The Emma Stone movie Christopher Nolan called “extraordinary”
Sometimes, a film leaves you feeling so inspired, so in awe, and so moved that all you can think about is seeing it again. Suddenly, you’re consumed by the thought of a rewatch, moving around social plans and appointments just to find time to return to the plush seats of your local cinema and relive the experience. Maybe that’s a little over-dramatic, but certain films are so compelling that they demand multiple rewatches. For Christopher Nolan, this experience occurred with a particularly unexpected picture.
Nolan’s filmmaking exists within a distinct realm. Though his subject matter varies—ranging from bat-winged superheroes to narratives drawn from real-life history—certain elements remain consistent throughout his catalogue. Big budgets, complex themes, and ambitious visuals achieved through practical effects are hallmarks of his work. However, one genre you won’t find in his filmography is a musical.
It’s difficult to imagine the director ever delving into the world of show tunes and jazz hands. His work exists in a completely different realm tonally. But Nolan seems to be a little more open-minded when it comes to his watching habits. The director was left in awe after he watched La La Land, Damien Chazelle’s all-singing, all-dancing, six-time Academy Award-winning take on the genre starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
La La Land wasn’t necessarily your average movie musical. It was a love letter to Los Angeles, to the old Hollywood movies that the city spawned. It was a tale of two dreamers, each trying to make their relationship work alongside their obsession with their craft. It was a discussion of mistimed love and mismatched dreams. Even if the musical element was removed, it presented an intriguing and moving love story at its centre.
However, this was only bolstered by each artistic choice that Chazelle made. The cinematography was gorgeously deliberate, using colour and camera movement to enhance both character and story. The casting was perfectly executed, with Stone and Gosling entirely embodying their love for their arts and for one another, and the musical sequences were just as well placed and performed.
From the opening scene, which sees hundreds of brightly dressed Californians taking to their car roofs in song, to the devastating final sequence, which charts what could have been with Seb and Mia, the musical element of the film is never clichéd or corny. It’s intentional and intimate, serving the story at every possible opportunity.
When the film was released in 2016, it endeared itself to countless viewers across the world, one of whom was Nolan. In a quote recalled in The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan, the director described it as an “extraordinary film”, admitting that he had seen it three or four times despite his usual apathy towards musicals.
Nolan certainly isn’t the only person who enjoyed La La Land in spite of his musical hatred. The film converted the masses and even took home a plethora of Academy Awards. Chazelle’s delicate approach to the genre, using musical moments to enhance spectacular visuals and an already intriguing story, won over even the most resistant musical haters.
Almost a decade later, La La Land still stands up as one of the most gorgeous entries not only into the modern musical genre but into modern cinema more widely. It’s well worth another rewatch.
