Memento & Following [Paperback]

Christopher Nolan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2001

The screenplay for the cult film that took audiences by storm

Memento is a remarkably layered, psychological-puzzle film that explores the narrative possibilities of noir, turning its detective into a surrogate for the spectator while forcing the audience to embark on the same kind of sleuthing its main character is involved in. Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) is a former insurance investigator who since his wife's rape and apparent murder has suffered from a condition that renders him unable to form new memories. Despite his affliction, he's vowed to find his wife's killer and keeps track of his search with scribbled notes, Polaroids, clues tattooed on his body, and sheaves of documents. But as the film progresses everything Leonard holds as fact is undermined in a heart-pounding narrative that will keep audiences guessing until the final reel-and beyond.
Also contained in this volume is the screenplay for Following, Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed debut. The film follows an aspiring writer who finds an unlikely ally in a burglar who claims he breaks into houses only to experience other people's lives.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This jolting jigsaw puzzle of a movie grabs you and won't let go."--Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"Deconstructs time and space with Einstein-caliber dexterity in the service of a delectably disturbing tale of revenge. [A] beautifully structured puzzle, which sustains its mystery until the punch-packing resolution of the final frames."--Lisa Nesselson, Variety

About the Author

Christopher Nolan lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; First Edition edition (June 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571210473
• ISBN-13: 978-0571210473
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #214,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved Every Word. The Best Screenplay I Have Ever Read!, January 30, 2002

By 

Michael Crane (Orland Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memento & Following (Paperback)

I have been saying this for a few months: "Memento" is my favorite movie. As soon as I found out that you could buy the screenplay for the movie, I knew that I had to have it. Normally, I wouldn't care to see the screenplay for many movies, but this was a very big exception. I loved the movie so much that I wanted to see how it looked on paper.

A little warning: The script is NOT word for word to the movie. Some parts are different in many ways. The order of events are a little different and a lot of good lines that were in the movie were not included in the screenplay. Is this a bad thing? OF COURSE NOT! In fact, it was a great surprise. This was what the movie was going to eventually lead up to looking like. It was a rough layout of what could happen in what order. Of course, things change when you're filming the movie. Certain scenes are changed or cut out, lines are either trimmed or dramatically changed, and so on. The story in no way is changed and the resolution is still very much the same as the movie. The point is that it's fascinating to see how the script developed into the finished product, which is a masterpiece of a film that should go down as one of the greatest films in history. I loved reading the screenplay, and it makes me admire how the film turned out in the end even more.

Another movie that is included in this wonderful book, a movie you might have never even heard of, is "Following." This script was a little more similar to the movie in most parts than "Memento" was. I also enjoyed reading that part of the book. I have seen the movie before hand, so I kind of knew what I was in for. Again, this screenplay is filled with sharp and witty dialogue and life-shattering consequences that won't appear visible until the shocking conclusion.

Another cool feature of this book is that it includes an interview with Christopher Nolan and one of the stars from "Following." It also includes some photos from both movies and how the idea for "Memento" came about.

Christopher Nolan has a talent when it comes to forcing characters to face severe consequences and ugly truths, as well as coming up with great dialogue that can only be created by a pro. He can also manipulate time and make it confusing for us as well as for his characters. If you have seen the movie or movies, get this book as soon as you can. I recommend that you see them first, then read the book. All in all, this was a terrific read and I look forward into reading it again and again.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a gimmick!, April 17, 2002

By 

Blake Petit "Novelist, columnist & reviewer" (Ama, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Memento & Following (Paperback)

In a conversation with a friend of mine a while back, he told me he didn't understand why people liked "Memento" so much, he said all the film had was a "gimmick."

To which I replied, "it may be a gimmick, but YOU try writing a script with a gimmick like that."

The "gimmick" is the non-linear progression of the story that Christopher Nolan uses in both of the scripts in this book, "Memento" and "Following." It's an experimental style of storytelling, to be certain, but it's a successful experiment. Both scripts, "Memento" in particular, show events not in the order they happen, but in the order of importance, and it's a brilliant way to tell the story. Nolan's a magnificent screenwriter -- can't wait for his next one.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Memento" Memento, June 21, 2001

By 

"otisloubohr" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memento & Following (Paperback)

I haven't read the "Following" half of this two-screenplays-in-one book yet--that'll have to wait until I manage to find the movie itself--but it's well worth the price just for the "Memento" half, assuming you're a fan of said movie. The slight differences between this screenplay and the finished movie provide one with both a clearer understanding of Nolan's intentions, and an appreciation of what fortuitous circumstances had to come together to result in such a perfect end-product: this brilliant screenplay (which I can sit and read and imagine being performed by utterly unsuitable actors, dream who'd have been the most ill-chosen director), ideal actors and director, fantastically fitting sets and cinematography, music, and so on.