New member here. Just wanted to share an essay about the man himself that I wrote. I composed about 90% of it over a year ago (when a fair bit of it looked more prescient, sorry to say), but posted it publicly just earlier this month. Thought you guys might be interested in it. Comments welcome; hope you enjoy it.
Christopher Nolan's Useful Lies
...as withholding as he is, Nolan is still a passionate filmmaker, and passion is the enemy of restraint. One would expect that his beliefs occasionally smuggle themselves onto the celluloid. We may not know what's in Nolan's head, but we can look more closely at what comes out of it. And when we analyze his filmography, a pattern emerges.
Compliments Yoda, it's a very interesting and well-written essay, I really enjoyed reading it.
I agree that, while Nolan shows many of his characters embracing "useful lies", he doesn't necessarily "endorse" this attitude but he shows both faces of the coin. The lies told in Memento and The Prestige may have emotionally positive effects on the protagonists, but they are surely not innocent, and literally leave a trail of blood behind them.
And Nolan doesn't tell us much about the consequences of the lie that the Inception team leads Robert Fischer to believe. Once again, Fischer seems "happier" than he was at the beginning of the film - at least for the moment. But ultimately, whose interests will this lie serve? And at what cost? We know nothing about Fischer's future, nor how Saito will take advantage of the situation.
As for TDK, I completely agree with your observations, and I do think that this theme will come back in TDKR. I'd like to know what you think about the other useful lie in the film, the one Alfred tells Batman about Rachel. How do you think this influences Batman's own choices at the end of the film? Do you think he will ever learn the truth?
The Fischer point is a good one, and it's one I considered when writing the essay. I omitted it largely because it's secondary to the useful lie Cobb rejects, but it's worth thinking about. One interesting explanation is that perhaps Nolan thinks useful lies are permitted when told to others (counterintuitive as that may seem), but not when told to one's self. "To thine own self be true" writ large across his filmography. Maybe. The Rachel point is a good one, and it fits the idea above, as well.
As for whether or not he'll learn the truth: I'd certainly like to think so, but I'd guess not. But I don't think it's for any reason beyond the fact that there'll be bigger fish to fry, storytelling-wise.
Many thanks for the feedback. Would be interested to hear anyone else's thoughts, as well.
Yoda wrote: One interesting explanation is that perhaps Nolan thinks useful lies are permitted when told to others (counterintuitive as that may seem), but not when told to one's self.
Well, this goes back to what you wrote in your article about Socrates' "Noble Lie". In TDK, both Alfred and Batman lie to other people because they think that's what those people (and society in general) need. But the irony is, by doing so they kindof embrace the Joker's mentality: "You see, their morals, their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be". By the end of TDK, Batman has accepted that faith and truth are polar opposites, which makes it a tragic ending. But then, there is Gordon. While he accepts to become an accomplice in Batman's lie, he does know the truth, and yet he is still hopeful. He still thinks that the good in man's heart is more than just a necessary lie told by the "schemers".
I'm so curious to see if and how all of this will be dealt with in TDKR.
Excellent essay; it was a very intriguing read. I completely agree with you on just on just about all accounts. The benefits and repercussions involved with a "useful lie" are definitely the driving thematic questions raised in most of Nolan's films and these themes are undoubtedly due to be brought up again in The Dark Knight Rises. Inception, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Insomnia, Memento, and perhaps even Following have dealt with this overlapping theme in some form or fashion. In Batman Begins one could even say that the "useful lie" was used with R'as Al Ghul to preserve his false identity as Henri Ducard. In fact one could say the whole philosophy behind Bruce Wayne's decision to hide his alter persona as Batman is a "useful lie" to protect those he loves. Those are just my thoughts. Anyways, very well done essay.
I don't know if you're still reading these boards, Yoda, but I immediately thought of your essay when I read the Entertainment Weekly article about TDKR:
Jonathan Nolan:
"If Batman's plan was to stamp out crime the new movie asks: What if the plan actually worked?"
Christopher Nolan:
"At least superficially. The movie deals with the idea that if you've papered over the cracks, then you're just solving problems in a way that may not hold for the future."
Yup, still checking in! Thanks so much, that's great stuff. That Nolan quote really jibes well with the ideas in the essay, yeah. I was a little surprised when I saw the news about the film, implying that Batman's choice led to a period of peace in Gotham, but more and more it looks like it's going to have been a superficial peace, hiding the problems underneath. It makes sense; it's taking the Augustinian view, rather than the Socratic one, which I think is correct, for what it's worth.
What's doubly fascinating, by the way, is that those two quotes almost seem at odds with one another, with Jonathan implying that Batman's lie about Dent worked, and Christopher implying that it only seemed to.
Addicted2Movies wrote:Excellent essay; it was a very intriguing read. I completely agree with you on just on just about all accounts. The benefits and repercussions involved with a "useful lie" are definitely the driving thematic questions raised in most of Nolan's films and these themes are undoubtedly due to be brought up again in The Dark Knight Rises. Inception, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Insomnia, Memento, and perhaps even Following have dealt with this overlapping theme in some form or fashion. In Batman Begins one could even say that the "useful lie" was used with R'as Al Ghul to preserve his false identity as Henri Ducard. In fact one could say the whole philosophy behind Bruce Wayne's decision to hide his alter persona as Batman is a "useful lie" to protect those he loves. Those are just my thoughts. Anyways, very well done essay.
Sorry I didn't reply to this before. I agree, I think that's a good extension of the idea: his identity itself is a lie. Alfred says that the whole point of Batman is that he can take the heat, he can "make the choice that no one else can make."
The very existence of Batman presupposes that Bruce Wayne knows what Gotham needs more than it does. Even though he's the hero, it's a, inherently arrogant thing to be a vigilante at all, let alone one who picks and chooses which truths should be for public consumption. Pride goeth before a fall, doesn't it? And you can't have the Dark Knight rising if he doesn't fall first.
Hey everyone, just a quick bump. Drew McWeeny at HitFix has written a (non-spoilery) review of TDKR, and he included this little observation:
Nolan seems to believe that a lie in service of something good is still a lie, and it's been festering.
So the theory is looking pretty well confirmed, even though I started writing the essay two years ago! It seems to provide a genuinely solid throughline that connects Nolan's films and tipped his hand as to the general tone and thrust of the final Batman film. Cool stuff! I wonder if it's deliberate, or just something that interested him and therefore kept seeping into the work. Either way, it can't be a coincidence.
