Memento

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• The initial distributor screenings for Christopher Nolan's *Memento* were disastrous, resulting in no offers and suggestions to "put it in the right order," despite the film being critically praised by those who attended.  Copied to clipboard!
• Christopher Nolan wrote the screenplay for *Memento* in the order the audience sees it (backwards), starting with the final scene, a structure that required immense logistical coordination from the entire crew.  Copied to clipboard!
• The role of Leonard Shelby in *Memento* was nearly played by Brad Pitt, but Guy Pearce was ultimately cast after Nolan was impressed by his commitment and Pierce's agent highlighted his previous, vastly different roles in *LA Confidential* and *The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert*.  Copied to clipboard!
• The casting of Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss, despite their relative lack of international star power at the time, was crucial, with Moss securing her role after *The Matrix* and recommending Joe Pantolano (Joey Pants) for the role of Teddy.  Copied to clipboard!
• Newmarket Films was formed specifically to distribute *Memento* after major distributors passed on the film due to perceived difficulty and lack of commercial potential, leading to a successful, unconventional marketing strategy guided by consultant Bob Burney.  Copied to clipboard!
• Despite initial struggles to secure US distribution and concerns over its complexity, *Memento* achieved significant international success first, culminating in a triumphant US debut in March 2001, earning $40 million worldwide against a small budget.  Copied to clipboard!

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Initial Reactions to Memento

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(00:02:08)

• Key Takeaway: The hosts find Memento enjoyable as adults due to relatable memory struggles, appreciating its non-stop required attention.
• Summary: Lizzie felt like she was living in Memento due to recent moving-related forgetfulness, while Chris noted that phone usage accelerates brain fog. Both hosts found the film highly enjoyable upon rewatching, emphasizing that it demands complete attention to follow the complex structure.

Lizzie’s Past Viewing Experience

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(00:04:32)

• Key Takeaway: Lizzie previously viewed Memento performatively during her youth alongside other ‘Angsty White Guy Cinema’ like Fight Club.
• Summary: Lizzie admitted that her initial viewings in her friend Jim Ivan’s basement were performative, intended to signal coolness rather than deep comprehension. She noted that watching it as an adult, she appreciated the film’s complexity, highlighting Joe Pantoliano’s (Joey Pants) performance as Teddy as a favorite. She also questioned whether Leonard’s wife survived the attack.

Chris’s Favorite Nolan Film

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(00:07:57)

• Key Takeaway: Memento is Chris’s favorite Christopher Nolan film, representing a formative piece of early 2000s indie cinema alongside Donnie Darko and Brick.
• Summary: Chris considers Memento his favorite Nolan movie, grouping it with Donnie Darko and Brick as defining films of that era. He praised its successful use of editorial structure, color, and repetition to place the audience directly into the protagonist’s disoriented perspective. The film also prompts reflection on free will versus rationalization for prior actions.

Nolan’s Breakout Success Context

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(00:11:22)

• Key Takeaway: The success of Memento was unexpected, as Nolan later felt a responsibility to make large-scale productions, making Memento’s small scope feel distant from his later work.
• Summary: The hosts noted that few expected Nolan to become a blockbuster director after Memento, a film whose small scale contrasts sharply with his later massive productions like Oppenheimer. Nolan feels a responsibility to continue making big productions because the opportunity is rare. The progression from Memento to Insomnia and then Inception shows a logical stepping stone in his career.

Film Details and Sources

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(00:13:38)

• Key Takeaway: The neo-noir thriller Memento was loosely based on a short story by Jonathan Nolan and released in March 2001.
• Summary: The film is a neo-noir psychological thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan, based on Jonathan Nolan’s short story Memento Mori. Key cast members include Guy Pierce as Leonard Shelby and Joe Pantoliano as Teddy. Sources for the episode included James Motram’s The Making of Memento and interviews from Filmmaker magazine.

Distributor Rejection After Screenings

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(00:15:44)

• Key Takeaway: Distributors rejected buying Memento after three simultaneous screenings, believing the film was too smart and would not make money, despite praising its quality.
• Summary: On March 24, 2000, distributors who loved the script walked out of the screenings, with one suggesting they ‘put it in the right order.’ Joey Pants reported that major figures like Bill Block and Harvey Weinstein complimented the film but refused to buy it. The consensus was that the movie was too confusing to gross the $25 million Newmarket Films desired on its $5 million budget.

Nolan’s Background and Following

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(00:19:00)

• Key Takeaway: Christopher Nolan’s dual English and American upbringing influenced his attraction to stories about people pretending to be someone else, leading to his first feature, Following.
• Summary: Nolan moved to America in 1997 after failing to get into UK film schools, having previously worked in industrial filmmaking. His first feature, Following, shot for roughly £3,000, is a non-linear, black-and-white film about a novelist who follows people, featuring themes of thievery and identity mirroring Memento.

Inception of the Memento Concept

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(00:23:53)

• Key Takeaway: Jonathan Nolan pitched the core concept of a man with anterior grade amnesia tattooing clues on his body to his brother, Christopher Nolan, who then adapted it.
• Summary: Jonathan Nolan conceived the idea after taking a psychology course, presenting the cinematic image of a man covered in evidence tattoos. Christopher Nolan was inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ story Funes the Memorias (about perfect recall) as an inverse inspiration. The condition Guy Pierce portrays is a real, though not fully understood, neurological condition.

Editorial Structure and Overlap

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(00:26:35)

• Key Takeaway: Editor Dottie Dorn utilized a color-coded index card system to manage the complex, non-linear structure, carefully managing repeated footage to maintain audience comprehension without annoyance.
• Summary: Dottie Dorn, who previously worked on James Cameron films, was sought because she could contextualize emotionally difficult scenes, like the one involving a nail through a penis in Sick. The film uses overlapping action between the backward-moving color sequences and forward-moving black-and-white sequences, sometimes using slightly different takes to clue the audience in.

Script Structure and Logistics

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(00:34:07)

• Key Takeaway: Nolan wrote the Memento script in the order it appears on screen (backwards) to ensure it maintained traditional narrative rhythm beats despite the reverse chronology.
• Summary: Unlike Following, which Nolan rewrote chronologically into its final structure, Memento was written in reverse order, with the first draft being 170 pages. Nolan aimed to include conventional beats like an Act One break and a double cross at expected points. The production schedule was extremely tight, requiring 57 camera setups in one day.

Casting Challenges and Choices

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(00:48:34)

• Key Takeaway: Stephen Tobolowsky secured the role of Sammy Jenkis by revealing he had experienced temporary drug-induced amnesia, a unique qualification compared to the A-list actors considered for Leonard.
• Summary: Brad Pitt was the first choice for Leonard Shelby but passed after needing time to consider the role, while Aaron Eckhart and Thomas Jane were also considered. Tobolowsky’s audition involved sharing a personal, embarrassing story about forgetting if he had urinated after surgery, which impressed Nolan. Guy Pearce, who loved the script, begged for the role, which Jennifer Todd noted was a better fit than a major star like Pitt, who might bring too much baggage.

Guy Pearce’s Physicality and Appeal

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(01:00:31)

• Key Takeaway: Guy Pearce’s distinct physical presence, stemming from high school bodybuilding, contributes significantly to his unique and effective movement on screen.
• Summary: The speaker notes the stunning difference in Guy Pearce’s movement across films like LA Confidential and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, attributing his strong yet lithe appearance to residual strength from bodybuilding. Pearce is described as handsome but unusual, possessing a look that is sometimes compared to a fox or rodent, which he effectively utilizes in his acting rather than fighting against.

Casting of Carrie-Anne Moss

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(01:02:13)

• Key Takeaway: Carrie-Anne Moss’s career breakthrough came immediately prior to Memento with her role as Trinity in The Matrix, which propelled her into consideration for the film.
• Summary: Moss’s manager pushed her to read the script for Memento, and she was particularly captivated by the scene where Natalie turns on Leonard. Her performance is praised for being nasty and effectively keeping the audience guessing about her true alignment, similar to Joe Pantolano’s character.

Joe Pantolano’s Casting

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(01:03:38)

• Key Takeaway: Joe Pantolano (Joey Pants) was cast as Teddy only after the initial preferred actor failed to secure a deal, despite Nolan initially hesitating due to Pantolano’s established antagonist persona.
• Summary: Moss recommended Pantolano, her Matrix co-star, as a good luck charm. Pantolano felt he was only meeting Nolan as a favor to Moss and expected not to get the role, but he was the next call after the first choice fell through. Nolan worried Pantolano’s prior roles might immediately signal him as the villain, though his performance ultimately conveyed genuine compassion.

David Julian’s Score Composition

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(01:07:02)

• Key Takeaway: Composer David Julian was able to create a unique score for Memento because Christopher Nolan avoided using temp score, allowing Julian to implement contrasting musical palettes for the color and black-and-white timelines.
• Summary: Julian, who previously worked on Nolan’s shorts, drew inspiration from synth scores like Blade Runner. Nolan requested contrasting musical styles to reinforce the different timelines: brooding, classical themes for color scenes and oppressive, rumbly noise for black-and-white scenes, all aiming to infuse a sense of loss.

Steven Soderbergh’s Early Championing

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(01:08:13)

• Key Takeaway: Steven Soderbergh publicly declared Memento’s inability to secure distribution signaled the ‘death of the independent movement’ before the film ultimately found distribution through the newly formed Newmarket Films.
• Summary: Soderbergh watched the film and believed it was brilliant, yet its initial lack of distribution suggested independent film was failing. Newmarket executives, after a difficult screening period, decided to self-distribute, making Memento the first film released by the company.

Newmarket’s Distribution Strategy

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(01:09:42)

• Key Takeaway: Newmarket Films hired veteran marketer Bob Burney, known for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, to execute a distribution plan that prioritized festival exposure over an immediate wide release.
• Summary: Burney, who had experience marketing challenging films like Happiness, distributed the movie largely from his house, following a Plan C strategy: screen at Sundance in January and release in the spring. International pre-sales financed the film, with the US theatrical profit being the expected return.

Venice Film Festival Premiere

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(01:11:34)

• Key Takeaway: The Memento premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September 2000 was met with initial, terrifying silence before erupting into a five-minute standing ovation, validating the film internationally.
• Summary: Nolan was nervous about the notoriously fickle Italian audience and the potential loss of dark humor in subtitles, while producer Aaron Ryder was so tense he didn’t move his hand from his wife’s leg until the film ended. The positive international reviews, however, caused Ryder to worry about a potential US backlash.

Sundance Success and Jonathan Nolan’s Draft

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(01:13:18)

• Key Takeaway: The film was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2001, securing the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and cementing its cult classic status, while Jonathan Nolan’s original pitch draft was titled Memento Mori.
• Summary: Moriarty called it an ‘immediate cult classic’ at Sundance, and rumors suggested Miramax regretted passing on the film. Jonathan Nolan’s early draft, written on an airplane vomit bag, was bleaker, ending with the line: ’life is a cheap parlor trick.’

Marketing Tactics and Box Office Run

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(01:14:38)

• Key Takeaway: Despite an early DVD release deal based on short theatrical expectations, Memento enjoyed a remarkably long six-month theatrical run starting March 16, 2001, fueled by college outreach and Joey Pantolano’s concurrent popularity on The Sopranos.
• Summary: Bob Burney successfully targeted upscale young adults and college crowds through radio-driven screenings, leveraging Pantolano’s new fame as Ralph Siforetto. The film opened in 10 theaters, expanded to 531, and ultimately grossed $40 million worldwide against its small budget.

Plot Hole Debate and Legacy

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(01:16:40)

• Key Takeaway: Roger Ebert questioned how Leonard remembers his memory loss, a point Nolan explained via conditioning, but Ebert preferred to believe it was a necessary screenplay device.
• Summary: The film earned Christopher and Jonathan Nolan an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and Dottie Dorn for Best Film Editing. Memento launched Newmarket Films and paved the way for Nolan’s career, leading to Insomnia and subsequent blockbusters.

Cast Reactions and Final Thoughts

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(01:18:23)

• Key Takeaway: Guy Pearce later criticized his own performance as ‘shit’ for being too flippant, though the hosts argued this overperformance was necessary to cover Leonard’s constant disorientation.
• Summary: Carrie-Anne Moss remains one of the projects she is most proud of, while Pearce felt he was ‘bad in a good movie.’ The hosts ultimately credit the film’s success to the collaborative effort of every department, especially editor Dottie Dorn, and Christopher Nolan’s collaborative yet assertive directorial style.