Now I am almost complete in my film review career, if you could call it that. It seems that this is a few days late. But I am still covering a few bits until the end of time perhaps! As Christopher Nolan’s work is going through the mill of retrospective and reflection, some in aid of a probably awards campaign and some in the mark of his early stuff available at good prices, well we get to return to it anew. I went and saw MEMENTO with a bunch of friends 20 odd years ago. I remembered being impressed by its use of narrative disturbance, noir sensibilities and Nolan’s Kubrick notes.

101 Films have re released it, giving me a chance now 20 years later to see if it still holds up. The 31st title of their Black Label releases, sees Guy Pearce play as Leonard (he doesn’t like Lenny). He suffers from a rare brain disorder, he has no short term memories. This means he can remember in detail everything that happened before his injury, sustained after his wife was brutally raped and murdered. Since then, he cant string anything together. Anything held before he has been fixed in. Anything after, lost to the ether. To combat this Leonard tattoos any salient information onto his person. But this means his world is a hotch potch of themes and thoughts. He forgets and then has to rebuild the moment.   As he pieces things together, he may remember the man who killed his wife.

Its lost a lot since its original release. Thanks it part to the Tamil and then Hindi remakes being better whole films. It also has lost something thanks to Nolan’s obsessive use of temporal disturbance. But it does still deliver in a lot of other ways. 101 films have added to this, with this steelbox and rigid release looking frankly stellar. On the disc, which is all I did see, were the commentary from Nolan that has long done the rounds and the new James Mottram and Sean Hogan one. There’s is a peak and trough affair. Detailing a lot of the mechanics of the film and a broad range of film making notes about the production. I wished that like the DVD, they kept the chronological edit  on the one disc as it helped to see how utterly dull the story is without a distorted narrative. Overall though , this is a release that is about intention. The thought being that 101 Films intend to get better and aim higher. They have done it…

UPDATE

Sorry everyone, I have been away and just got back to a few questions. I purchased the Blu Ray of MEMENTO to compare and contrast. The image quality is improved from the older Blu Ray, with light level and tone better. I cant say it is the same as the Criterion as have not seen but can say that I feel it overall lacked the withdrawn, cool visual colour of the version I saw in the cinema, those years back. It is a step up from the Blu Ray, which is heavily condensed but still may have something in it to step up from.

Special Features:

Limited Edition contents:

• SteelBook®
• Rigid box packaging
• Booklet one: Remembrance of things past: time and memory in Christopher Nolan’s Memento by James Mottram
• Booklet two: Jonathan Nolan’s Memento Mori short story
• Replica Polaroid art cards, printed notes and Ferdy’s beer mat enclosed in Leonard’s folder
• Bonus second disc featuring the chronological edit (SD)

Brand new special features:

• Remember – Actor Carrie-Anne Moss on Memento
• Keepsake – Director Christopher Nolan on Memento
• Memento Mori – Writer Jonathan Nolan on Memento
• Memories – Producer Emma Thomas on Memento
• A Leap into the Unknown – Producer Aaron Ryder on Memento
• Musical Memories – Composer David Julyan on Memento
• Commentary with film critics James Mottram and Sean Hogan