JohnDoe
Bryn
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Memento (2000)- Footage Included
Memento
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Jonathon and Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie Ann Moss, Stephen Tobolowsky
Editor: Dody Dorn
Cinematography: Wall Pfister
“Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.” - Lenny
Memento is ingenious, inventive and bold with a wicked sense of humour. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Prestige) announced himself to the world with this confident display of intelligent plotting, experimental editing and a profound understanding of narrative vision and sound.
I don’t really consider it a spoiler to tell you that the film unfolds in reverse, it’s all ass backwards. The opening scene is actually the finale of the story, a simple tale made new thanks to structure.
The credits roll as we slowly watch a Polaroid photo develop, immediately we are clued into the films conceit because we see the picture suddenly get sucked back into the camera that it came out of.
Water defies gravity and runs up a wall; a man with a freshly fired gun stands in the centre of a ratty basement, meet Lenny (Guy Pearce)
Lenny’s mind is Swiss-cheese; he suffers from a rare condition called Anterograde Amnesia. Triggered by a personal tragedy, unlike regular amnesia he retains his existing life up to the point of the incident. He is however, unable to generate new memories.
“I know who I am and all about myself, but since my injury I can't make any new memories. Everything fades. If we talk for too long, I'll forget how we started. I don't know if we've ever met before, and the next time I see you I won't remember this conversation. So if I seem strange or rude, that's probably... I've told you this before, haven't I?” - Lenny
Seeking vengeance on those who wronged him, Lenny copes with his absurd condition by constantly taking notes, snapshots and tattooing anything crucial to his mission directly on his skin.
His torso has become a work of art, stained with clues and information that will help him accomplish his goals. Through Lenny’s eyes we meet his questionable allies, a cop named Teddy Gammell (Joe Pantoliano) and the bar lass, Natalie (Carrie Ann Moss).
For all his organization and preparation, his skills at assessing peoples motives Lenny cannot tell his friends from enemies, lies disappear unless they are recorded, life disappears unless it is written.
“Business is slow. I mean, I told my boss about the - your condition and stuff, and he said try and rent him another room.” – Burt Hadley
Grief, loss and the perception of human nature and society are scientifically tested in this riveting slice of celluloid.
“I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.”- Lenny
John Doe says:
When I saw this one at the cinema it instantly became the film of the new millennium for me, I wasn’t the only one.
The reason I watch movies is in the hope of seeing something that I have never seen before, or seeing the conventions and language of movies turned on its ear.
Christopher Nolan controls the film with the focus of an F1 driver, maintaining its velocity from beginning to end and most importantly conscience of every frame that is revealed.
Commanding the viewers undivided attention, the screenplay is a labyrinth of plotting, well placed clues and is laced with a sardonic wit.
Constructed in 13 parts, each representing the life cycle of Lenny’s degrading mind, each line of dialogue demands dissection and you must constantly re-evaluate what has happened with each scene adding a new piece the puzzle.
The cinematography is no less impressive, the choice of lens is a guide for the audience, Black and White moves forward while the colour segments head backwards, colliding at the end.
Edited together using a slide rule and calculator the whole thing comes together to deliver a solid head jumble that will keep you entertained long after the lights come back on.
The twine that binds it all together is the cast who cope with having to display the catalogue of emotions demanded in each scene. They passionately become these mixed up characters, playing them as believable and real worldly and making the most of there memorable roles.
Guy Pearce (The Proposition, L.A Confidential, Ravenous) cannot get away with just looking confused the whole time and manages to tell us a lot with his eyes and pent up aggression.
Joe Pantoliano (Risky Bussiness, Bound, Goonies, Midnight Run) never disappoints, he always manages to make me grin no matter what he is in. His style is perfectly suited to the enigmatic Teddy.
Canada’s own (Just for you Cib), Carrie Ann Moss (Chocolat, Chumscrubber) puts in a seductive performance that matches her physical beauty.
Stephen Tobolowsky (Deadwood, Sneakers, The Grifters, Wedlock, Groundhog Day) is a quiet achiever who always lodges low key portrayals that invoke empathy. Within the confused part of Sammy Jenkins he helps us understand the plight of our protagonist.
The story is simple in hindsight.
I could right a book on the endless string of theories revolving around the chain of events in the film. As with many others, I have seen the film repeatedly and analysed it to death and truly believe my answer is the right one.
The only reason this blog has not been turned into a film analysis sight yet is that I despise spoiling films before people have seen them. But this is one of those films that make it inevitable, sooner or later I will have to start a new page for an in-depth, microscopic, nit picking of motivations, sub text and the intended meaning behind some of my favourite and most watched flicks.
If you enjoy Memento, check out the foreign film Irreversible, which is the exact same story sans amnesia.
The DVD:
The Australian DVD release of this is vanilla (Extras free), if you want to see the film rent it.
If you are looking to purchase a copy get the U.S Double Disc Special Edition which comes with hours of thoughtful features, a commentary, making of and you can even watch the film in chronological order. The packaging is superb too.
Check out the trailer below
DVD Cover
Writer: Jonathon and Christopher Nolan
Starring: Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie Ann Moss, Stephen Tobolowsky
Cinematography: Wall Pfister
“Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.” - Lenny
Memento is ingenious, inventive and bold with a wicked sense of humour. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, The Prestige) announced himself to the world with this confident display of intelligent plotting, experimental editing and a profound understanding of narrative vision and sound.
I don’t really consider it a spoiler to tell you that the film unfolds in reverse, it’s all ass backwards. The opening scene is actually the finale of the story, a simple tale made new thanks to structure.
The credits roll as we slowly watch a Polaroid photo develop, immediately we are clued into the films conceit because we see the picture suddenly get sucked back into the camera that it came out of.
Water defies gravity and runs up a wall; a man with a freshly fired gun stands in the centre of a ratty basement, meet Lenny (Guy Pearce)
Lenny’s mind is Swiss-cheese; he suffers from a rare condition called Anterograde Amnesia. Triggered by a personal tragedy, unlike regular amnesia he retains his existing life up to the point of the incident. He is however, unable to generate new memories.
“I know who I am and all about myself, but since my injury I can't make any new memories. Everything fades. If we talk for too long, I'll forget how we started. I don't know if we've ever met before, and the next time I see you I won't remember this conversation. So if I seem strange or rude, that's probably... I've told you this before, haven't I?” - Lenny
Seeking vengeance on those who wronged him, Lenny copes with his absurd condition by constantly taking notes, snapshots and tattooing anything crucial to his mission directly on his skin.
His torso has become a work of art, stained with clues and information that will help him accomplish his goals. Through Lenny’s eyes we meet his questionable allies, a cop named Teddy Gammell (Joe Pantoliano) and the bar lass, Natalie (Carrie Ann Moss).
For all his organization and preparation, his skills at assessing peoples motives Lenny cannot tell his friends from enemies, lies disappear unless they are recorded, life disappears unless it is written.
“Business is slow. I mean, I told my boss about the - your condition and stuff, and he said try and rent him another room.” – Burt Hadley
Grief, loss and the perception of human nature and society are scientifically tested in this riveting slice of celluloid.
“I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.”- Lenny
"Im thinking of getting a skull and cross bones right here. What do you think?"
John Doe says:
When I saw this one at the cinema it instantly became the film of the new millennium for me, I wasn’t the only one.
The reason I watch movies is in the hope of seeing something that I have never seen before, or seeing the conventions and language of movies turned on its ear.
Christopher Nolan controls the film with the focus of an F1 driver, maintaining its velocity from beginning to end and most importantly conscience of every frame that is revealed.
Commanding the viewers undivided attention, the screenplay is a labyrinth of plotting, well placed clues and is laced with a sardonic wit.
Constructed in 13 parts, each representing the life cycle of Lenny’s degrading mind, each line of dialogue demands dissection and you must constantly re-evaluate what has happened with each scene adding a new piece the puzzle.
The cinematography is no less impressive, the choice of lens is a guide for the audience, Black and White moves forward while the colour segments head backwards, colliding at the end.
Edited together using a slide rule and calculator the whole thing comes together to deliver a solid head jumble that will keep you entertained long after the lights come back on.
The twine that binds it all together is the cast who cope with having to display the catalogue of emotions demanded in each scene. They passionately become these mixed up characters, playing them as believable and real worldly and making the most of there memorable roles.
Guy Pearce (The Proposition, L.A Confidential, Ravenous) cannot get away with just looking confused the whole time and manages to tell us a lot with his eyes and pent up aggression.
Joe Pantoliano (Risky Bussiness, Bound, Goonies, Midnight Run) never disappoints, he always manages to make me grin no matter what he is in. His style is perfectly suited to the enigmatic Teddy.
Canada’s own (Just for you Cib), Carrie Ann Moss (Chocolat, Chumscrubber) puts in a seductive performance that matches her physical beauty.
Stephen Tobolowsky (Deadwood, Sneakers, The Grifters, Wedlock, Groundhog Day) is a quiet achiever who always lodges low key portrayals that invoke empathy. Within the confused part of Sammy Jenkins he helps us understand the plight of our protagonist.
The story is simple in hindsight.
I could right a book on the endless string of theories revolving around the chain of events in the film. As with many others, I have seen the film repeatedly and analysed it to death and truly believe my answer is the right one.
The only reason this blog has not been turned into a film analysis sight yet is that I despise spoiling films before people have seen them. But this is one of those films that make it inevitable, sooner or later I will have to start a new page for an in-depth, microscopic, nit picking of motivations, sub text and the intended meaning behind some of my favourite and most watched flicks.
If you enjoy Memento, check out the foreign film Irreversible, which is the exact same story sans amnesia.
The DVD:
The Australian DVD release of this is vanilla (Extras free), if you want to see the film rent it.
If you are looking to purchase a copy get the U.S Double Disc Special Edition which comes with hours of thoughtful features, a commentary, making of and you can even watch the film in chronological order. The packaging is superb too.
Check out the trailer below
Celebrity Obsession
Memento was a great film. I really liked the moments of wry humour. Nothing like being in a shootout and not sure why?
As Jimbo said, I really liked that a lot of it was left open to interpretation. When there's so many movies out there that insist on explaining every tiny moment just in case you didn't pick up the subtleties, Memento stands out because it doesn't do that.
Great review
KylieW
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Memento is great. irreversible is great, but I'm not sure everyone would enjoy it... most of the first part of the film is nauseating...
Observer's Post
Death By Myopia
Film & TV on DVD
Jimbo, good to see you-
Totally agree this is still Nolans best work to date. Like me you obviously enjoy having the old grey matter stimulated.
KylieW-
Glad you enjoyed it, to true it is nice when a film treats the audience with respect.
Cib-
I actually assumed this would be a fave of yours. Irreversible I also enjoyed, agree it is only for hardened viewers though.
As for Carrie Ann Moss in Chocolat, she plays Caroline Clairmont.
Hi ya Ragin Cajun-
The watching teh film in chronological order is highly eductational from a structure of film and screenplay POV. Plus it really highlights the power of editing and the order you receive information. I highly recommend it.
Glad there are so many Memento lovers here, when i saw it cinemas there was hardly anyone there.
Horrorphile
Film & TV on DVD
Movies and Life
Film & TV on DVD
A little confusion can go along way with entertainment, a good mystery will always force us to revisit the scene of he crime.
Glad you liked it.
Movies and Life
Oh yes, I'm not adverse to a bit of confusion intermingled with suspence. I thought this was a corker of a film. Thanks for reminding me about it and its depth.
Tracy