The director's WWII film returns to theaters as awards season heats up in Hollywood; "The Today Show" co-host Matt Lauer was fired amid allegations of sexual misconduct; the group Women in Film is launching a hotline to support victims of harassment.
Christopher Nolan didn't want 'Dunkirk' to compete with 'Saving Private Ryan'
It may be hard to believe, but director Christopher Nolan has never been nominated for an Academy Award.
Could that change this year with his World War II film, "Dunkirk"? Only time will tell, but there’s no question that "Dunkirk" is a feat of filmmaking. And it’s coming back to theaters on Dec. 1.
The movie is based on the true story of the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940, when hundreds of thousands of British, Belgian and French soldiers were surrounded on an open beach by the German Army. A flotilla of small private boats crossing the English Channel managed to get most of them home safely.
Telling a true story was a first for Nolan, who’s known for fictional films like "The Dark Knight," "Interstellar" and "Inception."
Though "Dunkirk" is a war movie, we never see the battle from the German point of view, and the story never gets into any of the soldiers’ backstories.
The result is a truly immersive and immediate experience, especially if you see it as the director intended, in 70 millimeter IMAX.
Nolan recently stopped by The Frame to talk about the making of "Dunkirk."
Interview Highlights:
On telling the story and building suspense without any exposition:
The geography of the story is incredibly simple: You've got 400,000 men on one beach, they're trying to get home across a body of water, 26 miles, the enemy's closing in on all sides. So you have that advantage that you're dealing with a very, very simple situation that's very paradoxical. I think that movies, particularly suspense films, they're very very good about dealing with paradox, about seeing this impossible situation, putting a ticking clock on it, and wondering how are the protagonists going to get out of this situation. Or indeed are they?
On studying "Saving Private Ryan":
When I looked at "Saving Private Ryan," which Steven Spielberg very generously lent me his own print of, we all watched this film to see where we were going to exist in relationship to it, in a way. That's a film that has lost none of its savage power, it's truly an unsettling experience to sit through. What I realized is, firstly, I didn't want to compete with that because it's frankly too good, but also it's a different kind of suspense. That's horror. We needed the language of suspense, and that's a language whereby you can't take your eyes off the screen.
On avoiding war movie tropes:
It was a plan to really only show the audience the things the characters could know and experience. We were very, very rigid in that. We were so rigid that when we came to plan the aerial sequences, and I was talking about the aerial unit about the different camera mounts, they then said, OK, what camera mounts do you want on the German planes? I said I [didn't] want any, and they said we should do some just in case. And I said I [wanted] to see this only from the point of view of the British pilot in the spitfire. If you build these camera mounts, we'll use them and we'll get great shots and I'll be tempted to use them. I'd rather not have the option.
On using the sounds of ticking clocks to build suspense:
It was a very early part of where I wanted to go creatively. In fact, the very first teaser trailer that came out when we just started shooting is based on this recording that I made of a watch that I have that has this very persistent ticking. I asked [composer] Hans [Zimmer] to start building tracks from it. That double-time ticking is such an insistent sound, but it really was a balancing act over months of, How much is too much? How much is too irritating? So you're trying to pitch these sounds just on the level of consciousness ... one way that we did that was by having [sound editor] Richard [King] give the music department his engine tracks for the boats, so that they could be put into exact rhythm with the music and with this ticking clock ... Everything is in sync. It's the furthest we've gone with the tight synchronization or the inextricable linking of sound, music and picture ... that's one of the reasons why the film is short. I sort of realized that it would be exhausting for an audience to maintain for too long.
This is just a partial transcript of the conversation. Click the play button at the top left to hear the whole interview!
Women in Film announces new help line to combat sexual harassment in Hollywood
With the news that NBC has fired Matt Lauer, citing "inappropriate sexual behavior," Variety now reports a detailed account in which multiple women shared their experiences of being harassed by the former "Today Show" co-host.
Lauer joins the long list of men who have been accused of sexual harassment, abuse or misconduct in recent months. On the same day that the Lauer story broke, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) severed ties with Garrison Keillor – the creator and former host of "A Prairie Home Companion"– after accusations of sexual misconduct. His company owns the rights to the name of that show, which is now hosted by Chris Thile. MPR plans to rename the show.
The question remains: What can be done to shut down this behavior as it happens?
The organization Women in Film is offering an answer. On Dec. 1, the non-profit group, which works to bring gender equality to the entertainment business, will launch a telephone help line to provide legal aid, counseling and advice to people experiencing sexual harassment.
This is the statement from Women in Film on the creation of the help line, which was financed by the talent agency William Morris/Endeavor (WME):
Since early October, the world’s attention has been focused on the unfolding story of countless allegations of sexual harassment against many powerful men in the entertainment industry. In response, Women In Film is launching a Sexual Harassment Help Line — an integrated program to refer victims of harassment to designated mental health counselors, law enforcement professionals, and civil and criminal lawyers and litigators."
Anyone, regardless of gender, can access the Sexual Harassment Help Line at 323.545.0333. The Help Line will go live beginning FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 at 10am PST. It will be open M-F from 10am-5pm.
WME generously provided seed funding for the Help Line.
The help line was one of the solutions discussed at a recent event in West Hollywood that included a panel with lawyers, actresses, and a casting director, moderated by Women in Film president Cathy Schulman.