Over the past 21 years, Christopher Nolan has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most radical and cerebral directors. Whether it’s the nonlinear story of “Memento” or the dream-in-a-dream plot of “Inception,” the gritty realism of the “Dark Knight” trilogy or the historical sweep of “Dunkirk” or the scientific study of “Oppenheimer,” Nolan has never shown more than a staggering talent for handling complicated themes with technical skill and emotional power. His movies are often well complexed, thought-provoking, and encourage viewers to think long after the credits have finished rolling. Despite his numerous success behind the camera and his brazen narrative style, however, there’s one genre that still scares the blue-ay.But, despite all his successes and his courageous style, the one genre that still frightens the blue-ay is the romantic comedy, and the renowned director admits it.
In a poignant conversation on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” the 55-year-old filmmaker shared some of his fears about the rom-com genre and came across as much more vulnerable than a film director of his stature is known to be. Nolan admitted that he does like to see romantic comedies as a spectator, but if he were to direct one, he would have a special kind of fear of them that he didn’t have with other films. Fallon was taken aback by the confession on the air, as was Nolan, when he replied, “I think doing a rom-com would be really hard. Well, I love watching those movies, but, no, I think, comedy, like, people who direct comedy, people who do comedy, I think, that’s one of the hardest things in the world to make people laugh that way.
The significance of Nolan’s confession lies in the manner of his career. Here’s a director who’s designed some of the most elaborate set pieces in modern cinema, shot with IMAX cameras in the vastness of space in “Interstellar” and the claustrophobic tension of wartime beaches, and has always been pushing the limits of what’s technically possible in cinema. But the idea of making viewers laugh at his bidding, creating natural romance and comedic timing that doesn’t come across as contrived or orchestrated is a challenge even this film wizard cannot overcome.
Nolan was very forthright in discussing his arrest, noting that comedy, in his opinion, required a certain degree of risk that “other forms of art don’t necessarily require to the same extent. Specifically the peril they run, he added. “When you make a film…you know, if I show a film to people and maybe they don’t respond to bits of it, I’m like, ‘Ah, they don’t get it. Whatever.’ There’s no hiding behind that when you do comedy.” This is a fascinating insight into the essence of comedy as an directing project. In drama or action or science fiction, directors can sometimes get away with some aspects of the movie being off-center and still draw an audience in with the atmosphere or the movie’s complexity. A viewer may enjoy the magnificent visuals of a Nolan movie even if he doesn’t agree with all the twists in the plot, and a viewer may respect the acting even if he doesn’t understand all the themes. There is no such safety net with comedy. If the punch line doesn’t hit the mark, the moment of silence in the theatre is not one that passes or can be interpreted, it is a moment of silence.
The romantic comedy subgenre is even more niche. It demands a comedic timing as well as emotional engagement with the characters and their interactions. The best rom-coms leave you and your audience to feel that romance is possible and at the same time to laugh at the weirdness of people. It’s a fine balance that many films try, but few can do it well and effectively. The genre calls for a lightness that is almost the opposite of Nolan’s reputation for his dense and intellectually stimulating films. His movies tend to be cerebral, challenging and demanding and may not immediately evoke the easy charm and natural wit of the most popular romantic comedies.
Nolan’s admission has something to it that’s humanizing, too. In his career, he has earned a reputation as a serious artist and uncompromising vision, a filmmaker who takes his work seriously like a scholar and who assumes the role of an innovator. He is saying here that there is something he finds challenging, something he is not at ease with, even though he has been working for decades with such success, and despite his many accomplishments.Even the most successful artists experience self doubt and realize their limitations, and he is saying that. It’s an intimate display from a filmmaker who frequently struts around as if he knows his stuff.
Intriguingly, Nolan’s admission was in the same interview during which he also revealed a more standard backstory of his current film “The Odyssey”, which has been roaring at the worldwide box office. The director remembered a time when he was almost afraid to lose the raw footage of the epic production – a nightmare situation for any filmmaker, but especially for one using IMAX film stock. The incident took place during the airport’s customs inspection, where the agents opened up the large IMAX format canisters with the possibility of direct lighting on the film. Film stock is very sensitive to light and the environment, and the opened cartons could be damaged in an uncontrolled environment. It was an event that could have ended the whole show but Nolan described it with the exactitude that forms part of his public persona – a far cry from what he said about his anxiety at the thought of directing comedy.
