Outside of the Mann Chinese 6 Theater, it was a typical day in Hollywood. Traffic was jammed, even on a Saturday, and tourists backed up the sidewalk while posing for pictures at the stars of their favorite celebrities on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Inside the theater, however, a rare opportunity was granted to film and comic book fans alike as L.A. Times blogger Geoff Boucher hosted a double feature and live Q&A with Christopher Nolan on the second day of the
Hero Complex Film Festival.
First up was a screening of
INSOMNIA, Nolan’s 2002 crime thriller starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. It became apparent rather quickly that this was the first time some members of the audience had actually seen the film. The reaction was universally positive, but there’s no doubt that as good as
INSOMNIA is, it was not the main attraction on this day.
After a trailer for the forthcoming INCEPTION was shown, the main event, the eagerly anticipated Q&A with Christopher Nolan, was next. The famed director received a standing ovation upon entering the auditorium and I’d be lying if I tried to suggest that it wasn’t a huge personal thrill for me to see my favorite Bat-director in person. It was a feeling shared by everyone in that theater, no doubt.
For those looking, there were no questions about BATMAN 3 at this event, nor did Nolan tip his hand at all about his plans. This was all about celebrating Nolan’s existing work and his current project, INCEPTION. By the way, INCEPTION truly is his current project, as Nolan revealed he had come to the theater directly from the Warner Bros. lot where he was still editing away. Nolan expects to be done with the film in about a week.
After crediting Robin Williams for giving “A flawless performance” in the film we just watched, Nolan was asked about his preference for physical effects over CGI. Ultimately Nolan’s preference is based on his belief that “On some level, the audience can always tell” when what they are seeing is not the real thing and essentially reminds them that they are watching a movie.
Boucher then asked Nolan about INCEPTION. “I wanted to make a film about dreams, really since I was a kid.” It wasn’t until about a decade ago, however, that Nolan settled on the idea of a heist film. He was ready to pitch the idea after INSOMNIA and then it took him almost ten years to write it. Yeah, he was a little busy with other projects this decade.
When reminded that INCEPTION features a cast of six Oscar Nominees, Nolan laughed as he said, “I haven’t noticed.” Nolan certainly noticed the film’s star, Leonardo DiCaprio and credits the actor for providing the emotional connection to the material that Nolan felt was lacking initially.
The discussion then turned to Batman. Boucher had Nolan elaborate on why the “Interrogation Scene” is still his favorite scene from THE DARK KNIGHT. Nolan felt that he was able to shoot the scene exactly as he wanted to on a technical level, from the set design to lighting the new Batsuit. Shot early on in principal photography to “break the ice,” Nolan views the scene as the audience’s first chance to see “how driven by rage” Batman really is.
Nolan actually returned to the building in London where the scene was filmed for some shooting on INCEPTION. Boucher asked if that experience was emotional, given the tragic passing of Heath Ledger. “In a way, but very positive memories,” Nolan replied.
Boucher brought up that Nolan’s films usually feature haunted individuals, which is a category that Boucher noted Superman would not quite fall in. After emphasizing that his role in the new Superman project is as a producer and not a director, Nolan shared the story of how David Goyer inspired Nolan’s involvement in the rebooted Superman franchise while they were stuck on ideas for the third Batman film.
In running down the cast of his Batman franchise, Nolan mentioned that Michael Caine “Claims to be my lucky charm. Once somebody’s said that to you, what are you gonna do,” jokingly referring to Caine’s frequent appearances in the director’s films ever since BEGINS.
In discussing Superman, Nolan actually transitioned to the subject of BATMAN BEGINS. “I wanted to make the Batman film that hadn’t been made in 1978.” Nolan liked the emphasis of on an extraordinary hero in an ordinary world and he considers BEGINS to be his version of the “Dick Donner Batman.”
Christian Bale was “…the first person I met for the role [of Batman/Bruce Wayne],” but then Nolan screen tested every young actor in town. “Christian gave an absolutely standout performance.”
Speaking of casting, Boucher jokingly asked Nolan about the casting of Cher as Catwoman for BATMAN 3. Boucher wondered what Nolan thought of all the internet rumors swirling around his Batman films. “Honestly, I don’t really look at the internet.” Nolan acknowledged the deep love that fans have for these characters, but also noted that all a director can really offer fans is what the director feels is the best film he or she can make.
There wasn’t a ton of time for questions from the audience, but famed comic book writer Ed Brubaker -- who came as a fan -- asked Nolan about his writing process. Nolan believes being a director, as well as a writer, gives him an advantage because he can make editing choices in his head while writing. He will sometimes outline the structure of his scripts, but not really the story. Nolan prefers to start on the first page and let the ideas flow, especially when the narrative is non-linear. He cited the example of The Joker’s multiple origin stories in THE DARK KNIGHT for which Nolan would begin by writing three or four pages worth of content before narrowing down, or editing those ideas to the final form we saw in the film.
One member of the audience significantly less famous than Brubaker asked if TDK’s success took Nolan by surprise. “It very much took us by surprise.” Nolan expected TDK to exceed the performance of BEGINS since that film, as Nolan pointed out, suffered from a “suspicion of the franchise.” Nolan figured TDK would benefit from BEGINS winning back the trust of audiences, but not quite to the extent that it actually did.
The next topic was 3D. “I’m not really a huge fan of 3D, really.” Nolan feels that the term 2D is a little misleading. Nolan cited what he believed to be “enormous compromises” when shooting in 3D, as well as problems with the viewing experience. “I find the dimness of the image extremely alienating”. With all that said, Nolan made sure to emphasize that “It’s gonna be up to audiences to decide” whether or not 3D is what they want.
Geoff Boucher wrapped up the Q&A and with that, Nolan was whisked out of the back exit, flanked by security. While the average man or woman on Hollywood Blvd. would not have recognized him, Nolan may as well have been Elvis for the hundreds of fans in that theater. Nolan had left the building.
With Nolan gone, there was only one thing left to do, watch THE DARK KNIGHT. It can’t be emphasized enough just how awesome it was to watch TDK in a packed theater again. This was the first time I’d seen the film in a theater since the IMAX re-release in January 2009 and the first opportunity to watch the film alongside a packed house of true fans in almost two years. I was captivated by the film, just as I had been in each of my previous viewings. It was the perfect way cap off an amazing day for all the Nolan and Batman fans lucky enough to be there.
