The movie that “rocked” Christian Bale to his core: “I hate the pretentiousness of that”
A quick glance at the filmography of Christian Bale reveals just how much impact he’s had on the world of cinema.
From early success with American Psycho to reintroducing Batman to a whole new generation of fans to his current status as a go-to leading man, the Welshman is a moviegoer’s dream, though, interestingly enough, he doesn’t consider himself a proper cinephile.
Speaking to Esquire, Bale spoke about his dislike for a certain genre, such as musicals or romantic comedies. This led to a discussion about Bringing Up Baby, which he admitted he hadn’t seen, and he followed this up by revealing a bunch of other ‘classics’ that weren’t on his radar, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s or The Philadelphia Story.
To try and defend himself somewhat, the star then talked about some artsy films that he had actually seen, including Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God and David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. On the other end of the scale, he expressed a fondness for The Wild Bunch, Sam Peckinpah’s ultra-violent revisionist western. Then came the movie that confirmed his status as a wanky film lover.
“I remember being rocked by Naked when that came out,” he recalled, “I hate the pretentiousness of that, referencing a Mike Leigh movie, but it really did fascinate me for some reason.”
Naked was the 1993 film that really put British director Leigh on the map, which finds David Thewlis as Johnny, a pompous intellectual who flees Manchester after an affair goes wrong, but once in the capital, he discovers that the working-class existence he has romanticised in his head isn’t everything it cracked up to be. Moviegoers were shocked at Leigh’s apocalyptic portrayal of the country, which captures a state of pessimism that feels incredibly at odds with the Cool Britannia movement, which took off just a few years later.
Leigh is a figure who dominates a certain subsection where the films aim to shed light on the harsh reality of everyday life for so many people, especially in his native land. Much like his forerunner Ken Loach, he doesn’t shy away from the brutality of poverty, working-class cities, or the things people will do to survive under the cold sun of capitalism.
His characters are naturalistic and jagged, fuelled by an intense regime of rehearsal and encouraged improvisation. He’s a seven-time Oscar nominee but, crucially, is a five-time nominee (and one-time winner) of the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, so it doesn’t come much more ‘pretentious’ than that.
While we all know people who wield their snooty cinema choices like a weapon, there’s nothing wrong with liking films that are a little off the beaten track. The word ‘pretentious’ is often used as a stick to beat movies that mainstream audiences either don’t understand or simply aren’t interested in. You can definitely go too far down this rabbit hole (if you’re thinking of buying a beret, it’s already too late) but appreciating quality filmmaking is no crime.
