
The Political Christopher Nolan
Liberalism and the Anglo-American Vision
Jesse Russell(Author)
Lexington Books (Publisher)
Published on 26. May 2023
Book
Hardback
172 pages
978-1-6669-0619-6 (ISBN)
Description
Many of Christopher Nolan's films ironically both embrace the tradition of surrealist and Avant-Garde filmmaking while simultaneously providing (at least tacit) support for the Anglo-American liberal world order. For Nolan, this world order, which relies on global capitalism, technocratic supremacy, and ultimate control of world cultural production, is a much greater alternative to either left- or right-wing challenges to this liberalism. In Nolan's films, this liberalism must occasionally use violence and violate some of its core principals of privacy and freedom to maintain its dominance. Nonetheless, Anglo-American liberalism, in Nolan's vision provides a world that is freer, more humane, and more prosperous than other anarchic, Marxist, or fascist alternatives. Finally, (and perhaps most importantly for Nolan) the security, wealth, and freedom of this liberal world order enables the world of art and film to blossom, and the opportunity for Christopher Nolan to create (post-) ironic dream worlds or, in the words of Jean Baudrillard, a "hyperreality".
Reviews / Votes
Russell allows for a variety of critical perspectives and compiles relevant reception sources. The work stands out for its thoroughness, depth, and multifaceted approaches. * Journal for Religion, Film and Media * The end of history endures. Not just in intellectual commentary and debate, but also in cinema. And no director has been wrestling with the implications of the end of history more than Christopher Nolan ... Jesse Russell does an admirable job in interpreting Nolan's films through a political lens. He does an equally superb job in highlighting the role of love within the neoliberal paradigm that defines many of Nolan's best and most mature films. Any lover of Nolan's cinematic brilliance will be enriched by Russell's book. * VoegelinView * With lively intelligence and winsome wit, Jesse Russell reveals the shifting and far-reaching philosophical implications embedded in Nolan's films, drawing out the deep political theses that drive the culture industry's massively influential entertainments. -- Joshua Hren, Author of Infinite Regress: A Novel Jesse Russell's new book The Political Christopher Nolan argues that Nolan's villains present philosophical challenges to the Anglo-American liberal order, and the hero's victory consistently validates the status quo. Russell's premise stimulates deeper, symbolic thinking ... Russell's close reading is thought-provoking. * Front Porch Republic *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
10 tables;
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
409 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6669-0619-6 (9781666906196)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
05/2023
1st Edition
Lexington Books
€82.99
Available for download

E-Book
05/2023
1st Edition
Lexington Books
€82.99
Available for download
Person
Jesse Russell is assistant professor of English at Georgia Southwestern State University
Content
Chapter 1: The Twilight of the American Century in Christopher Nolan's Memento
Chapter 2: Batman Begins and the Taming of the Orient
Chapter 3: Order and the State in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight
Chapter 4: Defending the Status Quo in The Dark Knight Rises
Chapter 5: Dreaming of Capitalism in Christopher Nolan's Inception
Chapter 6: Discovering America in Space: Christopher Nolan's Interstellar
Chapter 7: Recruiting Blackness in Christopher Nolan's Tenet.
Chapter 2: Batman Begins and the Taming of the Orient
Chapter 3: Order and the State in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight
Chapter 4: Defending the Status Quo in The Dark Knight Rises
Chapter 5: Dreaming of Capitalism in Christopher Nolan's Inception
Chapter 6: Discovering America in Space: Christopher Nolan's Interstellar
Chapter 7: Recruiting Blackness in Christopher Nolan's Tenet.