Memento is the movie that launched Christopher Nolan's career. Its a tale of amnesia and revenge, which offers some hefty talking points around the fallibility of memory as well as offering an entertaining murder mystery full of twists, turns and secrets. And the fun doesnt stop there, either. Behind the scenes, and before the film was finished, Memento was already an interesting movie. Casting decisions didnt all go the way that Nolan wanted, elements of the script were entirely improvised, and there were a few nods to Nolans future projects that may or may not have been totally accidental. For hardcore Nolan fans, theres plenty of trivia here to get your head around. Unless youre a hardened super-fan whos devoured every commentary, analysis and interview going, then, there are probably a few things that you dont yet know about Memento. Take note of these behind-the-scenes facts to get you up to speed. Just remember to tattoo them all over yourself you dont forget them all in five minutes
10. The Premise Was Conceived On A Road Trip
Where did the idea for Memento come from? is a question thats probably crossed your mind at some point. Well, the genesis of concept idea was cooked up on a road trip back in 1996 (four years before Memento would finally get a release). Christopher (26 years old at the time) and Jonathan Nolan (20) were driving the 2,000-mile journey from Chicago to Los Angeles (where Christopher was moving), presumably in the hope of ramping up their respective careers in the creative industries upon their arrival. The idea for a film based around anterograde amnesia came up at some stage during the journey. Jonathan would go on to write the short story Memento Mori, and Christopher wrote the script for Memento. The brothers would correspond about their projects - which were written pretty much simultaneously - although the two narratives are far from identical. In Memento Mori, there is no Leonard (Guy Pearces character). The equivalent is Earl, a patient at a mental institution who convinces himself to escape and get revenge on the man who killed his wife. Unlike Memento, Memento Mori doesnt have an ambiguous ending. Earl gets his man, and the story ends. Jonathans story is credited in the finished film as an inspiration, regardless of the differences.
