FilmmakerChristopher Nolan’s World War II action-thrillerDunkirkis a purely experiential film, and in many ways is one of the most ambitious pieces of “blockbuster” cinema in recent memory. ButDunkirkwas almost evenmoreof an oddity, as Nolan revealed in a recent interview that his original idea for the movie was to shoot the entire thing without a formal script.
Yes indeed, in a conversation between Nolan and his brotherJonathan Nolanthat comes with the published version of theDunkirkscreenplay (viaTHR), Christopher Nolan reveals that in the early days of thinking aboutDunkirk, he nearly moved forward without a screenplay:
“I got to a point where I understood the scope and movement and the history of what I wanted the film to address, because it’s very simple geography. I said, ‘I don’t want a script. Because I just want to show it,’ it’s almost like I want to just stage it. And film it.”
When he proposed the idea to his wife and producing partnerEmma Thomas, however, the prospect was quickly shot down:
“Emma looked at me like I was a bit crazy and was like, okay, that’s not really gonna work.”
But even though Nolan did write a script forDunkirk, it was still non-traditional. He says he wrote the 76-page screenplay “very, very quickly,” and of course that length is mighty short compared to most traditional scripts—especially for a war film. But Nolan clearly knew exactly what he wanted to do withDunkirkfrom the get-go, and I think he succeeded enormously.
Some have complained thatDunkirkhas “thin” characters or is light on emotion, but the entire point of the movie is that you areinthis experience for the full running time. You’re not pausing to take a breath or daydream aboutFionn Whitehead’s girlfriend back home—the closest you get to a backstory is through the dialogue withMark Rylance’s character, and even that is sparse.
Through minimizing the exposition and “character”-centric dialogue and instead focusing on telling the story visually, Nolan wanted to see if he could get a similarly impactful level of empathy and emotion across. The idea is that you could be any one of these people inDunkirk—you’re able to just as easily relate to Rylance’s character as you canHarry Styles’, and in that sense I thinkDunkirkis a massive success. Nolan’s handle on cinema here is masterful, and I thinkDunkirkisone of the best films he’s ever made.
But for those itching to see Nolan back in dialogue-heavy territory, the filmmaker says in the conversation with his brother not to worry, noting “I will be coming back to dialogue.” For now, though,Dunkirkstands as a tremendous accomplishment, and one thatseems likely to make a splashin the upcoming awards season.
