Presentation script 'Memento'

Presentation script: Memento as film noir

Projector:  fading in and out images of Leonard holding a picture, his tattoos and the poster he has that held his clues.

Presenter: Classic film noir conveys a sense of dark pessimism, fear, mistrust and general insecurity that reflected the time in which the genre was created after the Second World War. The use of black and white lighting, a morally ambiguous protagonist, a corrupt authority figure and a ‘femme-fatale’ were common among film noir plots.

Projector: Video of the opening scene to memento where Leonard is shaking the Polaroid picture as the image starts the fade.

Presenter: The applications of film noir or more correctly ‘neo-noir’ conventions are evident throughout the film. The opening scene with its camera angle and foreshadowing sets the tone for the rest of the film. A close up shot of a Polaroid photograph is used and it was one of the most interesting scenes to me because it looks as if it is the only scene in the film that actually runs backwards as the picture fades with each shake of the hand. Confusing scene at first sight but as the film proceeds it seems appropriate and its importance is clear.

Projector: next scene where it is in black and white lighting.

Presenter: the movie then cuts to a black and white scene, strongly placing itself in the film noir genre. Also the use of ‘John’ as the name of the suspect Leonard is pursuing indicates the pointlessness of his search and gives the impression of a pessimistic ending.

Projector: opening scene where Leonard is seen shooting teddy

Presenter: the opening scene cues us to see the murder of teddy and in the long run, this guides us through the whole movie to look for the reason behind this murder. The rewinding of this scene indicates the type of narration the film will follow and reveals that we see parts of the story in fragments that are stringed together in a non-linear fashion. 

“… film noirs emphasize the ‘criminal psychology’, violence, misogyny, and everyday realism, and the extent to which the use of first-person narration and multiple flashbacks serve to fragment their narratives”

                                                                                                                                - Nino frank

Presenter: this opening scene raises a lot of questions in the audience’s minds and as a result creates expectations for answers.

“What we normally call suspense involves a delay in fulfilling an established expectation.”   

                                                                                                  - Film Art: An introduction                  

In memento, the scenes in the narrative actually occur last in the plot, therefore we are constantly expecting answers to questions, and this intrigues the viewer which causes them to follow the protagonist through the story and through his eyes. The bigger questions like why did he kill teddy and what he is in town for are answered right at the end, therefore creating a deeper sense of suspense and anticipation in the audience.

Presenter: Although the first time that I seen ‘memento’ it looked to be in a non-linear fashion but after research and watching an interview with Christopher Nolan it seems that there is two narratives that just play in reverse to each other, (the original scenes and the black and white scenes) and a quote from Nolan stated that-

“…the film is more linear than a conventional film, no scene can be taken out of the film without the narrative becoming confusing, each scene relates to the next it is just reversed essentially”

This unorthodox way of editing effectively provides surprises, suspense and satisfaction to the audience. These feelings and expectations exist due to filming conventions. The elements in the opening scene lead us to the knowledge that it is a film noir and any expectation of an optimistic ending is eliminated.

Projector: video of a coloured scene in the film of Leonard

Presenter: the mise-en-scene in Memento is typical of the film noir genre. The use of lighting, dull colours, costumes, props and the set in general have strong film noir roots.

“Film noirs attempt to provide an unflattering picture of contemporary America”

-    Henri-François Rey

Every character in the film is seen wearing dull coloured clothes and even some dirty clothes which combine to create an unflattering picture of America, along with the set that lacks any bright colours.

The film also focuses on the loneliness of Leonard throughout. The lonely motel, abandoned warehouse and the scarcely populated town highlight the loneliness of him. There is no shots of open roads or scenic images to create the feeling that the protagonist is not influenced by his surroundings thus the narrative is completely depended on Leonard. Also in the scene where Leonard is in bed with Natalie he is shown to be talking to himself and the close up shot to exclude Natalie reveals that he is helpless even with someone so physically close to him.

Projector: Video of the scene with Leonard and the motel worker

Presenter: very early in the film, the motel worker talks to Leonard about his condition and comments on how “it’s all backwards”. The confusing narrative is used to put the audience in the same position as the protagonist. We see the world through his eyes and know as much information as he does. We are given pieces of the puzzle just like Leonard does with his tattoos and photographs that we need to put together to solve.

“Moral ambivalence, criminal violence and the contradictory complexity of situations and motives combine to give the audience a genuine sense of anxiety or insecurity, and this is the hallmark of film noir in our era”

It is due to Leonard’s condition that the narrative is propelled, everyday he wakes up the search for his wife’s killer is just as strong as the day before.

Projector: Video of Sammy sitting in the hospital and where the graphic match occurs

Presenter: later on in the film we are forced to consider the legitimacy of the Sammy Jankis story in particular the scene where Sammy is shown in a home and when someone walks past for a split second a graphic match is used to replace Sammy for Leonard. This gives rise to more questions could it have been Leonard who lived in a home? Is it Leonard who is cursed with this untreatable condition? We do not know what his earlier life was like based on personal accounts.

Presenter: throughout the film Leonard’s condition is taken advantage of and he is manipulated to perform hitman-like tasks for people, including Natalie who gets him to kill Dodd for hurting her and tries to get him to seek revenge on teddy. This shows a clear ‘femme-fatale’ that is a typical convention in the film noir genre.

Projector: Image of the cover box of Memento

Presenter: at the end of the film Leonard chooses to ignore the whole truth about his wife and Sammy that teddy gives him in order to pursue another mystery where he sets himself up to inevitably kill Teddy another ‘John G’ but before we can follow this conflict the film ends.

Christopher Nolan effectively uses film noir conventions to bring out a contemporary style in memento placing the film in the neo-noir genre that it is popularly named. It is a film that uses a complicated but complete narrative to engage the audience more than a conventional film would to bring a coherent plot that gets the viewers to think just as much as watch, thus drawing them into the film.