As the debate rages on over the merits of Christopher Nolan‘s latest feature, Interstellar, for my money, his most accomplished work remains his sophomore film, Memento. Premiering at Venice International Film Festival in 2000, it found some trouble heading into theaters, but finally arrived the following spring, where it exceeded box-office expectations and launched the career of the director.
Today we have a look at the making of the film, thanks to a series of videos. First up is a 24-minute documentary which features the cast and the director discussing the production of the film, including being inspired by Double Indemnity by achieving a sense of realism in the design. One of the more interesting aspects is how Nolan’s voice actually appears in the film, as well as visual comparisons when it comes to the editing.
Next we have a pair of conversations with the helmer as he discusses the subjective vs. objective story threads in the film (even going as far as laying out the structure on a chalkboard), how Nolan perceives memory and relating to the lead character, why he cast Guy Pearce as the lead, and more. There’s also a brief interview during the premiere, and lastly, Jonathan Nolan reads his short story the film is based on, “Memento Mori.” Amounting to over an hour, it’s a fascinating peek inside Nolan’s break-out. Check out everything below, some of which is also available on the Blu-ray in higher quality.
Where does Memento rank among your favorite Nolan films?