The movie that brought Christopher Nolan closer to his father: “A very special experience”
The power and impact of movie-making extends far beyond cinema screens and popcorn machines. Films can bring people together, whether it’s first dates that take place at the local movie theatre, crowds of MCU devotees gathering at midnight screenings, or families settling into the sofa for their weekly film night. Movies can become attached to special memories or moments with people you love, and this is something that Christopher Nolan knows all too well.
Before Nolan became a filmmaker, he was a film fan. He grew up on sci-fi classics like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, a movie he proclaims to have seen dozens of times, and that has clearly influenced his own approach to movie-making. He consistently focuses on scale and spectacle in his work, as well as pushing blockbusters to tackle more complex themes.
In Nolan’s journey from a sci-fi-loving kid to one of the greatest directors of his generation, he has provided cinema-goers with many of their own formative film experiences. He brought together Batman fans with his take on the brooding superhero, has encouraged viewers to bond with older family members with his more historic offerings, and caused a collective cultural phenomenon last year with Oppenheimer.
Countless friends and family members have come together in front of a cinema screen or on the sofa to watch one of Nolan’s projects, as each new ambitious offering brings people together to celebrate cinema and make memories. For Nolan, though, the director who provided him with this same bonding experience was David Lean with Lawrence of Arabia.
During an interview with Kevin McCarthy, Nolan acknowledged his father’s love for the adventure film, describing him as a “huge fan”. When the film received a restored director’s cut in 1989, it provided the perfect opportunity for Nolan to feel closer to his father. The pair took a trip to the cinema in Chicago so that Nolan could understand his love for the film on 70mm.
“I got to sort of have the experience that he had had as a young man watching it,” Nolan explained, describing it as a “very special experience.” It’s a bonding moment that many of us can relate to, when you reach the age that your parents first fell in love with their favourite film and you can finally see and appreciate it through their eyes.
“I think movies can do that,” Nolan concluded, “They can bring people together in the most extraordinary ways.”
His work certainly stands as an example of this. Even beyond his filmmaking, his restoration and preservation work has ensured that film’s power is maintained. In fact, he even restored 2001: A Space Odyssey back in 2018.
Watching films can be a truly collective experience that brings us closer to the people we love. There are few things as caring or intimate as making the effort to watch a relative or friend’s favourite film or letting them know that movie they loved as a kid is showing in theatres again. Cinema-going isn’t just sitting in a dark room alone; it’s a communal experience like a gig or theatre.
As Nolan continues to solidify his place as one of the most exciting directors in contemporary cinema, and one of the leading figures in film restoration and preservation, he seems set to provide those experiences to more and more viewers.
