What makes a film great? This is an easy question but with no definite answer. Different film directors have different style of crafting a film and every one of them knows how to make a great film. When this is the case, then there are many ways that decide whether a movie is great or bad. There’s one man who is so famous for his nonlinear narrative structure when making films. His breakthrough film, Memento, features reverse narrative structure complemented with excessive use of flashbacks. Yet, the movie was never a bore to watch. His other great crème, The Prestige, possesses fewer flashbacks while retaining the charm of a classic tale about magicians. That man is Christopher Nolan. Obviously, he doesn’t rely on the nonlinear narrative structure alone to produce great films. The characters and the non diagetic are both also implemented in these two films. His attention to the smallest details of the films’ important aspects defines the prestige of his master works.
Christopher Nolan is really famous for his nonlinear narrative structure and this trademark of his was used brilliantly in both films. According to Soviet formalist, Vladimir Propp, narrative construction consists of two things, which are fabula and syuzhet. These terms are best used to explain how the narrative structure of Memento and The Prestige work. In Memento, the narrative structure is constructed by two parallel timelines across the syuzhet. At the end of the syuzhet, the two timelines intersect each other, and it is done beautifully. The story starts with the main character, Leonard Shelby holding a polaroid photograph after shooting a man in the head. The great thing about this opening scene is how it is shown in reverse, and it is in fact the only scene to be shown that way. This gives us an idea that the whole movie will feature some reverse narrative structure. After that scene, the audience is brought back to another scene that happened just before the opening scene, giving more...