Christopher Nolan has revealed how he was once told by his Peloton instructor that they hadn't enjoyed one of his films.
The director of The Dark Knight had been giving a speech to the New York Film Critics Circle on January 4 about his relationship with film critics.
Naturally, Nolan is accustomed to reading criticism of his work in the media, as you would expect for a director of his repute.
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Not only that, but he told how with the rise of social media where anybody can broadcast their opinion, he had found a deepened relationship with critics.
But sometimes the critiques come from wholly unexpected sources beyond the media or even social media.
In his acceptance speech after being given the award for best director, he said: “Directors have a complex emotional relationship with critics and criticism. A question we’re always asked is: Do we read reviews?
"Let’s start with the fact that I’m British. A typical family gathering will involve relatives saying to me, ‘You know, Christopher. You probably shouldn’t open The Guardian today.'”
But it was when the director was exercising that he was most surprised. It's one thing opening a newspaper ready to receive a review, quite another when you're in your exercise pants gasping for breath.
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Nolan recalled: “I was on my Peloton. I’m dying. And the instructor started talking about one of my films and said, ‘Did anyone see this? That’s a couple hours of my life I’ll never get back again!'”
Ouch.
He continued: “When [film critic] Rex Reed takes a sh*t on your film he doesn’t ask you to work out!
"In today’s world, where opinions are everywhere, there is a sort of idea that film criticism is being democratized.
"But I for one think the critical appreciation of films shouldn’t be an instinct but it should be a profession.”
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Of course, the director may have been very mindful of his audience, of the assembled film critics of New York. Not a group of people you'd want to get on the wrong side of as a director.
He continued: “What we have here tonight is a group of professionals who attempt objectivity.
“Obviously writing about cinema objectively is a paradox, but the aspirations of objectivity is what makes criticism vital and timeless and useful to filmmakers and the filmmaking community.”
There is nonetheless a lot to be said for having someone who is very knowledgeable about film-making writing criticism.
Topics: News, UK News, Christopher Nolan, Film and TV