Christopher Nolan vs. Interstellar - The Nolan Crosscut
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ส.ค. 2020
- Access our new video series on Nebula and get 26% off an annual plan of CuriosityStream: www.curiositystream.com/LFTS
This video examines one of Christopher Nolan's trademark techniques-the crosscut-by dissecting The Dark Knight, Inception, and Interstellar.
Support this channel at: / lftscreenplay
Like LFTS on Facebook: / lessonsfromthescreenplay
Follow me at: / michaeltuckerla
LFTS Merch: standard.tv/collections/lfts
Video Produced by: Michael Tucker ( / michaeltuckerla )
Written by:
- Tricia Aurand ( / triciajeana )
- Brian Bitner ( / brianbitner )
- Alex Calleros ( / alex_calleros )
- Michael Tucker
Edited by: Alex Calleros
Become a channel member here on TH-cam: / @lessonsfromthescreenplay
Check out my kit, from screenwriting books to gear: kit.co/LFTS/screenwriting-books
LFTS Recommended Reading List: www.lessonsfromthescreenplay....
Thanks to Diego Rojas for composing original music for this video. Check out more of his work: / diegorojasguitar
TwinSmart's Marxist Arrow is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org/
With the company Twin musicom licensed under the Creative Commons license Attribution (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org/ - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Alright, let's hear it: What is your favorite Christopher Nolan Film?
Interstellar
The Dark Knight
Memento
TDK.
inception
I like how every Nolan film has these crosscutting sequences, but Dunkirk IS a crosscutting sequence. 24/7 drama.
Memento also is!
That's very true, though I I don't think we meet all the layers of Dunkirk at the same time, I'd have to rewatch but I'd guess that the real crosscutting begins in act 2 after you're introduced to all of the players.
True
Literally 1/24/7 :-D
(one hour/day/week)
Dunkirk was kind of tiring to watch, even the second time
That TENET homage at the end when you say "next Nolan crosscut" and the van comes back up inverted in time... Well done! 👏
I didn't notice that lol
That's actually a homage of Memento itself whose entire intro is a reversed shot
@@omarvasquez6607 The intro of Memento is reversed in the movie.
@@hollowludens5861 Memento is backwards throughout.
God the music from interstellar. I can't hear it without feeling emotions well up
Hans Zimmer’s best score
@Adithya Nair I cry my ass out everytime x) There is nothing I can do about it
@@evan3155 He should have win the oscar that year, but at least he has another for Dune
i think there is a specific dramatic question to Interstellar’s crosscutting: will selfishness prevail over love? Tom puts his family in danger out of stubbornness as a protest to the way his father left them. he’s being selfish and petty because of his trauma. on an obvious larger scale, but nonetheless treated with the same importance (which is the point of the film), Mann puts the crew and Humanity’s survival at risk, as his isolation has driven him to desperation to go back to earth. i do agree that there’s a discrepancy in instant urgency, but i feel it thematically comes together anyway.
This. Well said
This. All of this. I will say, as someone who loves LFTS and film/screenplay analysis in general: the dramatic question is open to interpretation. If you interpret it as Leko Draws has done, it feels right. If you interpret it as Michael/LFTS does, it feels wrong. So who is right, and who is wrong? It's a matter of opinion. And too often the tone of video essays conveys theory as proof, opinion as fact. There is something to be said for a director repeating themselves in terms of screenplay structure. Interstellar dares to break from the mold, at the risk of being a bit messy and unclear. But for me, it works, and for willing to be different from the cookie cutter of The Dark Knight and Inception, I applaud it.
Spaceship exactly. i appreciate essays from people who know much more than me about the “theory” of the thing, but in the end it is art, and it’s totally subjective. everyone has different standards and sensibilities and we should have that in mind when we discuss the subject.
Thank for the saving this film student the time from explaining the different scales of drama
I caught that the brother and Matt Damon are both mirrored in this sequence; but the Earth side is still too low-stakes. Murph can just break into the room literally any time. If the brother was gonna’ tear down the house and shit on the watch, it’d be one thing; but paradoxically the brother’s made it clear he wants everything to remain as it is. The room is actually safer WITH the brother than if the house was abandoned and left to decay. Murph was in such a damn hurry because extra drama, when the movie really didn’t need it.
My suggestion: Matt and Matthew are up talking about hope for the exoplanet - Murph sees coughing people and decides to go back to the house - it seems like the bro’s gonna’ be an asshole but Murph and him have a shouting match but the bro finally caves and the two actually have a sentimental moment of reconnection; Cooper’s family is together again and is willing to figure something out - Hathaway smiles at TARS, signifying that humanity is going to be ok - Matt betrays Matthew; plot twist! humanity is screwed! Murph and her bro’s reunion is futile, they’re all doomed no matter what happens get rekt - entire space-chase with Matt vs Matthew at el. getting all Gravity up in here progresses normally but without the Murph interruptions - movie gets every oscar.
LFTS: ~extremely valid criticism against Interstellar~
me: I pretend I do not see
haha. Only for one sequence of the film! I love a lot of that movie. -Michael
@@LessonsfromtheScreenplay nothing but love
But how was it valid, though ... he's not correct.
@@LessonsfromtheScreenplay The No Time for Caution scene (when Cooper tries docking right after Mann‘s death) is one of my favourite movie moments of all time.
It was this reason that a few felt the movie to be a bit slow & a bit unengaging at certain. Glad it has pointed very well.
"surprise matt damon"
The Best kind of Matt Damon
I was really surprised first time I watched it. Like, I never heard/read he'd be in the movie.
Easily one of the consistently best screenwriting channels on TH-cam. Well done once again.
Thank you!
god this channel makes me really miss Every Frame a Painting, and i mean that with the highest praise to lessons from the screenplay
@@SuperMastermindx both channel names even have the same number of syllables. They sound like long-lost brothers.
It's great to see someone knowledgeable give insight on how even the greatest filmmakers can still stumble at their highest points. Very inspiring for newcomers who might otherwise feel an unfair amount of burden to produce something perfect or incredible. Love your videos.
I agree about the unfair amount of burden! No one can be perfect, and the best way to improve is to try, learn, and try again. Hopefully these analyses can help with the learning part.
Interstellar is still one of my favorite Nolan films. It’s phenomenal.
Ehhhh no. Stumble... in his opinion. Not actually.
@@RevJ7 Well, whose opinion would you expect it to be? It's not as if what works in storytelling can be codified as fact, as some things work for some people but not for others.
A stumble? I didn’t see it as a stumble.
It’s a different film. Not every single one of Nolan’s works follow the EXACT same plan. Of course there are similarities but I think it’s absurd to try to compare three of his masterpieces and wonder why 3 wasn’t IDENTICAL to 1 and 2.
Because they’re not meant to be?
I felt just as much emotion, anxiety, edge of my seat during the entire final hour of Interstellar as I did the other two.
I don’t see a stumble. It’s just not made from the same cookie cutter he used in the other film; what’s the problem?
I think the urgency for Murph is less immediate than for Coop, but it’s not any less strong. For her she’s exploring her last resource, while fighting her brother, while people die, after her mentor has died, and when humanity’s time left on earth can be measured in months
Agreed. The problem is that both threads are relatively... independent. They are not entirely part of the same narrative thread. Murph's search for "an aswer" is secondary, her primary urgency is to get her nephew and sister-in-law out of their home. It's once they get them out that she gets that "feeling" to look on her bedroom.
Frankly, I don't think you should compare Interstellar and Inception. They are very different movies.
This was so brilliant... I hadn't thought of crosscuts like this..
Me too!!
As an aspiring editor, I am constantly amazed how Nolan executes these cross cuts between 3 stories. The use of music, editing and rising tension make these sequences on of the best in cinema and my absolute favorites. What a guy.
Inception coming out so soon after TDK may partially explain why the techniques match up so well and are so similar. But yea. That dream heist is probably the most thrilling sequence Nolan has ever done. Hard to compare anything to it at the end of the day.
I think it helps that it's literally a heist film, as Nolan has said that was his primary goal with Inception.
It's difficult to compare a superhero movie and a time/space drama in terms of stakes, because heist films will always do it better.
soo true. The sense of urgency in the earth plot is slightly forced by using the same background music, which btw works for some extent!
Always been bored by Hans Zimmer's work in Nolan's movies. Very much the same. But all suspense AAA movie music is the same anyway.
Haha the Hanz Zimmer cheat code
I agree that the equality of urgency is not comparable between Inception and Interstellar, but I think part of that is down to the fact that Inception is a film driven mainly by its plot, whereas Interstellar is driven very heavily by its main character. In Inception, equality of urgency is necessary for us to maintain interest in each subplot, so they all have the same weight; while the Interstellar crosscut has urgency instilled in it because of Cooper’s connection to Murph. The whole movie is about Coop’s desperation to get back to his daughter, and ultimately her working out the gravity equation is the string that guides Cooper back through the labyrinth, so we’re invested because he is. Sort of like how the end of Infinity War was upsetting not because we thought those characters weren’t coming back, but because of how we knew it affected the characters that remained who believed their loved ones were truly gone.
The focus on character (and the score) is why Interstellar remains my personal favourite, but if people prefer the plot driven narrative of Inception I totally get that too.
Agreed, when Hans Zimmer was asked to write the score for this movie, he was simply told that it was the story of a father and his relationship with his son (ended up being a daughter instead). Thus, the unified dramatic question in Interstellar is whether Cooper will see Murph again, and vice-versa. I think when you begin to think about Interstellar with that lens (like Ben mentions), then a lot more of these objectives of crosscutting are fulfilled. At the end of the day, I think Interstellar is just a more thematically complex movie (or at least it's difficult to immediately identify its central themes) than Inception, the Dark Knight, and Dunkirk. During initial viewings, it may seem like the urgency is about saving humanity, but the thesis of the movie is that love is more important than we know, that it is a tangible force (spiritual, biological, or otherwise) that is beyond our comprehension, and that the connections that bind us to each other will ultimately be the thing to save us from extinction. Murph's love for her father and her father's love for her are what save humanity, but the central question is that of their journeys back to each other.
Totally agree. I know that crosscut is a very distinctive trademark from Nolan and he’s quite good at it but to establish a set rules and call it “The Nolan Crosscut” is just adding constraints to different possibilities in film, narratively speaking. If there’s a medium where there’s a lot of room for plasticity in the storytelling is cinema, and first we need to identify what kind of film we’re analyzing instead of fitting a set of rules designed by yourself; which is exactly the opposite of what you have to do.
Exactly
Ultimately, all of Nolan's films are different and that's a good thing. Not all of them need to be Inception or Dunkirk to be good.
I disagree with the equality of urgency bit.
Here's why: IRL we do a lot of stuff that is full of tension but the physical act may not portray the tension (eg: standing outside a building on the lookout for someone dangerous) but it is equally as important (for eg: a car chase to catch bank robbers) as other adrenaline pumping jobs.
I feel like Nolan did justice to the movie by showing how important Murph's job was by using cross cutting.
I really like realism in movies and the stakes IRL are often not comprehensive to everyone, but those who get it, really do get it.
Plot twist: Christopher Nolan directed this episode of LFTS
You mean he pulled a temporal pincer on us?
I feel like the more emotional family drama nature of the interstellar crosscut scenes reflects the tone Nolan wanted for the movie well actually
Whenever you cut into Interstellar's background score with it's scene, it makes me fall in love with the movie all over again..
The docking sequence in Interstellar is not part of the cross-cut. The cross-cutting is limited to Cooper being prevented from leaving the planet by Dr Mann, while we see Murph being prevented from evacuating her brother's family from the house. I think there is some similarity in both characters' struggles at that moment. The difference in stakes however, I would argue, is part of the theme of Interstellar, which at its core is a family drama.
Just because the cross-cuts in The Dark Knight and Inception operate based on similar mechanics (that you have very clearly and coherently outlined), doesn't necessarily mean all Nolan films must do exactly the same.
Well said
Indeed - I get the impression that this video took an observation and then sought to explain that feeling, rather than questioning whether that feeling was necessarily correct in the first place.
So picking the evidence to fit your theory, rather than the other way around.
Exactly my point.
He’s saying the cross cuts are much more effective when the urgency between the cross cuts are equal which I completely agree with. When there’s one part of the story that is not convincingly urgent, it completely slows the momentum.
Hans Zimmer's piece of music is what brings Nolan's art alive.
agreed although I thought Ludwig Göransson did a good enough job as a replacement in tenet
@@AndreaslNetonthenet YES! Tenet's score was INCREDIBLE!!! Especially the road heist/JDW on the fire engine scene!!!
The dramatic question that holds the crosscut in interstellar together isn't "Will humanity be saved?" it's "will cooper return in time to see murph again?"
This is the stakes that the audience truly cares about. The internal and primary conflict of the movie. And this is the common thread between the two streams of the crosscut. Each one poses a threat to the goal of the main characters reuniting.
Exactly. Especially as this represents the family abandoning the house they lived at when the two characters were last together.
Well, cooper lost hope of seeing his daughter in the wave scene itself. He specifically states this in the film too. The dramatic question during crosscut scene therefore is what will cooper do to save humanity. But hey the crosscut scene worked perfectly fine with me. I enjoyed it full but the insight is always appreciated.
@@gauravtiwari7627 I don't think at this point he really has given up seeing Murph again, considering he wants to go back to earth when he learns that plan A was a scam, knowing that Murph is still alive !
@@gauravtiwari7627 Have you ever given up hope of seeing/having something you loved before... only to catch a second wind and choose to fight for it again? Whatever a character says about his feelings at that point in a story doesn't inform where they will be by the end.
Totally agree, the two examples he used had a glaring difference from Interstellar that it wasn't an equal comparison. Both sequences from TDR and Inception were of events happening concurrently.
In Interstellar we are operating relatively outside of time so the 'crosscutting' wasn't a matter of dramatic stakes in an immediate sense because the two events aren't concurrent --- the main stake and motivations were established and remained singular throughout the film (saving the world/keeping a father's promise) --- the crosscutting tension here is meant to exemplify ratcheting emotion, not urgency, but hopeless frustrations, new obstacles, and mounting setbacks.
As excited as I am to see Tenet and as much as I love his recent films, I hope Nolan goes back to doing smaller/more character driven films like The Prestige, which, imo, is his best work.
just saw Tenet this past weekend. Couldn't agree more! He's become too little self-indulgent it seems and man, I couldn't hear half of what the characters were saying..his worst film to date probably although it had its moments.
Nicolas Waldvogel wow really? Worse than Following? I really hope I don’t see it that way
@@toxic1strike167 well not from a production quality or acting level obviously. And the concept is fantastic, I love the world that Nolan builds in Tenet. As a narrative that doesn't work sadly, yes. I'll rewatch it maybe again to see if my opinion changes when grasping more of the details etc. but it was just not enjoyable either for me. And I'm a big Nolan buff!
Nicolas Waldvogel Well, I’m seeing it tonight, so I guess I’ll go in with lower expectations
Blonde guy dies
I don’t think Nolan is trying to live by a set standard for how he presents his movies. Just because it’s different from the others doesn’t mean it is ineffective. Take The Empire Strikes Back: when the climax of the film crosscuts between Han, Leia, Chewie, R2, 3PO being led into a trap and Luke stuck in training with Yoda on Dagobah, we feel the impatience that he feels when he knows his friends are in danger. This shows the method still works that way, but just to a bit of a lesser extent
Yes, but the point of that sequence in Empire is to make us feel Luke's impatience, the out-of-sync crosscut exploiting our innate sense of what a "proper", i.e., fully entrained, crosscut should be. It has a purpose, one that is in service to the full effect of the film. The example from Interstellar, here, has no such justification. All it achieves is to detract from the headlong momentum of the space-hijacking half of the sequence, and create an atmosphere of breathless suspense in the Earth half that the actual scene doesn't merit. I remember the first couple of times I watched Interstellar, I thought I was missing something crucial from the great muggy drifts of the film's exposition--why was everything on earth happening so urgently? But it's just a kind of halo effect from the urgency of the space sequence it is (mis)matched with. Patrick does a great job figuring out why it doesn't work.
Crosscut returns in the last chapter of Tenet lol
And Nolan stumbled. TBH it's not very effective..
I liked tenet
It's more effective than the crosscut in Interstellar
Yeah but this time you don’t get anything that happens
@@doncorleole2356 Are you serious?
Actually disagree with your thoughts on this. While I do agree that the cross cut sequencing is more clear cut in both The Dark Knight & Inception, I think what Nolan did in Interstellar is still rather impressive. He meticulously wove both scenes together and allowed the cooper situation to give rise to the Murphy scene. Almost as if they both filled in the gaps of each other. Separately I don’t believe they would have impacted the same way as they did together. In it’s own way I believe it worked.
You have your fanboy goggles on. I love Nolan and Interstellar, but this has always been a glaring flaw in this movie. Michael did a wonderful job proving that.
AweRenj Gonna have to disagree, I believe the audience could tell from first watch that it’s pretty clear that both Cooper and Murphy are doing their best to save humanity in their own way.
AweRenj I thought that was the intention Nolan was trying to convey. Murphy states she has a feeling and throughout the scene we try to puzzle in the clue as to why there’s a connection and it’s brilliantly delivered when we realize it was her father reaching out to her.
Max Monas the only thing he proved is that interstellar is not edited or written the same way as the other two. He thinks they need to be equally urgent. They don’t.
To be honest, I loved the cross-cut in Interstellar the most, the music just gave me goosebumps.✌🏻
This topic, and the structure of your video, is mind-boggling in the best way possible. Good to see you back, Michael!
Can't wait to see what you have coming next.
Micahel (and co.) this is possibly your best video/argument/cinema lectures you've ever done. Phenomenal job. I love this channel and a video like this why. Keep it up!
These videos are such high quality, a lot of work must go into each of them.
You definitely have a point, but I personally rather preferred the staggered crosscut in Interstellar. It seems to me sort of like part of a musical work that is played in two different keys or time signatures simultaneously before returning to a more symmetrical configuration - granted, it's challenging, but also rewarding if you stick with it, and can be quite artistic. Admittedly, I had to watch Interstellar twice before I understood it, but I enjoyed it both times.
I completely agree with you. I love LFTS and its dissections, as I would never know these mechanisms in storytelling, but I don't think (in this video in particular) that checking boxes is always the goal of a film sequence or film. I can see why Michael's opinion and analysis is very accurate, but I don't know if that is a good marker of "good or bad" in every case. I love Interstellar much more than Inception or Dark Knight, and it is as you said: the artistic asymmetry or the staggering of information in Interstellar gives me a much more fulfilling experience than if it had been like the other two crosscuts.
i love that your a screenplay channel but you understand editing more than most film essay people. Loved this video
Thank you so much Michael. LFTS is truly one of my faverourite contents ever. You help me a lot with teaching in class. Greettings from Bolivia.
Literally finished my Christopher Nolan marathon yesterday, so this video is in perfect timing! Beautiful work as always. Much love and best of luck.
I am also doing a Nolan marathon before I go see Tenet on Saturday. I am on Inception right now (though I have seen all his movies before, of course).
Seth Price I see Tenet on Friday and the only one I hadn’t watched yet was Insomnia, so that was fresh to witness. Definitely my favorite part was watching the masterpieces that is The Dark Knight and Inception back to back, that is such a great experience.
Inception is a masterpiece that I can't wait to show my kids
The very reason to have kids is to show them Inception
Don't show it they won't understand anything for two days :)
Abhinav Banerjee TDK was his most solid movie in a standard way, but missed inception magic IMO. The entire movie feels like inception on your own mind. It’s really ambitious like most of Nolans movies, which means that he has a lot explain and a lot of holes to seal for the movie to not fall apart. Inception is best i’ve ever seen this executed in a movie period. It never falls short from start to finish, which makes the ending all the more weighted and intense. It’s ending matches if not surpasses the build up by far. Interstellar did slightly lack in that department in certain parts of the closing act, which really stopped the movies ending from hitting me like the other ones did. which after all gives the after taste.
Your video essays have taught me the finer points of storytelling, and although I’m not writing screenplays, they’ve helped me finish my first novel. Thank you!
I just want to say your content is amazing. I stumbled across it by accident a year ago as someone who didn't really think about movies outside of the post-theater trip discussions. But since then I keep finding your analysis and insight into how films have gripped me all these years has kept me coming back over and over. Not to mention the consistently awesome production quality. Keep it up and can't wait to see what you put out next!
Thank you so much!
Hi Michael, I have a question, so recently I was watching this one scene from toy story 4 and there was one scene that really intrigued me. It’s the scene where Woody and Bo beep finally meet after a long while. Upon first view, the thing that really sets the scene apart is how it handles tension. The context of the scene is that Woody and Bo beep haven’t seen each other in a long while and when the finally see each other again, there is this form of tension that manifests. However what interesting is the fact that they are frozen/emotionless because they are toys being played with. Because they can’t show any expressions, the tension is elevated even more. It’s a similar senario in one scene in pixar’s Coco, where Mama Emelda and Ernesto de la Cruz are performing on stage but what they’re really doing is struggling over a photo, but the fact that they can’t express that tension, just elevates it. My question is, what do you call this type of scenario?
I love the LFTS channel. I learn so much and find inspiration with every video. As a matter of fact, you gave me an idea on how I can add depth to the story of a short film I'm working on/shooting right now with this video. Thanks a zillion.
a whole other level of analysis, and that's why I love your channel. Great job, and great timing as I'm finding my third act isn't quite doing it. Cheers bro.
I feel like in the case of interstellar, you left out more context than you did with the other two movies batman and inception. When I watched interstellar, I viewed those intercut sequences as more of a juxtaposition to raise a deeper question: who is Cooper really fighting for? When cooper left earth, the relationship with his daughter was left in shambles. While on the surface his desire was to save humanity, the deeper desire was to save his daughter so he can return to the relationship they had. Meanwhile, her surface desire was to save humanity with the deeper hopes that her father would return to her. So what the dramatic question now becomes is, “can this father and daughter reconnect to the relationship they had” for me Murph’s urgency is equal to that of coopers for the fact that if he dies, he can’t return home and if she can’t break that code, he can’t come home. They both need to do these things now because her family’s health is a pressing issue as is the world’s, while his ability to stay alive is just as pressing. If neither thing happens, they don’t reconnect and the entire world dies.
I think the main issue is that while The Dark Knight's and Inception's sequences are both dramatic climaxes to the films, the Interstellar sequence arguably isn't the climax. Yes it is the moment where the most action happens, but the climax of the story is when Murph solves the equation. In order for the cross cutting to work in the same way, Dr Mann would have to be directly stopping Cooper from sending the message in some way, which obviously wouldn't work within the story. For me, Interstellar's main flaw is that it tries too hard to be an action movie like Nolan's previous work in moments like this where in reality the themes of both these situations are human beings putting their own selfishness over the greater good (in a small way with Tom and the kids, and in a bigger way with Mann taking the ship), rather than of imenant personal danger. I would be fascinated to hear Nolan's own take on this sequence and whether he was actually satisfied with it, because it comes across as though he was trying to do something with far more meaning than his chosen tools had allowed, and so I suspect he was always less than satisfied with it.
I'm sure he looked back and said he could've done better but haven't yet talked about it in public. To me, I thought I he took note of this in Interstellar because Dunkirk had none of these problems.
LOVED this video! I always felt something was off with the Intersteller sequence, but never gave it much thought nor tried to examine it and understand why. This was so eloquently put, thank you for it.
Brilliant analysis. The crosscut in this video about crosscuts was also solid. Thank you for making some of the best content around.
Thanks Richard! :)
Honestly, no one on earth would have thought that there’s no urgency in Murph’s scene. The sequence worked so good for me while watching the film. No complaints!
This has got to be my favorite channel on TH-cam, hands down. I don't usually comment on videos but the way I'm which you narrate your analysis while also visually showing your narration for us to understand what you're talking about is art in itself. I always look forward to your videos and I also listen to your podcasts. I love the variety of content that you explore. Just thought I'd let you know. One happy subscriber. :)
I'm gonna try writing a script using these lessons from you. Not only had I entertained myself watching these clips, but also taught me the beauties and dangers of writing a movie script. Thank you for the tips and breakdowns of screenwriting, Michael! ❤️
You are the only youtuber that tops your videos every single time!!
I have said that many videos here are your best ones. And you always top yourself.
Thanks so much for this!
Thank you so much 😀
Even though Murph's storyline in the 3rd act isn't very strong (especially the watch being the solution), the scene actually worked for me not because of the sense of urgency but because of the sense of uncertainty. It's like the feeling you need to catch a plane and someone is still looking for that piece of clothing that can't be found in the house. Still my favourite of Nolans films because of the aesthetic, music and emotional weight. Ok and a little because I like space movies.
summary from my lenghty post is this: TDK and inception are both a clear cut genre piece , that genre being action thriller and the crosscut of matching highstakes life or death sequences is a technique that plays well to making an ENTIRE piece feel cohesive as an action thriller piece. However, interstellar isnt an action thriller, so matching those two scenes like that would affect the overall cohesive soul of the movie. The entire thing would have to reshot and rewritten even, especially the first act. interstellar is an extremely carefully crafted mix of genres and genre souls that are really sorta opposites, its mix between a deeply moving emotional dramatic movie with an uplifting soul and a deep scifi thriller with a dark soul, thats really hard to pull off. it is probably one of the most audacious and complicated TECHNICAL mix of genres i'd ever seen a filmmaker pull off but like nolan does with anything complicated he simplifies it in such a way that u dont even realize how complicated it is. This movie is a masterclass in how to achieve cohesion while being extremely daring.
Great video! I will use this whenever I’m planning a cross-cutting sequence. I also have one extra thing that I apply to heighten tension: make the time spent on each section get shorter and shorter as the sequence builds in a crescendo of suspense. I love the channel and look forward to new videos 👍🏽
Michael, these are some of my favorite movies of all time. This is an amazing video you've made! Favorite channel on youtube!
Hopefully I’ll see the next great Nolan Crosscut in “Tenet” TONIGHT!
If you manage to keep up with the story and understand the plot well enough in the closing act, there is a really enjoyable and satisfying crosscut sequence. All though it might totally not feel this way if you lost track half way through the movie. The same applies to the conclusion which explains and wraps up the movie amazingly, but only if you caught on to the right things.
Thank you very much for your analysis on Nolan's films, as always, they are great. I think, based on what I've learned from this video, it is safe to say Tenet has an effective Nolan Crosscut. Keep up the good work, Michael!
Dude, I love your videos. I'm a movie fanatic and love watching you break them down. Keep it up!
Aaaah! Nice touch with reversing those final shots!
I usually like your takes but the most urgency I felt out of all Nolan movies was in Interstellar in that sequence, I guess everyone experiences things differently and it's perfectly fine.
CONSIDER this about why your argument in the video is kind of irrelevant...Interstellar's overall style (unlike Inception) is not ONLY about parallel storylines staying spatially connected. Interstellar is equally about GAPS in time that JUMP due to RELATIVITY. We are primed through the water planet sequence in which over 20 years evaporate in minutes. This makes the audience subconsciously aware of relativity at all times afterwards. There is still a slow and steady bending of the storylines towards one another until they meet at a common "AHA!" moment in the tesseract. The cross-cutting doesn't have to fulfill constant tension and stakes because at certain key points, not knowing what is going on back on earth creates MORE stakes. You are absolutely right that all cylinders aren't firing in the earth story, which makes Nolan's usual parallel tension feel off-game. But you also can't ignore that the sequence of docking & entering the black hole was designed as an unbroken time bubble so that we feel DISTANCED from earth again, so that we're unsure that there is enough relative time left to even complete the mission. Interstellar works. It doesn't work as an ultimate exercise in tension. It doesn't work to fit your narrow video thesis that all Nolan films create stakes the exact same way. Or that using parallel editing means that you have to use it all the time until the conversion point. Interstellar still excels at communicating the stakes, through relative time anxiety misdirect.
I honestly love this channel. You're doing great work.
Thank you very much!
This is the kind of content I love TH-cam for. Great stuff!
While I've always agreed with you Michael, it seems you are giving technicalities more weight than human emotions. Yes, there is no, technically, a unifying urgency in both the sequences. But the urgency lies in the emotions it wants to convey. The docking sequence is a literal act of saving humanity's future. While Murph's sequence is about saving her brother's family. Although the urgencies have different weights, the unifying theme is that both Murph and Cooper will do anything to save people, be it an entire generation or a handful of them. Both the sequences also have Mann and Murph's brother Tom: two men too adamant on listening to reason and this is another powerful unifying subtext. This is again followed by the sequence of the black hole where Cooper has to go in to "find something which he does not know anything about". Parallely, Murph is also turning her room upside down to "find something which she does not know know anything about". So why are the characters searching for something of which they have no idea of? It's emotions. They feel something. A connection. Just like a gravitational anomaly, they are drawn to each other which transcends space and time (which has already been setup earlier in the film when Brand gives her "Love" monologue). Interstellar is essentially a film about emotions. While Inception's and Dark Knight's plot focus heavily on logic, Interstellar focuses heavily on emotions instead. And this why applying the logic of the first two films to Interstellar fails in my opinion. Interstellar is a film where every character makes the rashest decisions. Murph out of frustration destroys the crops without any thought of the repurcussions. Mann (whom I definitely think is synonymous to "Man") willingly murders a crew member, destroys a station all because he was alone. Tom's toxic self destructive behavior is killing his own family. Cooper takes the mission, leaving his own family, to fly once again. Professor Brand lies to Murph till his last breath. It's a film about imperfect characters, mirroring how humanity willingly destroys itself even when it's aware of it's own self destruction. This is not the usual crime/heist film so it should not be judged as such. Just my two cents.
This is a brilliant analysis on Interstellar. Thanks for the write up!
I think the whole focus of Murph's earth bound story, as you put it, is to build the tension. The tension for Cooper's present predicament is already there. As you say, the stakes for Murph's predicament arent as clear cut and so i think her sequence is about building that tension in the moment. Cause the room is still there, the house is still there. She could technically go back whenever, but because her brother told her to leave and never come back, and she sets his crops on fire, it builds a tension in the moment thats clear; Murph has to figure it out, HERE AND NOW, just like Cooper is in his story, and neither of them have time, but not just any time; Future time. Cooper cant come back later and dock. He cant come back later and go through the black hole to get the information. Similarly, i think, the dealing with keeping her brother at bay, was to incite that notion- that Murph cant ever come back later on to figure it out. That the fate of the future of human life lies not just within that room, but within it here and now, and will only ever be available to be accessed, here and now and in that way raises the stakes to the same level. The scene may be, on the surface, concerned with her brother and his family, but thats just to build the tension because what Murph is doing (simply lookin around in her room to figure something out) isnt all that dramatic and Murph herself is not concerned with her brother really, and so, we are not. It was to fill and otherwise mundane action- looking around on her bookshelf- with tension because again as you say, the stakes arent as clear, and are far more abstract than Cooper's situation. I think thats how we were supposed to understand it structurally. I think it worked fantastically, i was tense through it all. Also, im kinda biased because Interstellar is LITERALLY my favorite film ever and so far, it seems it always will be.
I feel like I've been waiting for this video my entire life!!
Another great episode with a true takeaway. Every time I watch one of your videos, I become a little better at writing. Thank you for the time, care, and craft you put into your channel.
That's really rewarding to hear. Thank you from all of us!
Thank you Michael for being my inspiration to start my own movie review channel! Keep up the great content!
Favourite Director: Christopher Nolan.
Favourite film: Interstellar.
Both unbeatable.
Couldn’t agree more!!!
don't be so sure about films when there are thousands you haven't seen and when your opinions can change through time ;)
@@Godspleen Fair point
This is truly brilliant analysis. And the best thing is I've always had an issue with this sequence and I've never known why. This video is so great.
Wow, I've had that feeling that something wasn't quite right in this film's sequence but couldn't figure out what it was. What an amazing analysis . Every video you make is an amazing essay. Thank you for your time and effort. It's so enjoyable. I learned a lot.
I think such “broken” crosscutting in the Interstellar creates a certain mental delay which adds to the story overall if not immediately after watching it.
I love how you referenced Tenet at the end.
;)
yea that was really epic. I hope to see a Tenet video soon, that movie was insane and crazy put together.
Wonderful work as always!
This was a very interesting cut about crosscuts, keep up the good content
I disagree with your critique of clear and comparable stakes in Interstellar. I feel as though the theme still holds up because the whole point of Interstellar was that any and all events, no matter how mundane, contribute to the inevitability of a predetermined future destiny. In this way, Murph's smaller earthbound goals really do bear a greater significance to humanity's fate than their seeming lack of urgency.
This is my favorite TH-cam channel
I honestly find your videos amazing. they combine information with enjoyment. I honestly believe these are so well done. I have an idea for your next video. Maybe do an analysis on two continuous times running together in the show This is Us. how he combines different timelines without the viewer getting lost
I’ve been enjoying your analyses ever since Gone Girl. Always excited for your next video! ❤️
Thank god for directors that choose not to follow the standard formulas for movies. Both Interstellar and Inception were fantastic films regardless of your need to have everything fit into your plan for the perfect movie.
The scene in Interstellar creates an eddy in the flow of the film that hints toward a fix or solution based on her actions, the sense of urgency is there and just as important as the other scene. Why can't they flow differently? Why should they all have the same level of intensity? I enjoyed the slow burn of her quest tangled with the tense and desperate actions taken off-planet. Loved it!
I enjoy creative work that pushes the viewer to look deeper into the film, work that isn't predictable or based on what was done in the past. Keep them coming Christopher Nolan, and keep me guessing.
EXACTLY. Two different movies with different ideas don't need the same editing.
The lack of a dramatic question in Interstellar I'd argue was sort of the point of the story. The lack of a wonder if humanity will survive elevates the audience's wondering of hoe the story is going to pan out. We know humanity in the film is on the brink of collapse, but like in real life, there is always a layer of uncertainty of how the future will serve us whether it be good or bad. The fact the film is about the uncertainty of our future creates that unique parallel of how Cooper doesn't know if he will find a habitable planet or how Murph doesn't know if she will solve the theory of gravity.
That particular crosscut in Interstellar, especially in regard to the lack of urgency on Murphy's side, as you so accurately pointed, has ALWAYS bugged me! Thank you for compiling all these narrative issues from that sequence in such a visual, eloquent manner. One for the favorites, no doubt!
Just watched Tenet last night and after this video I can now easily see how he used the crosscut in Tenet. Great video as usual!
Great job! When I watched Interstellar in the theatre way back when, I knew something(s) were missing in this film compared to his previous ones. Narratively, it was a bit uneven. TDK, Inception, and all his previous works along with most recent Dunkirk, are so flawlessly put together - like watching someone solve a Rubik's Cube and you see how each move came together without any lapses. This one had its ideas, visuals, and themes reach just beyond the stakes it set, like the crosscut you showed.
But let's face it -- this (imperfect) crosscut is still done WAY better than how most other blockbuster movies do interweaving storylines.
If we knew how Murphy can figure out the solution to the ecuation, that would spoil the final revelation (Father = Ghost/ First line on the film). The first time you watch Interstellar you can't comprehend all the scientific and emotional information, and that's why a lot of people don't get it, because they didn't bother to give it another chance. This fim was made to be appreciatted from a second viewing. The crosscutting is actually effective because the dramatic theme is how the love between a father and daughter connects trough time in order to save humanity... You're just nitpicking, Michael...
Loved this! Keep up the great work Michael!
Thank you!
I really like your videos, learn so much from you! I would need a whole new life to know as much as you! Keep up! Love, from Brasil!
I'm not sure how I feel about implying Interstellar is anything but perfect.
I say we kill him.
I'll admit up front, I've been told I have a different understanding of things than most people, so my interpretation of and experience with this movie probably won't match up with anyone else's, but with that being said:
The way you open about Interstallar it seems like you may have misunderstood large parts of the film or may have been trying too hard to put it into some sort of preexisting mental mold.
For example, you describe Coop's mission as "finding a new planet for human kind" even though his words and actions show it's more about saving humanity than finding a planet. Similarly, Murph's mission isn't to "solve the gravity equation" but, like Coop, to save humanity. For each of them, they're both doing work that are just different means to an end: Saving humanity (and each other). They're trying to achieve the same goal through different means in case either method fails (remember, the plan Murph tries to fulfill is described in the movie as "Plan A" and Coop's plan tries to fulfill what's described as "Plan B", although [sploilers].).
Indirect cuts start tying the two plotlines together about an hour or a bit into the film when the correlations between Murph's struggle against Michael Caine's apparent lack of progress start to juxatopose Coop's lack of progress at finding a sustainable planet after visiting the planet near Gargantua (notice the age of the characters throughout the cuts? Once Coop ages Murph ages proportionally). Each is making their own independent efforts to keep humanity alive, each facing their own seemingly-insurmountable odds. For some reason some people block this while others dont, but...🤷♂️
As another example, Man's efforts to take control of the Endurance correlate well with Tom's efforts to take control of his burning crops, both in terms of effort and in terms of relative time: Without control over the crop situation there's a high probability that humanity is doomed, same thing is there's no control over the endurance. I'll give Marvel the chance to react about who they fink the Black Panther is.
In the end it's through both of their efforts they're able to feel the love each being put into each others' actions, and it's a strong enough feeling to influence each others' reactions.
I definitely think Nolan tried to reduce the number of back-to-back cuts specifically to emphasise the increasing time lapse between the two timelines of the film, and to great effect. Coop's actions in the movies seem more and more like they're leaving Murph behind, but it's through "love" that Coop's efforts to save humanity (which haven't stopped for him, but since "love" experienced a brief time fluctuation have lapsed for Murph for a while until Coop's had a chance to catch up) influence Murph to act accordingly since both of them believe that saving humanity will save each other.
Brilliant video mate!!
I'm so proud of you and your growth Michael. Thank you for how much you've influenced my skills in understanding story, film making, character development and editing. SO GRATEFUL for you :)
:D Thank you Dave!
I think the crosscuts in interstellar are non-comparable on purpose. To reinforce the fact that time flows differently in each storyline.
As in, in the same time frame, Cooper only spent a few days awake in space, but Murph waited decades, so I think it's purposefully made to be a parallelism (of theme) but also a dichotomy (of time scale).
As in, Cooper has no air and is choking to death, his grandkids are slowly choking to death on dust. Cooper rushes to get out of the planet, Murph tries to get her nephews out of the farm. Once the ship enters the atmosphere it'll burn and they'll die, once Murph's brother is back from putting out the fire her nephews will be stuck in the farm and eventually die. etc.
Love that point, thank you:)
You know when you have a masterpiece in hands when, after 12 years, people still study everything about it, maybe forever. TDK is the Citizen Kane of CB movies. All hail it.
Wow! What an insightful piece. I've watched all of Nolan's movies multiple times and never took note of this. I'm seeing them with new eyes. Thank you
Thank you for covering this. I felt something was really amiss about the Intersteller Murph story too but I couldn't really explain it. You completley nailed it! Forced urgency on the Murph story to try to match what was going on in space.
honestly i don't understand the hate that interstellar gets. the themes are new but still profound, and the allegory is informative of human behavior. but now that I've seen this video, i can understand that the structure of the film is way less than perfect.
A lot of ppl dont like it because of its false pretense of being a scifi film while being completely inaccurate (at least thw ppl i know) but it is a good film
When Nolan does exposition, “It is compelling screenplay”;
When he leaves it to audience based on the screenplay until that scene, “It’s ineffective”.
“I think you and I are destined to this forever”
Nolan does too much exposition, especially in Inception. Still he makes great films. Interstellar was trying a bit too hard for me, he wanted to out-do 2001, but still, it has amazing sequences.
@@commentor4755 Nolan doesn't do too much except for certain instances like in Interstellar. There's enough for the audience to understand what's happening, but he also finds ways to make it interesting. If he cut out more information, then people would complain about it not making sense.
@@h.b.smith_writer Inception is full of exposition. The Dark Knight Rises has a bunch, and same for Interstellar. In Inception it is understandable that there would be a lot, but still, it could have definitely been cut down, or not been made so obvious. I don't know what films you're comparing it to when you say he doesn't do it too much. But in general, as far as films go, not just mainstream films, Nolan definitely does a lot of exposition, and focuses much less on character development.
High-quality analysis as always!!
Love you man. My favorite movie analysis channel. By far.
This crosscutting scene wasn’t as amazing as the other ones, but it wasn’t even the most important sequence of the movie. It was more like a wrap up of Dr. Mann subplot and the setup for the far greater and more emotional black hole denouement.
This video is correct. _BUT,_ do you think Mr. Nolan did it on purpose? You know to _command_ a 2nd & 3rd watch? After all, there's _so_ much going on. These scenes you've talk about are _so_ intense.... the Murphy time line allows the audience to breath. While _still_ keeping our tension up. Once you watch Interstellar the very 1st time, you _need_ to see again. You know, to focus on _all_ those things you _must_ have missed, the 1st time round?
Thank you so much, for your channel. You always get the 'good' brain juices flowing! 😘💋
Oh, I just _have_ to mention, that _Epic_ score by Hans Zimmer! Omg! Put on Hans' scores from Nolan movies & read a Thriller novel. What an _amazing_ experience! Or _dare_ I say, "a novel experience?" 😂 Sorry, I'll show myself out...😏
Michael, you always do a solid job, but I think you've outdone yourself with this video.
Great video Michael!!! I LOVE your channel and your podcast. I’m a filmmaker and your analysis is really helpful.