Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan’s cinema and its immersive quality is appreciated by audiences and critics alike, and already analysed by researchers, often mentioning “claustrophobia” as a feeling encountered in his films. However, a number of extensive explorations of his work, and filmmaking in general, leave...

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Main Author: Viktorija Lankauskaitė
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University 2023-02-01
Series:Creativity Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.vilniustech.lt/index.php/CS/article/view/15598
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author Viktorija Lankauskaitė
author_facet Viktorija Lankauskaitė
author_sort Viktorija Lankauskaitė
collection DOAJ
description Christopher Nolan’s cinema and its immersive quality is appreciated by audiences and critics alike, and already analysed by researchers, often mentioning “claustrophobia” as a feeling encountered in his films. However, a number of extensive explorations of his work, and filmmaking in general, leave the creation of claustrophobia in cinema undiscussed. Thus, the article aims to fill the gap and investigate his 2017’s film Dunkirk, since this account of the historical event during the World War II has often been described as “claustrophobic”. Cinematic space and time, the way the medium can be used to create certain feelings, as well as the properties of Nolan’s work are examined. Space and time manipulation, the use of IMAX for immersion, interchanging aspect ratios, and the idea of contrasts are responsible for the claustrophobic atmosphere in the film. The study could be useful for filmmakers and creatives, as well as for audiences interested in what shapes their experience of the story they see on screen.
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spelling doaj.art-96df9add80d747e393ea78821936345d2023-02-02T16:15:52ZengVilnius Gediminas Technical UniversityCreativity Studies2345-04792345-04872023-02-0116110.3846/cs.2023.15598Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s DunkirkViktorija Lankauskaitė0Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Kaunas University of Technology, A. Mickevičiaus str. 37, LT-44244 Kaunas, Lithuania Christopher Nolan’s cinema and its immersive quality is appreciated by audiences and critics alike, and already analysed by researchers, often mentioning “claustrophobia” as a feeling encountered in his films. However, a number of extensive explorations of his work, and filmmaking in general, leave the creation of claustrophobia in cinema undiscussed. Thus, the article aims to fill the gap and investigate his 2017’s film Dunkirk, since this account of the historical event during the World War II has often been described as “claustrophobic”. Cinematic space and time, the way the medium can be used to create certain feelings, as well as the properties of Nolan’s work are examined. Space and time manipulation, the use of IMAX for immersion, interchanging aspect ratios, and the idea of contrasts are responsible for the claustrophobic atmosphere in the film. The study could be useful for filmmakers and creatives, as well as for audiences interested in what shapes their experience of the story they see on screen. https://journals.vilniustech.lt/index.php/CS/article/view/15598cinemaclaustrophobiaChristopher NolanDunkirkspacetime
spellingShingle Viktorija Lankauskaitė
Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk
Creativity Studies
cinema
claustrophobia
Christopher Nolan
Dunkirk
space
time
title Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk
title_full Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk
title_fullStr Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk
title_full_unstemmed Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk
title_short Creating claustrophobia in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk
title_sort creating claustrophobia in christopher nolan s dunkirk
topic cinema
claustrophobia
Christopher Nolan
Dunkirk
space
time
url https://journals.vilniustech.lt/index.php/CS/article/view/15598
work_keys_str_mv AT viktorijalankauskaite creatingclaustrophobiainchristophernolansdunkirk