Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” has been making considerable waves in the industry in recent months, not only because the story is based on a lesser known historical event during WWII but also because of Nolan’s dedication to the traditional, theatrical movie going experience. With its strong imagery as well as a mind-bending soundtrack courtesy of the legendary Hans Zimmer, Dunkirk presents itself and a true theatrical experience: fully immersive and captivating. After having accomplished something so special with the release of Dunkirk today, one can easily understand why Nolan is so committed to larger-than-life filmmaking.
Nolan accomplishes what few directors can: maintaining visceral realism, but also creating an almost seemingly out-of-body experience, without the use of CGI (read our review). This presentation at the Film Society of Lincoln Center was captured using mostly IMAX cameras and the film itself was not digitally treated which is rare by today’s standards. This manner of filming helped to usher in a palpable experience for the entire audience, who sat in utter and complete silence for the entire presentation.
The film is a journey into World War II and it would be in anyone’s best interest to see it in IMAX. We had the pleasure and rare opportunity to see the film in 70mm and it is an extraordinary sight to behold. With a robust cast from the very well-known to the decidedly unknown, Nolan managed to make the audience feel like they were inside the cockpit of the fighter planes, on the beach waiting to die, and in the boats desperately trying to save thousands of soldiers from the coming onslaught.
After having seen “Dunkirk” in 70mm on an IMAX screen, I can’t imagine not seeing this film in the theater — it’s an experience and one that should be had by all. Christopher Nolan took some time to discuss the film with the deputy director of the New York Film Society, Eugene Hernandez, and when asked about his love of large-scale filmmaking, he noted “Cinema is about all different forms of entertainment and the experience, the subjective visceral event that you don’t want to go experience in real life but that you can get some sense of, that’s a very important part of what large scale filmmaking can do.”
Time is a huge element of the film as the picture overlaps three different stories working contemporaneously. “The script was written to certain musical principles to do with approaches to music that can give you a sense of continuous momentum, rising pitch. It’s called the Shepard tone which is… an audio illusion of continuing rising pitch” he explained. “I wanted to write a script that obeyed those principles so you braid together the three stories and you’re continually rising in anxiety.”
It’s a fascinating chat and you can hear more from Nolan on the challenges and rewards of filming in IMAX as well as his magical abilities to stop time, right here.
Update: you can watch the entire thing below.