http://variety.com/2017/film/news/christopher-nolan-dunkirk-oscars-movies-tv-spielberg-1202607836/
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"At a time when there's all kinds of storytelling around, movies that gravitate toward things that only movies can do carve out a place for themselves," Nolan tells Variety during a wide-ranging interview at this year's Toronto Film Festival. "As a director, I try to show people things they've never seen before."
"We're thrown on the beach with these characters without knowing much about them," says cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema. "Everything comes at you, and it's immediate and visceral. We took away anything personal or sentimental."
He has, after all, refused to work with Netflix and accused the streaming giant of trying to shut down theaters, calling its decision to forgo cinemas for a straight-to-subscriber launch "mindless." But he's since softened his tone, insisting he chose his words poorly during a media tour for "Dunkirk." He went so far as to email Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos an apology.
"I should have been more polite," admits Nolan. "I said what I believe, but I was undiplomatic in the way I expressed it. I wasn't giving any context to the frankly revolutionary nature of what Netflix has done. It's extraordinary. They need appropriate respect for that, which I have."
"My entire adult life they have released straight-to-video films," he says. "As a filmmaker, when I was starting out in the '90s, your nightmare was the straight-to-video release. There's nothing new about it — what's different and new about it is selling it to Wall Street as innovation or disruption."
"Every other industry, whether it's the car industry or whatever, controls when a product is launched. The idea that the film business should forget that and just throw everything together at the same time makes no sense," Nolan says. "It's not good business, and people will realize that eventually."
Nolan, however, refuses to believe the downturn is systemic. People love going to the movies, he says. It's just a question of scheduling. The lack of a "Suicide Squad" in August depressed box office returns, he argues, but another "Star Wars" film in December will help end the year on a high note. Yet he concedes that the drive on the part of studios to deliver consistent returns makes them cautious. It all leads to a glut of superhero franchises (a model that treated Nolan quite well with the "Dark Knight" trilogy) and not enough brave new things.
"You have to have a healthy balance," he says. "Along with giving people what they liked before, you have to offer them surprise."
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