Christopher
Nolan may most recently be known for his contribution to the Superhero trend in
films, more specifically for his direction in the revival of Batman and as a
producer in the newest Superman film, but none of this would have been possible
without Following. Few filmmakers have such a clear tendency towards a certain
type of films, and Nolan showed an interest in non-linear and twist-filled
stories from his debut, Following,
made on a shockingly simplified budget. Before the revenge-mystery Memento, Nolan made this simple film
noir on 16 mm.
Despite
being told out of sequence, Following is reminiscent of many classic Alfred
Hitchcock films in the sense that it involves an ordinary man being pulled into
a world he is unfamiliar with. When an unemployed aspiring writer (Jeremy
Theobald) needs inspiration, he gets in the habit of walking around his London
These
two develop a relationship, which eventually leads the young writer into a
criminal world he is unprepared to handle. The only other characters in the
film is a policeman and the film’s femme fatale, known in the credits only as
Blonde (Lucy Russell). In many ways, even the non-linear way in which the story
is told can be traced back to days of classic film noir, and is a tradition
that Nolan would carry on in a more complex manner in his next film, Memento.
The
Blu-ray release of Following comes with a newly restored digital transfer of
the film, supervised by Nolan, along with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack
and a new 5.1 surround mix rerecording by mixer Gary Rizzo. The film comes with
an option audio commentary by Nolan, as well as some new interviews and a
three-minute short film by the director. The film is also available in a
chronological edit on the Blu-ray, and an insert with an essay by film critic
Scott Foundas.
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