Symphonic Warfare

In viewing the vast array of films that he’s so effortlessly and boldly directed to audiences that are either thrilled mentally or physically, it’s not hard to fathom that Christopher Nolan is an illusive film-maker that thrives in creating a surrealistic spectacle. From the dexterous narrative formalities of Momento to the cinematic trickery seen through the lens of Inception and The Prestige, it’s clear to note that Nolan likes to ensnare the viewers gaze with instinctive film-making that no other attainable director can simply replicate. How intriguing it is then to witness the visceral experience of  Nolan’s latest screen-grabber of Dunkirk; a war film that is stemmed in immersive realism, rather then surrealism, that encompasses creative sensibilities that keep our eyes fixated on the events that follow. When thinking about war filmsof the past, it’s hard not think about the likes of Apocalypse Now or Saving Private Ryan since features convey the right amount of emotion and grandeur in the sequences that need it the most. Although many have been contentious with it’s overly sombre tone, it is because of this cold atmosphere, and many more reasons, that Dunkirk will remain to be not only one of the better films to be released this year, but will be shown to be an important war film for audiences to go back to…

As its title openly suggests, Dunkirk dramatically and viscerally depicts the true story of 400,000 thousand British soldiers and other allied forces trying to desperately evacuate from a war-torn beach and harbour in France. From the varying degree of different perspectives seen on the beaches, sea and air at different periods of time, this is the story that thoroughly explores the dire-straits of one of WW2’s earliest significant events and how thousand of Allied soldiers retreated and evacuated following the invasion of France by Nazi Germany.

Whereas the majority of war films, of this nature, tend to follow a formulaic pattern in which see either a story of a singular persons heroism fighting against tall-odds or a narrative that consists of a group of people getting personal with each other during battling-endeavours in a way that feels uplifting and ever-so slightly patriotic, it’s clear from the abrupt and sudden opening sequence of Dunkirk that Nolan takes up a different approach; a filmic application that primarily focuses on the war-event at hand by using immersive cinematic techniques which evoke a true sense of verisimilitude. Indeed, in being completely devoid of any over-arching and nonsensical exposition and heavy dialogue, Nolan’s latest cinematic piece fundamentally fixates on the event and the sombre grandeur it displays throughout the entirety of the run-time. From the opening shot of Dunkirk, you’re immediately transported to a space that is unforgiving and wants to concentrate on an aspect of war that doesn’t get fully explored as often as it should – survival. It’s evident to perceive that with Dunkirk being so focal on the precedent in which we’re witnessing soldiers from different perspectives at different times trying to fulfil their particular role, that there is a conscious filmic decision that Nolan employs which is to make the audience not get personally familiar with the characters that are shown on-screen. Being that Dunkirk’s story revolves around multiple perspectives from different areas at different times and not about one person’s point of view, there’s no minutes included where we’re given any information about a particular character’s background which is refreshing to behold. Where other directors may take a different outlook that is more personal and simplistic that follows a formulaic structure, Nolan’s objective in constructing Dunkirk is to fabricate a concept that within this catastrophic scenario, while they maybe all different from one another, is to project every individual that is seen to work towards the same goal; all trying to culminate their efforts with one another to succeed and survive the predicament that they’re in. This is very much exemplified in the much subdued and subtle moments where we see characters hopelessly walking into the sea and desperately swim away from the war-thrilling hardships which, in itself, evokes eerie sensibilities seen in silent cinema (which is ironic considering the bombarding and gravitas nature of the film). Nolan purposefully challenges the audiences gaze to root for all of these soldiers because each one of them has their own moments/problems and war is more than just one persons stance. This is perfectly demonstrated within the three threaded narrative structure that covers different parts of the Dunkirk event, sea, beach and air, in different periods of time; one area spanning across a week, one section covering one day and another section only lasting an hour in story time. While this non-linear narrative structure maybe a filmic formality that isn’t necessarily revolutionary to see, since other established directors like Tarantino have used this plot-formality in their own creative way, what is imperative to note of Nolan’s film-making is the way in which he engages the audiences viewpoint through the non-sequential structure by distinctively manipulating the given space through the importance of time. You only have to look at his specific preceding work of Momento, a film that meticulously amalgamates monochromatic scenes that are sequential with colourised sequences that are incompletely reversed that makes you embody the central characters mental condition, to know that Nolan has an inkling to mould our perception of time and how he interweaves this notion with the trickery of the cinematography to keep us engaged with what’s taking place on the screen. With their being multiple scenarios taking place all at once within Dunkirk, these three different view-points not only help us piece together the overall picture of the narrative and the scope of the war-thrilled event that is taking place, especially when the three points-of-view inevitably converge in the third act, but it’s a contextual aesthetic that is wholly refreshing to see in a film that continually adds tension and is equally as complex as Momento’s intricate way of story-telling. It’s an ingenious cinematic formality to comprehend and the way in which Nolan proceeds to display Dunkirk, it’s what films were invented for.

Alongside the way in which Dunkirk’s story is told through the ornate yet inviting manner of the three-threading narrative structure, one of the other aspects that Nolan permits in upholding a continual sense of tension is the recurring familiarity of sound and how the ticking-bomb type score intricately crescendos with the diegetic and bombastic reverberations of warfare. As much as many audiences will take note of Dunkirk’s sombre yet visceral way it displays an evacuation recreation like this through the inviting cinematography, the film itself wouldn’t have been as intense as it is without the synchronising use of the sound and how not only the ticking beat of the orchestral soundtrack builds right through the course of the film, but how the background soundtrack of Hans Zimmer’s orchestral music both crescendo’s and diminuendo’s as the film proceeds. It seamlessly builds and builds as things are escalating on-screen and, as you might expect, it gets appropriately loud which along with the fact that every shot and explosion you hear sounds very crisp and clear, again adds to the tense presence that the film effortlessly evokes. Of course, with many audience members going into this film knowing that it’s the latest feature that Christopher Nolan has directed, it’s a certainty that you’re going to observe striking visuals that subtly hall-mark documentary filming tropes seen in the early days of cinema itself. It goes without saying that Dunkirk is visually stimulating and it’s hard to expect anything less from the said director since he’s made films in the past that are constructed in a neat and precise manner. 

As much as it’s an arguable hindrance that the characters that are shown in their respective threads don’t have their personalities or motivations fleshed-out in comparison to other similar war-generic films that permit to convey emotion through the personal complications of a certain character, the casting, while arguably predictable since most of the established actors seen in this film have made appearances in preceding Nolan films, works in pageant with this portrayal of Dunkirk since each of the performances feel authentically woven with the sombre mood of the story-telling. What was pleasing to see in summer blockbuster such as this was how the likes of Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy (the stand-out performer), Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Harry Styles, who particularly embodies the scarce attitude of a soldier who’s trying to survive, are sparingly used in comparison to other actors to shine with their character. Non of the mentioned film stars aren’t here to show off. Each of their performances are beautifully subtle and add further realism to what’s shown. As highlighted before, while there isn’t any specific individual who grabs the screen for a fair majority due to the films adopting of a narrative structure that cuts back and forth from different points of view, there’s no reason for any character shown to properly explain anything about themselves or provide any sought of exposition since the film’s circumstance alone is enough for us to get the audience connected with whoever is on-screen. It’s evident to perceive that the characters know the predicament they’re in and despite the minimal lines of dialogue, they’re only going to talk when it’s necessary which ultimately feels authentic to say the least. While it’s arguable to note that many people will find a hindrance in relation to the fact that we don’t necessarily receive a concentrated attention with any one of the characters displayed and how we don’t root for a certain action that a character permits, it’s more or less a conscious device, not to connect with anyone, by Nolan so that he can perpetually ground the film with a realistic and forlorn tone. The film, in the end, is principally about the event itself and how the evacuation of these men who are trying to survive become the manifestation of a singular yet finite character. 

For a film such as this which purposefully envelops the audience’s gaze with a distinct visual language that provides an immersive and realistic experience to the moments of grandeur, what is appreciable to notice in Christopher Nolan’s latest cinematic piece of Dunkirk is the manner in which it thoroughly intertwines all the noticeable superlatives to create something that is horrifically-mournful and moving amidst the spectacle. To write and direct a film that extensively outlines the film in a manner that neatly displays different perspectives at different times whilst intertwining the story-telling and film-making formalities with the ever-alive sound design, it can’ be understated how impressive Dunkirk is in comparison to a lot of films that are being displayed in the cinema at this given time. In spite of the misgivings that critics and audiences alike have in relation to its cold nature, Dunkirk is not only an unbelievably assured and thrilling war film, it’s also one of the best features to appear in 2017. This is indeed, Christopher Nolan at the peak of his powers…

On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s film review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest film review of Dunkirk and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read! 😉If anyone has an opinion on either my review or on the film itself, please feel free to drop a comment down below. For next week, I will be doing a retro film review since I haven’t done one in a fair while. Once again, thank you for reading this week’s Blog Post and I’ll see you all next week! Have a nice weekend! Adieu! 😊😎✌

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Alex Rabbitte