Thread by @MilanBarsopia

INCEPTION - Christopher Nolan’s most discussed film, released today in 2010.

Because of its mind-bending plot, extraordinary visuals and complex storytelling, it became an instant classic. Here are some interesting facts about the film that you should know.

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Christopher Nolan first had the idea of Inception years ago when he was studying. The script took years to write. /2

Nolan actually first pitched the idea of Inception to Warner Bros after Insomnia in 2002. They loved it and gave it the go-ahead on the back of an 80-page treatment Nolan had. He wanted to write the full script first. However, he shelved it when he was offered Batman Begins. /3

He kept on going back to the Inception script in between projects like The Prestige and The Dark Knight, and finally gave a finished script to WB in 2009 which, after the runaway success of The Dark Knight, they green lit immediately. /4

Leonardo DiCaprio’s extremely demanding nature forced Nolan to rewrite the script multiple times.
“He is extremely demanding, which actually helped me work out in Inception wherein there is emotional importance in the story.” said Nolan. /5

All the other cast members were selected after Leo said yes. Nolan wanted the other team members to be younger than Cobb. /6

Inception is widely discussed because of its attention To Detail:

Inception has several themes – among them, memories, regret, and moving on from regret. This is why Edith Piaf’s 1960 classic Non, je ne regrette rien is used by Nolan. It shares those same themes. /7

Non, je ne regrette rien is 2 min 28 sec long, and Inception is 2 hrs 28 min long. Nolan edited the film so the length reflected the song. /8

Ariadne is named after the daughter of Minos in Greek mythology. /9

In their first meeting, Cobb asks Ariadne to design a maze that can be solved in a minute. Nolan’s company Syncopy’s logo is a maze that can be solved in a minute. /10

The numbers 528491 appears throughout the film many times. /11

The number shown on Arthur's totem reappears several times in his dream. /12

The same four digits appear on the train and taxi in Yusuf's dream. /13

The first letters of the main characters’ names - Dom, Robert, Eames, Arthur, Mal, and Saito, spell “Dreams”. /14

Inception is a very personal film for Nolan.

The scene between Cobb and Miles (Michael Caine) was filmed at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London, which is where Nolan studied and met his wife Emma Thomas. /15

Nolan's son Magnus played James, Cobb's son.

Nolan is very secretive about his projects and often shoots films under a code name. Inception was filmed under the name ‘Oliver’s Arrow’ borrowed from his youngest son’s name Oliver. /16

Nolan also cast his cousin, Miranda, as a flight attendant. /17

Also, these images of Nolan, don’t they ring a bell?! /18

The protagonist - Cobb and Nolan. Don’t they look similar? Tall, blue eyes, hairstyle, suits. /19

Inception is a Film about Filmmaking:

Cobb is the director
Arthur is the producer
Ariadne is the production designer
Eames is the actor
Saito is the studio
Fischer is the audience /20

Nolan famously used practical effects in a lot of scenes.

They built a rotating set for filming the Hallway scene. /21

He wanted the explosions in Inception to look surreal, rather than the standard Hollywood orange flames. Also, shooting guidelines in Paris didn’t allow the usage of explosions. So, the crew used high-pressure nitrogen /22

They built a staircase and perfected the camera position and movement to achieve the paradox. /23

Nolan finished both early and under budget, despite being such a logistically complex film. /24

The ending of Inception is one of the most discussed movie moments ever! Everyone was left puzzled if Cobb was dreaming or not. /25

Nolan said, “I’ve been asked the question more times than I’ve ever been asked any other question about any other film… What’s funny to me is that people really do expect me to answer it.” /26

Michael Caine said: “When I got the script of Inception, I was a bit puzzled by it and I said to Chris ‘When is it the dream, and when is it reality?’ He said, ‘Well, when you’re in the scene, it’s reality.’ So get that, if I’m in it, it’s reality. If I’m not in it, it’s a… https://t.co/v7iGGNs8Jwtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…

However, there are also so many fan theories, that suggest that the spinning top was actually Mal’s totem. Leo’s totem was his wedding ring. He said in the film, “In our dreams, we are still together.” /28

Years later, Nolan explained that Cobb finally moves on and ends up with his kids. He has achieved his goal of meeting his kids, he spins the totem but doesn’t stop to see if it keeps spinning or falls. He no longer cares if it’s dream or reality. /29

"I mean, the end of Inception, it is exactly that. There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right? But also, he has moved on and is with his kids. The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity. It's an intellectual one for the audience," said Nolan. /30

Thanks for reading. Please follow me @MilanBarsopia because I write interesting threads every day! /n

I also wrote a thread on why Nolan’s films connect so deeply with the audience.

https://twitter.com/MilanBarsopia/status/1677917236311257089

And another one on Christopher Nolan’s usage of practical effects instead of CGI.

https://twitter.com/MilanBarsopia/status/1679750692242612225

Here's an interesting thread on Christopher Nolan's plot map for Inception, written by @nathanbaugh27

https://twitter.com/nathanbaugh27/status/1661724022776659968