Description
Book SynopsisChristopher Nolan is the writer and director of Hollywood blockbusters like
The Dark Knight and
The Dark Knight Rises, and also of arthouse films like
Memento and
Inception. Underlying his staggering commercial success however, is a darker sensibility that questions the veracity of human knowledge, the allure of appearance over reality and the latent disorder in contemporary society. This appreciation of the sinister owes a huge debt to philosophy and especially modern thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud and Jacques Derrida. Taking a thematic approach to Nolan's oeuvre, Robbie Goh examines how the director's postmodern inclinations manifest themselves in non-linearity, causal agnosticism, the threat of social anarchy and the frequent use of the
mise en abyme, while running counter to these are narratives of heroism, moral responsibility and the dignity of human choice. For Goh, Nolan is a reluctant postmodernist'. His films reflect the c
Trade ReviewA magisterial sweep over a multifold canvas. At once
auteur, social critic, genie, and moralist, Goh’s Nolan is a layered and evolving medium for our times. From the restless
noir of the earliest works, to the historical gravitas of the most recent, Goh’s survey penetrates intricacies and opens new perceptions. A must-read study on a crucial
oeuvre for critics, students, filmmakers and fans alike. * Lauren M.E. Goodlad, Professor of English, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA *
With deft handling of Christopher Nolan’s diverse oeuvre, Robbie Goh puts forward a strong argument for the philosophical depths of films such as
Inception,
Dunkirk, and
The Dark Knight. Taking readers through Nolan’s audio-visual medium, Goh interrogates the place of the individual in a decaying social structure, questions the production of truth, and finds reasons for hope. * S. Brent Plate, author of "Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-Creation of the World" *
Table of Contents1. Christopher Nolan as Philosophical Filmmaker: Themes and Influences 2. Postmodernism and Cynicism 3. The Moral Turn: Against Postmodernism 4. Nolan’s Heroes as Philosophers 5. Film Narrative and/as Philosophy
