Christopher Nolan: Auteur Study
SESSION: TBA
INSTRUCTOR: TBA
Day & Time: TBA
FILM
SUMMER 2027
This course is in development for Summer 2027.
Christopher Nolan’s career combines artistic ambition with an extraordinary degree of mainstream success. From the fractured chronology of Memento to the epic scale of Oppenheimer and The Odyssey, his films repeatedly explore time, memory, identity, and complicated forms of heroism. This course examines the themes and formal techniques that make Nolan’s cinematic vision distinctive, including his nonlinear structures, kinetic visual style, technical experimentation, and recurring moral quandaries. We will trace his development from the early short Doodlebug and independent feature Following through the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and his most recent films. Along the way, we will consider how Nolan reworks familiar genres, adapts his visual approach to different subjects, and uses the freedom afforded by commercial success. What accounts for his broad popularity, and how successfully does he balance spectacle with intellectual and artistic complexity? Screenings, close analysis, and readings drawn from political, philosophical, and technical approaches to Nolan will give students a range of critical perspectives while encouraging them to develop their own interpretations of his work.
Columbia students do not need to apply, but they do need to register. All visiting students will need to apply to the School of Professional Studies and register upon acceptance.