Christopher Nolan Says This Forgotten Film Is a True Lost Masterpiece
Christopher Nolan may be famous for pushing the boundaries of modern technology, but his storytelling heart belongs to the early days of cinema. While his blockbuster hits have delivered some of the most memorable visuals in recent history, the director often finds his greatest inspiration in the classics. He has mentioned that the sheer scale and ambition of legendary works like Citizen Kane helped shape his own perspective on what a movie can achieve.
When discussing his creative influences, Nolan frequently points to masters of the craft like Alfred Hitchcock. He specifically admires the film Correspondent 17 because of its reliance on all kinds of in-camera effects rather than digital manipulation.
This vintage style influenced his work on Oppenheimer, where he pushed for practical solutions rather than relying on computers. Nolan believes that the best way to innovate is to go back to films of that era to see how those pioneers solved visual problems.
One film that holds a special place in his heart is the silent masterpiece Greed, directed by Erich von Stroheim. The story follows a dentist in San Francisco whose life unravels after he marries his best friend’s girlfriend. Nolan has often referred to it as a lost masterpiece, largely because the version von Stroheim originally intended was taken away from him and heavily edited by the studio.
The history of Greed is famous in Hollywood for being a creative tragedy. Stroheim originally filmed 85 hours of footage and wanted to release a cut that was eight hours long. The studio refused and chopped it down to just over two hours without the director’s permission, leading him to disown the final product. Nolan has expressed deep regret over this, noting that they don’t have his version of it and only legends remain about how incredible the full story might have been.
Despite the fact that the original vision was never fully seen by the public, Nolan finds the existing version to be a work of genius. He particularly loves the climax of the story, describing it as having one of the greatest endings of all time.
It is easy to see how Stroheim’s stubbornness and dedication to long-form storytelling influenced Nolan’s own habits. He has become known for making lengthy films that take their time to breathe, often refusing to compromise on his runtime for the sake of studio executives.
As of this year, the Oscar-winning director has moved into the final stages of post-production for his most ambitious project yet. His new film is a mythic action epic titled The Odyssey, which is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem.
The movie was filmed entirely using a new generation of IMAX 70mm cameras and features a massive $250 million budget. It is scheduled to arrive in theaters on July 17 and marks a major shift into the fantasy genre for the filmmaker.
The cast for the upcoming epic is filled with both frequent collaborators and new faces, led by Matt Damon as the wily strategist Odysseus. He is joined by Anne Hathaway as Penelope and Tom Holland as their son, Telemachus.
The star-studded ensemble also features Robert Pattinson, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, and Charlize Theron. Recently, Nolan has also been active as the president of the Directors Guild of America, where he has been vocal about protecting the theatrical experience in the wake of major studio mergers.
Do you think Christopher Nolan’s decision to move into the world of ancient Greek mythology with The Odyssey will be as successful as his historical and sci-fi epics? Share your thoughts in the comments.