Christopher Nolan Reveals the Scene He Is Most Proud Of
Christopher Nolan has directed some of the most unforgettable movies of our time, from Inception and Interstellar to the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer. But when it comes to choosing the scene he’s most proud of, it doesn’t come from any of those, it comes from his final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.
During a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, Nolan opened up about the one moment in his career that still stands out to him. It’s not a scene with Christian Bale’s Batman or one of the film’s emotional moments. Instead, it’s the opening action sequence featuring Tom Hardy as Bane.
The film starts off with an intense hijacking in the sky, where Bane takes over a CIA aircraft mid-flight. It’s one of the most iconic intros in superhero movies, and Nolan said it’s his favorite for a very specific reason: it was almost entirely done using real, practical effects. No big CGI tricks, just months of planning and careful stunt work.
Speaking at Tribeca, Nolan said, “It was sort of an incredible coming together of lots and lots of planning by a lot of members of the team who worked for months rehearsing all these parachute jumps.” He added, “I was amazed at what the team achieved using various old-fashioned methods. I was very proud of how that came together.”
Even though the skydiving scene was expected to take five days to film, Nolan and his team managed to pull it off in just two. They actually dropped a real plane out of the sky for part of the stunt. The sequence introduces Bane as a powerful and terrifying villain, and it sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
Fans often talk about Nolan’s ability to mix huge ideas with emotional storytelling, but he’s also known for pushing boundaries when it comes to practical filmmaking. This scene is a perfect example of that, and it’s easy to see why he holds it so close.
. For Nolan, the magic of cinema isn’t just in the story; it’s in how you bring it to life.
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