Christopher Nolan Admits This Overlooked Movie Deserved Much More
Christopher Nolan is known for huge movies and cutting-edge tech, but his taste in films goes all the way back to old Hollywood. Even though his own movies are packed with modern visuals, he often talks about how much he loves early cinema and the people who made it.
In past interviews and film discussions, Nolan has said that classic movies taught him what film can really do. He has mentioned titles like Citizen Kane as movies that showed him how big and bold storytelling could be. He has also spoken about his admiration for Alfred Hitchcock, especially the film Foreign Correspondent, which relied on practical tricks instead of computers.
That old-school mindset still shapes how Nolan works today. While making Oppenheimer, he avoided digital effects as much as possible and pushed his team to solve problems the way filmmakers once did. He has said that looking back at older movies often helps him find better answers than modern shortcuts.
One film Nolan has praised many times is the silent movie Greed, directed by Erich von Stroheim. He has called it a lost masterpiece in interviews. The film tells the story of a dentist in San Francisco whose life falls apart after he marries the woman his friend once loved.
The reason Greed means so much to Nolan is its troubled history. Von Stroheim originally shot around 85 hours of footage and wanted to release a version that ran close to eight hours. The studio took control of the film, cut it down to just over two hours, and released it without the director’s approval. Von Stroheim later disowned the movie.
Nolan has said that it’s heartbreaking because we don’t have his version of it, and only stories remain about what the full film could have been. Even so, he believes the version that survived is still incredible. He has praised the ending in particular, saying it is one of the greatest endings ever put on screen.
It’s not hard to see the connection between von Stroheim and Nolan. Nolan is famous for long movies and for refusing to shorten them just to please studios. Like the director he admires, he believes some stories need time and space to fully land.
Right now, Nolan is finishing work on his next movie, The Odyssey. The film is a massive action epic based on the ancient Greek poem by Homer. It was shot entirely with new IMAX 70mm cameras and has a reported budget of $250 million. The movie is set to be released in theaters on July 17.
The cast is packed with major names. Matt Damon plays Odysseus, with Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as their son. The film also stars Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron.
Outside of filmmaking, Nolan has also been active in the industry as president of the Directors Guild of America. He has spoken publicly about the importance of protecting theaters and the big-screen experience as Hollywood continues to change.
What do you think about Christopher Nolan stepping into ancient Greek mythology for his next film? Share your thoughts in the comments.
