THE CHARACTER
Nolan has shown a fascination for characters whose morality endures the ultimate test, à la the Devil-tempted Faust of German legend (the subject of the opera seen in Batman Begins, no less); Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, for example, or deviant magician Robert Angier in The Prestige. Modern figures don’t come more Faustian than J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist who created the most destructive force witnessed by humanity and deeply regretted it, becoming ostracised for his anti-bomb beliefs. “It’s just this most monstrous responsibility,” as Nolan said in Tom Shone’s book about the director, The Nolan Variations.