Before he became a sensation with the twisty revenge story Memento, Christopher Nolan fashioned this low-budget, black-and-white, 16 mm neo-noir with comparable precision and cunning. Supplying irrefutable evidence of Nolan’s directorial bravura, Following ($39.95) is the fragmented tale of an unemployed young writer who trails strangers through London, hoping that they will provide inspiration for his first novel. He gets more than he bargained for with one of his unwitting subjects, who leads him down a dark, criminal path. With gritty aesthetics and a made-on-the-fly vibe (many shots were simply stolen on the streets, unbeknownst to passersby), Following is a mind-bending psychological journey that shows the remarkable beginnings of one of today’s most acclaimed filmmakers.
Disc Features:
-New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Christopher Nolan, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
-New 5.1 surround sound mix by sound editor Gary Rizzo, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray edition
-Audio commentary by Nolan
-New interview with Nolan
-Chronological rendering of the story
-Side-by-side comparison of three scenes in the film with the shooting script
-Doodlebug (1997), a three-minute film by Nolan, starring Jeremy Theobald
-Trailers
-A booklet featuring an essay by film critic and programmer Scott Foundas
Criterion will release the Blu-ray of Following on December 11, 2012.
