can look up to and aspire to be, or at the very least, that sort of ideology and hope behind the symbol which the people can look up to and find meaning in. I never even realised in comparison the flase triumph at the end of TDK compared to the true triumph of Gotham's soul at the end of the final installation. Perfection. In general I think people are quite nitpicky with it and almost make up stuff to be angry about because it's not TDK, albeit some of the fair points that LSOO does point out, but with TDKR, for me it will always stand as what you say, "a masterpiece of a conclusion".

[@HugoStiglitz88]

I couldn't agree more. You nailed it

[@AmericanAcupuncturer]

Spot on

[@dylana.9057]

@@adamw36 Thank you so much for reading bro. I honestly had to get it out of my chest because I thought LSOO's reading on tdkr was reductive & disappointing. Tdkr is an intelligent & thoughtful film. I am glad i could shed a new light on certain themes of tdkr VS tdk for you. I think the true triumph is how gothal hunts batman at the end of tdk vs Gotham honoring & celebrating batman in TDKR. And yesexactly nolan made batman almost as a " christ-like" figure, ready to endure the sins & suffering of others but always rising up to fight evil. Tdkr is not perfect but I personally don't even care because it's so good.

[@dylana.9057]

@@HugoStiglitz88 Thanks for reading my little essay. Appreciate it

[@user-uq4gr5nl5o]

This is the first time I've heard good and thoughtful criticism of The Dark Knight Rises instead of the usual simple-minded "hOw DiD hIs BaCk HeAl So FaSt????" comments. That alone already made this video excellent.

[@movieace1295]

Agree! I loved his review and thought on TDKR until he brought up the other "plot holes".

[@ToxicTurtleIsMad]

​@@movieace1295the police force thing is one of the stupidest things ever in any movie

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Yea most criticism of tdkr is some of the dumbest shit I've ever heard

[@kado982]

Yeah they forget that it was explained the bomb would go off in 5-6 months. And thats when bruce was sent to the pit. thats how long it took for him to heal and leave the pit. Batman didnt get back until like the last 30 minutes of the bomb going off.

[@thesilvermotion]

I can't love this channel enough. A true inspiration. I love how you talk about cinema.

[@thesilvermotion]

@markitgeek his delivery of whatever subject he describes is pure velvet.

[@NewFoundLife]

I agree with a lot of what you said about the Dark Knight Rises. It's frustrating at times, because I can see where Nolan was trying to go with some of the themes, but ultimately some of the writing doesn't feel cohesive. I wish Nolan showed more of the underside of Gotham. Show the poverty, homelessness, and power divide in the city and then the idea of "A storm is coming" feels more powerful. If Nolan showed how this unrest was brewing and how those suffering latched onto Bane's revolution out of desperation, it would give more weight to Bane vs. Bruce's philosophies. But Nolan could also show how the good side of Gotham is reacting, show people working together and protecting each other. Show compassion, charity, and kindness in the face of the uncertainty. So when Bruce returns we have an idea of the people who will welcome him back and are prepared to fight. Once we know the players involved it gives the final confrontation much more weight.

[@alexpavlin9745]

I agree. Nolan and Goyer presented something similar in Batman Begins with Rachel explaining the state of things (crime, corruption, poverty) primarily facilitated by Falcone and persuading Bruce to abandon his selfish revenge plot in favour of justice.

[@Styrophone1]

Extremely well put! For me inception just felt like a wave of inspiration of concepts, music, cinema and human experience/psyche. It is truly a treat to be able to experience such masterpieces in our lifetime.

[@NaumRusomarov]

not gonna lie. I'm stoked for Oppenheimer.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

and barbie of course

[@turnerburner922]

It’s excellent

[@javierheras2327]

Now I finally understand the problem with 'Tenet'. What you said about 'Inception', Cobb's journey and its emotional core is exactly what I don't find in The Protagonist.

[@JustinArmstrong-u5w]

The Prestige is the most rewatchable Nolan Movie. Definitely my favorite.. Awesome, I appreciate the effort you put into these videos.

[@lowlowseesee]

to me the prestige felt like a big movie, exciting and not confusing as some of his later work. its so elegant and majestic

[@d3nv1]

Great Work. I love the Long form works - Wonderful insights, fascinating conjectures, superbly produced. Thank you

[@williamsolis1]

LSOO fills me with joy.

[@acadia5898]

you have learned me so much over the past couple of years. i can't thank you enough

[@justpeachee8964]

I may be alone but I really loved tenet. Every time I watch it I come away with a new feeling and sense of it. Just like any Nolan film.

[@davidfeltheim2501]

I love the way you described how The Dark knight is the best post-9/11 film in how the anticipation of danger after already experiencing it is what drives fear and chaos. That along with the Prestige and the threat of technology taking away authenticity and humanity is what makes those two films to be my favorite of Christopher Nolan's, probably with the exception of Oppenheimer.

[@fell9654]

Awesome, I appreciate the effort you put into these videos

[@alexcoyg3281]

Prestige is one of my favorite films of all time, saw it multiple times when it came out, love it. So much inside a movie about magicians, great cast, great writing, great cinematography and editing.

[@saipcan17]

Fantastic work. I truly enjoy your extended, detailed video essays--you thrive on them. Can't wait for the next one.

[@Coffeeblack2sugars]

An interesting running theme in The Prestige is - our inability to anticipate the banality of evil to those we love. Whether it is the disappearing bird that is simply snuffed out or the magician who curses himself to half a life - magic is only believable - we can only suspend disbelief - if we refuse to see how the Magician could abuse himself and those around him. Or to put it another way - to believe in magic - is to believe that the world is not cruel.

[@LaneCarter]

Honestly crazy to think that Insomnia had a higher budget than The Prestige. Al and Rob must be expensive.

[@movieace1295]

Also thin Pfister and Nolan stripped it down for The Prestige only handheld shot (i think) not much sweeping exterior helicopter shots etc. More interior sets.

[@LaneCarter]

@@movieace1295 definitely some non-handheld shots (opening shot of the hats comes to mind) but your point still stands. That makes sense.

[@movieace1295]

@@LaneCarter Yeah its been a while. Just remember they talking about it in BTS after BB they wanted to be more free and loose.

[@ardianharith4458]

I will always love to rewatch every movie again and again and again. His movies are best watched more than once.

[@IrishTechnicalThinker]

Oh yes over a 1 hour video of epicness.

[@maxzett]

I genuinly never noticed Nolan Movies changing Aspect Ratio

[@rottensquid]

I noticed them, but I never found them distracting. It seems like a needless nitpick. I think the best critics, among whom I count Tom Van Der Linden, have in them an aspect of the unfulfilled artist, and they can sometimes lose sight of the difference between actual flaws and the creative choices they'd have made. There's a difference between "I think this could have been better" and "I think this should have been different."

[@movieace1295]

I know about them but never felt distracting. I like this approach of whenever it makes sense he uses IMAX. It's like real life, when I'm sitting here typing it feels small i just see the computer and some props besides it, it doesn't call for IMAX. If I go outside to look at the view that should be filmed in IMAX. That's how I see it. In First Man he calls attention to it but In my opinion everything in space that should provoke size should be filmed in IMAX. in First Man before the moon it doesn't call for it because Chazelle wants you to feel the claustrophobia of sitting in a "little" can.

[@SaberRexZealot]

It doesn’t look as bad in a cinema where the screen is already enormous and you’re shrouded in darkness, but on a small screen it is impossible not to discern.

[@jesustovar2549]

The first Nolan movies that I saw were the Batman ones, although I really like them, those were not the ones that started my love for the director, but Inception, I remember when a cousin of mine gave me his huge collection of DVDs, among them was Inception and The Dark Knight, I wanted to see Inception since I had heard about it, one of my best decissions, I was mesmerized, the plot may seem confusing at first, after 2 or 3 views you fully understand, the key is in the dialogue (the exposition, which many pass bypassed the first time), the script is brilliantly executed as well as the action set pieces, the cast and it's performances are spot on, the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer (I recall hearing 'Time' in KZbin videos as well as commercials before I saw the movie), everything is in its place, that's when I feel that a work of art has reached perfection (or at least close of it), a fully realized vision, which was an original and personal story in this case, it's curious to know that Alfred Hitchcock spoked once that movies were going to be dreams in dreams, Stanley Kubrick even thought the same about movies. As for The Prestige, I'm completely fascinated by it, It's an interesting dark period piece, the mix of sci-fi along with the 19th century/Victorian England atmosphere gives that kinda steampunk vibe, I think the story is built on a true rivalry, AC/DC, the War of the Currents, Nikola Tesla (Borden) vs Thomas Alva Edison (Angier), the original artist or inventor vs the thief, the envy and manipulation, the movie made me reread about the lives of both men, especially Tesla, the story replaces the scientists with magicians/artists as protagonists, it's curious how teleportation is treated as "real magic" when is actual science (in the movie), I think it also serves as an analogy to the so-called "movie magic", "we want to be fooled" (I never before thought that Inception was an analogy of directors, producers, writers, actors, studio, etc...), I never saw so uncoming twists in a movie, the final twist is satisfactory cause I was rooting for Borden (not just because Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors, but I also like Hugh Jackman and I think was one of his best roles, not forgetting about the beautiful Scarlett Johansson), my only complaint might be that David Bowie was too old to play young Tesla, but still he was a fantastic presence. After Inception, I started to look at his other work and viewed The Dark Knight Trilogy on a different perspective, I don't consider them fully superheroe movies but more like crime dramas or thrillers, a more realistic and grounded vision of Gotham which appeals to me (everything I know about superheroes is because of pop culture and audio visual media, although I lean more towards DC, but I'm glad Nolan moved on already from DC to pursue more original projects that attract most cinephiles which mostly aren't superheroe fans per se, like me). I also don't think The Dark Knight Rises is a bad movie, if anything is better than most generical and formulaic MCU/Hollywood products (with their exceptions). As for the plot holes of the trilogy and the 9/11/2001, the one of the Joker detonating bombs in the hospital, you should ask yourselves that question about the Twin Towers (if you know that I'm talking about). I was looking for Interstellar, but I wait til the next video.

[@Ali-fo4uv]

Interstellar is pure garbage and tenet is even worse. Hope Oppenheimer is a vintage Nolan virtuoso

[@alexcoyg3281]

In my mind Real tesla still looks like Bowie😂

[@eriktempelman2097]

"The Iron Cage"... easential to the education of every engineer ❤

[@ffederel]

At 1:18:18, when you say "In hindsight, I would have prefered to be just an unambiguous warmongering fascist. A pure force of aggression..." Anton Chigurh came to mind.

[@OlYables]

30:42 this right here is some grade-A analysis of the Dark Knight and the Joker in particular.

[@andrewclodfelter3782]

The real tragedy of this film is that we didn't get more screen time with David Bowie as Nikola Tesla.

[@The1976spirit]

Krennic and Palpatine, you mean - - -

[@Rubrick23.]

But the big loophole with Nikola Tesla in the movie is that David Bowie's character has met or protectionist years ago he just doesn't remember. I believe jackmans drunk look alike is the organic copy who continues to be drunk and met up with Tesla and made a copy years ago.

[@monstergeek1613]

Personally, I think that tdkr is as good as The Dark Knight, it's just that the two don't have the same qualities. Tdk stands out for its unpredictable scenario, its cold and nihilistic atmosphere and its fascinating and terrifying villain, while tdkr stands out for its scale, its emotional side, its symbolism and its staging (nolan even manages to give us very good melee combat which is great compared to tdk). And the film remains devilishly interesting because of its themes. At the end of TDK, Joker defeated Batman for control of Gotham's soul, successfully corrupting the White Knight, Harvey Dent. But Batman sacrificed himself and decided to invent a lie to hide the double-sided actions. And it is on this thematic basis that tdkr builds: all the characters, and even Gotham in general, are trapped in a lie, in a state of apathy and ignorance of the problems (Bruce Wayne plays dead in his mansion and does not want to rebuild his life so as not to have to mourn Rachel all because he does not know that she had abandoned him; Gordon, perpetuates the lie about Harvey Dent and does not have the courage to reveal the truth which undermines him; Selina Kyle expects a miracle solution which is false (both a clean slate and bane's revolt) that it solves these problems; and the authorities of Gotham do not care about the lower classes of Gotham, nor the disappearance of orphans nor the presence of a masked terrorist in the sewers all because that they believe that the city is at peace).Even the political themes are consistent with this message. We have social inequalities which are a problem that the elites do not want or cannot admit and populism whose danger is only perceived when it is already in power. We may believe as a spectator that the return of Batman will be the solution to all this but it is not the case: it is just another way for Bruce to escape these traumas by remembering the good times and that doesn't even prevent Bane's plans from succeeding (Batman even facilitates them during the stock market raid). It will therefore be necessary to break everything (the back and the spirit of Batman, the American dream of unity during the stadium scene, the institutions with the burial of the police officers, the Dent Act with the reading of Gordon's real speech and the Selina Kyle's dream of escape with the reign of terror organized by Bane) so that the characters finally act (Bruce regains a taste for life and escapes from the Pit, Selina becomes her own heroine and helps Batman, the police forces arrest Bane and Gordon's army deactivate the bomb). Even Bruce's retirement is the end of a lie since Batman was an illusion meant to scare criminals. All the characters and even the city have finally reached the fullness and peace they have long sought because they stopped lulling themselves in a lie and were confronted with their flaws which strengthened them which recalls the quote from Bruce's father "Why Do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up"

[@monstergeek1613]

On the other hand, where I agree with you is that Talia's twist is really not great and that Bane would have been a better character if he had been a true populist fascist wanting to conquer Gotham by using the rage of those left behind by Gotham .

[@iandavies7991]

Interesting point regarding Leonardo de Caprio, but I can’t help but feel, and have always felt that Zimmers score not only adds half of the emotional weight to the movie, but also influenced Nolan’s choices. The same with all of the movies that they’ve worked in together but especially Interstellar. Can you imagine these movies without zimmer’s scores? I think there’s a reason Tenet lacked an emotional edge, and the reason is that Zimmer didn’t score it

[@KevinMakins]

Incredible essay. Only half way through but this is an excellent contribution to the ongoing and unravelling conversation on meaning and media.

[@dynamitex2845]

Firstly let me say that this was an excellent video. I would highly recommend you at least watching and possibly/hopefully making a video essay about the tv show Peaky Blinders. Cillian Murphy literally expertly plays Thomas Shelby as he climbs up the food chain as a gangster and in the later seasons trying to stop the raise in fascism in the 1930s. I'm wondering what your take would be on the show with its themes of ambition, loyalty, PTSD and redemption. Hopefully you check it out, keep up the amazing work you do.

[@artcanhelp]

Great work. Fascinating and insightful while also encyclopedic in scope!

[@etherealtb6021]

Well, as you said, the point of the "twist" in The Prestige is it was obvious, but we dismiss it. The film is literally telling us the twist the entire time. The whole film is a magic trick. Still my fav Nolan film.

[@jaxd3034]

One thing on the prestige. The identity of Angier DOES matter for the real duplication. After the first duplication the Angier on the platform shoots the "new" Angier. He has that memory now, all future Angiers remember that first experiment and killing the "new" man. However, in the theatrical version of the experiment, the Angier on the stand is now the one to die. He pulls the switch Knowing that he will not be the "new" Angier, but he has memory of once killing the "new" Angier. There is no outcome in which the act of pulling the lever isn't suicide, and he knows it.

[@two_owls]

Honestly, given how incompetent US cops often act, them going into the sewers en masse is the *most* believable part of the whole movie lol!

[@HugoStiglitz88]

Honestly I agree. They totally would put a good 90% of them into the sewers in that situation

[@ssssssstssssssss]

I always thought TDKR required a two part movie for what Nolan wanted to do but he wanted to quit making Batman movies so what we got was a movie with rushed pacing and insufficient build. It was like compressing the Empire Strikes Back and the Return of the Jedi into one movie. That is somewhat unlike Nolan because I've usually found him to be fairly deliberate.

[@titopuente6149]

Clearly the joker was due to appear in the next film and it’s rumoured Nolan had editing room floor clips of the joker from TDK that he planned on mixing into its sequel but found it too hard to look at the footage and carry out this task after the grief of ledgers passing. It’s reported he went a different route altogether with bane and cat woman instead.

[@Thor-Orion]

The Prestige is my favorite Novel. Nolan didn’t want either of the male leads to read the book before shooting, but of course Christian Bale did, and told Hugh that he had to read it to understand his character. I think this was the right decision, as both actors captured the essence of their novelized characters, but also make them their own within the different story the movie tells. They’re different types of art each expressing what they were intended to convey.

[@nickapvikes]

2 relevant books (primarily to the discussion on The Prestige) by Jason Ananda Josephson Storm: _The Myth of Disenchantment: Magic, Modernity, and the Birth of the Human Sciences_ (2017, U. Chicago) _Metamodernism: The Future of Theory_ (2021, U. Chicago) ...and a couple semi-relevant but EVEN MORE interesting books: _Ghostly Matters: Haunting and the Sociological Imagination_ - 2nd ed. (2008, U. Minnesota) by Avery F. Gordon _The Resonance of Unseen Things: Poetics, Power, Captivity, and UFOs in the American Uncanny_ (2016, U. Michigan) by Susan Lepselter edit: watched on Nebula btw

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

I personally like the take the that Cob was the target of the inception in the first place even tho it complicates things a bit haha. its just a cool take in my opinion. also the dark knight upped the levels so much that the dark knight rises never could've topped or even equal its glory. but I still liked the movie a lot because of Bruce's journey back to his mission to save the city at its worst time. and the Bane portrayal was awesome and menacing as well.

[@idanlewenhoff2295]

btw awesome videos keep it up

[@zacharywong483]

Superb video, as always! Love your writing here and your continued exploration of Nolan's films!

[@alexxx4434]

For me The Prestige was about where the competition ultimately leads if left unchecked, devoid of ethical or moral restrains.

[@iandavies7991]

I’ve never understood the hate Dark knight rises gets. I personally love it and think it’s as good as the Dark Knight. I think they’re both fantastic movies but I think DkR is slightly underrated and DK is slightly overrated. Probably blown up because of Heath Ledgers death. I don’t know why DKR needs to have it’s own themes and concepts. It’s part of a trilogy so in that regard it doesn’t need to stand alone. I think Nolan was in a corner in terms of story telling. The story was there and there wasn’t much leeway, he just had to unearth it and tell it entertainingly, which he did.

[@jylyhughes5085]

Brilliant analysis of Inception! YES!

[@3110hello]

Thank you for such excellent work. I just printed Ulrich Beck’s public lecture on living in the world risk society.

[@AynenMakino]

I see Bane as an analogy for the populist politician. Those who cheer on the anger of the masses without a real intention to make their lives any better.

[@Rubrick23.]

What's really going to throw you through a loophole about prestige. The look alike drunk is actually the original copy and he never continues magic after his wife dies. He cloned himself and forgot. That's why when we meet Edison he already has met our man and is off put that he doesn't remember the machine not working right.

[@kokomanation]

I. became a Nolan fan after I saw Insomnia in 2003 I think I really liked Memento but Insomnia was until then the reason I started to observe his great work and career that eventually exploded over the years especially in the visual and editing fields

[@tylerlyons4943]

Inception will/has already go down in history. One of the best original pieces of art. Ever.

[@julesjma]

Watched this again after seeing ut on Nebula. Your videos are always worthy of repeated views, Tom.

[@dw-b9379]

"The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It’s miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special..." The Tesla Machine doesn't actually work.

[@davidlean1060]

I saw a video highlighting a small detail in the film. Hugh Jackman has very narrow ear lobes. There's very little extra flesh hanging down, if you get me. To distinguish Angier from Root, make up gave Root prosthetic lobes, as well as a larger nose. When we see the profile of the, supposed, double, in the tank, we can just make out in the dim light that the lobes are longer. Nolan moves the camera so just enough light falls on the lobes for us to make it out, but cuts to the end credits right before he reveals too much. The body in the tank is not a clone, clones don't adjust genertic traits like ear lobe sizes!

[@MrDavidSalamon]

Great points on the prestige!

[@hallokino3781]

A great Retrospective wth many interessting ideas. If you like inception, you might like Paprika by satoshi kon. Its great!

[@SawII565]

“They were so consumed with whether they could, they never thought to ask whether they should.”

[@harryom3497]

Great!

[@KainBooks]

With TDKR, I think The Court of Owls with Bane as muscle or not involved at all, suits the class warfare theme. He could've shown poverty among the masses, even within Jim Gordon's household. Instead of dealing with corruption from the mob and civil servants, Batman could fight the elites while Bruce deals with the loss of Rachel and a conflicting identity as a wealthy man.

[@MrNootka]

Your channel is a master piece!

[@movieace1295]

1:19:40 That definitely comes from a loud minority of people who didn't like the real take on superhero movies and thought TDK wasn't "comic booky" enough. There were so many people ready to take down TDKR because of Nolan's enormous success. I was there online witnessing it all. It what happens when something get very popular. More and more critic against Nolan and his trilogy has risen after TDKR. It what happened to Avatar, MCU, Titanic. It will shift back though just give it time. I love TDKR because of the emotional journey you're talking about. I always felt that this iteration of Batman was extremely relatable (wanting to do good but struggling with some inner demons) at the time I was in a very bad place but now I found my call as a teacher and loving it. So those movies will always have a special place in my heart.

[@jeyfomson6364]

What you've just said is true. I remember that period in from 2011 to 2013, critics on popular comic book sites were just insulting christopher Nolans work and especially his Batman movies. But i'd like to point out that a large number of them were MCU fans, I remember it bieng called "Marvelites vs Nolanites" at the time. It was funny because because they were just spreading regurgitated information (that had no basis) about Christopher Nolans movies, it was truly pathetic.

[@k.c.3022]

Your take on the Dark Knight Rises really resonates with me. I was surprised that it was so well received in the day by critics and many viewers, it felt super underwhelming to me. It lost a lot of its realism and a lot of parts felt cartoonish and cliche. But mostly it felt like Nolan’s heart just wasn’t in it

[@akwilson1676]

Time by Hans Zimmer is simply one of the best song in the history of cinema.

[@skatemetrix]

About Inception, what if Inception was an attempt to perform Inception on Cobb himself who may be stuck deep in the dream world? Perhaps the idea of inception, and the type of inception -- making amends with family and discovering love again -- is the idea that was planted in Cobb's mind to encourage him to leave the dream world. An idea that would force Cobb to seek reality. Perhaps the entire heist, and all its complexities, were a fabrication; which is why one of Cobb's personas, Mal, kept appearing to resist this intrusion into his mind and to shatter the new dream that was the heist?

[@kira_0505]

i always thought that the top spinning or not at the end of Inception didn't matter since it was said that it was originally the wife's totem and therefore couldn't be fully trusted?

[@doreck07]

Actually I enjoy Dark Knight Rises more every time I watch it. I think its an excellent conclusion.

[@And-Or101]

I’m not sure there actually is a teleportation device in the Prestige… I think it’s just a trick as well. Somehow? 🤔😅

[@pmaac1564]

it’s explicitly a cloning devise

[@And-Or101]

@@pmaac1564 I don’t think there is a machine in the Prestige that actually makes clones. It’s a magic trick performed on us. We are meant to think there’s a cloning device.

[@royce25november]

Two face in the dark knight is far from tacked on. He was built up the whole time

[@bobz1736]

Masterful 👍 I particularly enjoyed your opinions on The Dark Knight Rises. I've never really understood why I too didn't enjoy it the same as Nolan's previous Batman movies. Thank you for your views - I think I agree 🤔

[@LegendaryCWL]

Read The Tale of Two Cities. It was a major influence on The Dark Knight Rises. Bane isn't a warmongering Fascist. He's like Danton, Marat, or Robspierre during the French Revolution: a fanatic whipping up the worst parts of society to revolt against and destroy a society he sees as corrupt and decadent.

[@haroldthaf]

Well, Oppenheimer left his own, permanent mark on the world... never to be forgotten. That's whole point of the people that destroy themselves and everything around them.

[@Brooklynbaby47]

1:26 about Nolan on this channel YES

[@pad9x]

the Dark Knight is amazing. still to this day it's 'The Godfather' of comic book movies imo

[@lukeluke333lukeluke]

I love The Prestige and Inception. I Rewathced them many times over the years and they only get better in my opinion. Dark Night is amazing with a few flaws, which I do feel show more when you rewatch it. Its still great and one of my favirote super hero movies. Dark Knight Rises. To me. Its a movie with too many themes and messages that never come together for anything meaningful. I also don't like the Talia revel for the same reason you said. It really weaklings Bane as a character. Love these Analysis videos.

[@J5L5M6]

Goddard, Kubrick, Tarkovsky, Anderson, Nolan, and select others... when listening to someone question/explore your films in a similar fashion to someone examining their own life, and it's arguably more engaging than the work of other directors and writers, you're no longer a film maker, you're a world creator.

[@Alan-tz5dt]

The breakdown of The Dark Knight Rises managed to perfectly articulate what I felt/thought about it but wasn't able to express/explain clearly why it was kinda disappointing to me at the time! It definitely felt more like an obligatory sequel than a thematically complete work that could stand on it's own like the The Dark Knight did.

[@sarthakdas5801]

22:12

[@timpage9424]

I really like TDKR, even if its deeply flawed , but when the Bane/Talia reveal hits it just ruins it every time for me. I'm almost wishing it doesn't do the twist every time I give it a rewatch. 😂

[@kokomanation]

The more imax the better in my personal opinion for the visual part of a Nolan film

[@FAAMS1]

There is a real distinction to be made between the magician who exists to give pleasure awe and inspiration from the one who takes pleasure from others unknowing and mystification...the vast majority in the second category, is vain, self centred, and theatrically infantil. Now I barely remember Prestige given how much stuff I consume at a stupendously stupid rhythm these days but I think the movie has something to say on that regard!

[@pdzombie1906]

I think Warner Bros. just didn't give enough time to Nolan to properly finish The Dark Knight Rises because of the hype generated by the previous film. Not so muhc his heart wasn't in it, this probably the most studio interfered of all of his movies. It might be a step down on hi filmography, but it still is a great movie compared to the generic cash grabs made by studios every year (I'll watch TDKR anyday now over any of the DCEU movies or MCU's Phase VI). Thanx, Tom, great as usual!!

[@j.k.1239]

I loved dark knight rises and was surprised to see internet complaining.

[@sharifhidayatullah3032]

I liked the way you put it, regarding it I would say it's a false dichotomy in that it's not one or the other. We could live in a world where the artists and artisans could get the best, for example the artisans choose the project and the artists director it.

[@chrisrubio8212]

Nolan told Caine that every scene he’s in takes place in the real world. Caine is in the final scene.

[@MrSiriusAB]

Nolan 🤝 Time

[@partickthompson1164]

I never understood the reasoning for the continued killing of the magician . He had made a twin . Why didn’t he use the twin that was made. Instead of killing him.

[@windowsVD]

Because it wasn’t a twin. It was an exact duplicate of himself. He knew himself well enough to know that he couldn’t live sharing equal spotlight or trust that the duplicate wouldn’t conspire against him.

[@Brometheus.]

I’d really love a tenet video from you

[@Ali-fo4uv]

It’s crap

[@alisonwilson5346]

@@Ali-fo4uvgets an alert a new Nolan video uploaded to KZbin. Adds comment “crap”. Leans back. Job done.

[@Ali-fo4uv]

@@alisonwilson5346 u, get cheated on, are broke, has an ugly spouse likely, Replies to me. leans back. gets a response from me, biggest accomplishment of his life.

[@firstnamelastname3798]

What is the name of the track used during the The Prestige sequence?

[@john-ic5pz]

42:08 it messed with my head that life is the same. one day we are aware that we're immersed in an unfolding 'story'. before that moment we weren't aware of our environment then we do like a switch. language is the same, everything is wah wah wah then all the sudden we passively understand the background conversations around us. that's how it was with the foreign language I became fluent in so though we don't recall it, I presume it's the same for our native tongue too. life is a dream we eventually wake up from, much like when they die in a dream in the movie...they wake up in the real world again. maybe it's all hokum but I've noticed that when something is metaphorically true it is true. ❤️‍🩹 ✌️ 🙏

[@hayteren]

It was a pleasure to watch! Although using the word 'fascist' to describe Bane continues to deplete all meaning from the word.

[@c1audius]

How good does Batman Begins look in Black and White? 😮

[@erichurtado4938]

I’m still not over Inception not winning best picture… I mean- if The Kings Speech didn’t win it would have probly been The Social Network but I’m going to ignore that due to bias.

[@eduardoroo5442]

Di man, di macho, di hombre 🔥

[@jogeller5731]

The reason TDKR’s “revolution” feels unclear and confusing is because Nolan is a man of money who wanted to “capture the zeitgeist” but didn’t want to specifically point the finger at people of power who squandered the people’s trust which led to the 2008 financial crisis, because he’s friends with them and inciting revolution is bad. So Bane’s plan of bizarre pointless anarchy doesn’t really mean anything. Nolan just gestures vaguely at Occupy Wall Street and goes “yeah that kind of sucks, right? What a shame things have gotten so bad.” Who the hell writes the people who have been taken advantage of (by Gordon justifying draconian crime bills on lies) as the villains without actually talking about their situation? Seems to me Nolan’s just spouting the nightmares of men of money as a catch-all convenient Bad Time to kill time while Bruce recovered. He can’t actually give serious consideration to anything that brings change because…because you can’t do that! Smells like offshore accounts talking to me.

[@carlossaraiva8213]

I think there is a keenel of truth to whst you say about TDKR and Nolan's thinking at the time the movie was made. And by a kernel i mean i think you missed the bulleye by a single milimiter. The way i see it, i think Nolan BELIEVED (past tense used on purpose) that society worked by having all actors act in harmony. That there is a place in society for all, both the working class and the upper ups. Yet notice that even in TDKR his true sympathies lies with the working class. Bruce is humanized by going bankrupted and notice that unlike all billionaires you have heard of Wayne never bitches about losing his fortune. His identity goes not lies in his fortune. The movie does show the bad side of wealth with the idiotic billionaire who believed he could control Bane (who is a clear representation of demagoguery fascism) as like so many billionaires today they think they can use fascist as their toy for their own gains - Elon Musk, anyone. Meanwhile Catwoman and "Robin" are presented very sympathetically, both being the most blue collar of the characters. Robin is good through and through and Catwoman despite a criminal.past redetms and risks her life for the sake of others. No rich character in the movie does that ever - remember by then Wayne is himself destitute. And in the end the person who is made heir to Batman's legacy is blue collar Robin. Meanwhile former billionaire Wayne pulls a cinccinatus and retires from being an influence in society. The movie thus argue that while in the past billionaires had a role and importance to society - say like how in the past they payed taxes on 90% of their income and still they were still filthy rich - in today's world a billionaire no longer has a role to play in society anymore. Wayne being an heroic character removes himself and handles the keys of Batman to a man more in tune to how the world is, the blue collar black. If Nolan once had a critical yet respectful attitude toward the rich and the tlites, its clear now he no longer even holds any respect for them anymore. Perhaps the fact he might have spent time with them since he can afford the entry memberships of their clubs what he discovered is that billionaires and elites are rotten to the core. And Nolan's movie that shows that is TENET. From begining to end TENET takes pot shots and jabs at the rich and elites. Both the new money and old money are mocked and demonized, both the elites and their wardogs are shown in complete bad light, all of them lacking humanity snd humanism, all driven by pettiness, snobbism and greed. The movie features the ultimate blue collar hero of Nolan's films and he is by far the heroic character ever depicted in his films without a single shade of grey. He's ruthless yet utterly moral. Seems to me that in TENET Nolan is saying the way to deal with institionalized elitism is to be fight them with all weapons you got and fight smartly because the elites dont fight fair. TENET also shows the elites are utterly mad and insane living in a bubble of their own madness playing with time with complete abandon deluded by a fanatic devotion. Exactly how billionairez of today are blind fanatics of the religion of neoliberal disaster capitalism in a crusade to deny climate change is real and to oppose any enviromental and social policies that affect their ill-gain earnings and tax avoiding schemes. And OPPENHEIMER aldo shiws that Nolsn has a very low opinion of instituinalized conservatism as well. Perhaps if you dig deeper you might discover Nolan is ONE OF US.

[@windowsVD]

@@carlossaraiva8213 Both of you missed the bullseye by a wide margin. Nolan doesn't build his films around partisan politics, he doesn't play your game. Instead, he always takes the opportunity to criticize both extremes. Yes, TDKR does criticize members of the elites for their greed and their role in the decaying relationships between social classes, but he also shows the horrors of a marxist revolution. This is done through Catwoman, who initially relishes in the idea of civil unrest toppling the status quo, but is horrified when she actually sees her communist revolution put into practice. Like the scene where she walks into the abandoned home of a wealthy family that was likely lynched during the revolution, and she solemnly looks looks at their family photo saying, "this used to be someone's home." Then her friend tells her, "now it's *everyone's* home." Her philosophical outlook has completely changed as she loses faith in the people who participated in the revolution and even tells Batman that "these people" didn't deserve the sacrifices that he was making. Oppenheimer is a critique of institutionalized conservatism, particularly in regards to McCarthyism, but it also has jabs against the communist ideology that was gradually picking up steam within academia. In short, stop trying to lump Nolan as being "one of you." He doesn't make political propaganda and is frankly too good for it.

[@morbid1.]

my fav Nolan's movie is Interstellar...