Christopher Nolan’s 70 mm War Epic ‘Dunkirk’ Plots A Course For KCET’s Cinema Series on July 18th
Dunkirk opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea, they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in. The story unfolds on land, sea and air. RAF Spitfires engage the enemy in the skies above the Channel, trying to protect the defenseless men below. Meanwhile, hundreds of small boats manned by both military and civilians are mounting a desperate rescue effort, risking their lives in a race against time to save even a fraction of their army. Dunkirk features a multigenerational ensemble cast, including Harry Styles, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Tom Hardy. Christopher Nolan (Batman trilogy, Inception, Interstellar) directed Dunkirk from his own screenplay, utilizing a mixture of IMAX® and 65mm film to bring the story to the screen. Steve Rubin, acclaimed author on WWII movies, will join Cinema Series host Pete Hammond for a Q&A immediately following the screening.
Nolan explained, “In looking at how to tell the story, I came fairly early on to the idea of showing events from the land, sea and air: seeing the action from the perspectives of the men on the beach, the people coming to help on the boats, and the pilots trying to protect them from above. I was immediately struck by the need to use a different time scale for each strand of the story because the guys on the beach are there for the better part of a week in the film, while the boat crossing takes place over the course of a long day, and the action in the Spitfires involves a single hour.”
The summer season of the KCET Cinema Series is generously sponsored by the James and Paula Coburn Foundation and in partnership with the official media sponsor for Cinema Series, Deadline.com. The season began on June 6th and runs through August 1st. Prorated season passes as well as individual admissions for $25 each are available at the door. The film will begin at 7 p.m. at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica (1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403), nearby street parking is available.
