Dunkirk and the Classist Gatekeeping of Film

Shawn Barney
Jul 20, 2017 · 4 min read

As July 21 approaches and Christopher Nolan’s much-anticipated war film DUNKIRK comes out in theatres, I’ve struggled to come to terms with the varying mediums it will be presented in and the gatekeeping and classism of its release.

The marketing of the film has heavily pushed that Nolan and cinematographer Hoyle Van Hoytema have shot the film in a combination of 65mm film stock and IMAX film, and the intended way to view this movie would be to see it in IMAX 70mm film, or in select 70mm presentations.

There are going to be at least 7 different ways this film is going to be shown in the theatres, but marketing, reviews, and Film Twitter have all pushed that IMAX or 70mm are the best and only ways to see it.

But what if someone can’t see it in this fashion?

A handy format guide created by @antovolk to help visualize the varying formats DUNKIRK will be released in on July 21.

While there are many ways to view the film, you have to live in a major metropolitan areas with theatres that have the ability to present it in these specific formats that outlets and Twitter are repeatedly telling us to see it in. It has become so overwhelming, Warner Bros. created a site to help audiences find theatres that will present it in 70mm or IMAX 70mm.

In the last 15 years, as digital cinema projection (DCP) became more prevalent and cheaper to maintain, film theatres became a scarcity. In 2015, it was estimated that The Weinstein Co. spent over $80,000 per theatre to retrofit and refurbish 70mm projectors for the 50 THE HATEFUL EIGHT roadshow showings. While DUNKIRK’s 70mm release will be the largest in 25 years with 125 theatres worldwide, only a fraction of the film’s audience will be able to take advantage. On top of that, this fraction will also have to afford the ticket, as these special presentations are ranging between $17 – $25 a ticket.

Essentially, the audience that will be able to see this film as intended by the director and the studio has been narrowed down to a select few in certain locations with the means to afford it. With a combination of varying release formats, high price points, and select locations, it results in a classist and gate-keeping paradigm that only benefits those with access and means.

I shouldn’t need to read 5 articles to find the best way to look at this gorgeous human being.

In the last few years, there has been a big push by directors who purport that film is the best choice to shoot and present their films. While the quality of film cannot be questioned, their motives certainly can be. Who will benefit from this choice: the filmgoer in Los Angeles, or in rural Saskatchewan?

When you promote a format that exclusively caters to a few, you leave out the many. In the last 10 years we’ve seen creators able to use mobile technology and affordable cameras to shoot and create wondrous works, uploading them to YouTube for anyone with an internet connection, the only limiting factor for their audience is their wifi speeds. Their fans and audiences have grown in the millions, with little to no barriers in watching their next uploaded piece.

As Netflix aggressively produces more television series and releases original films, we’re seeing creators work closely with Netflix to release their work to the widest audience possible, where anyone can watch their newest film with little to no barrier. While Ava DuVernay has collaborated with Netflix with the exceptional documentary 13TH, with another series on the story of the “Central Park Five” in development, Nolan’s recent comments regarding Netflix during an interview with IndieWire appear to be high classist.

While there may be a legitmate argument over Netflix’s distribution model, arguing that they have a “mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation” feels out of touch, gatekeeping, and classist when your preferred way to watch the film can only be viewed by a fraction of audience members. Meanwhile, I can watch 13TH in whatever available medium I have, as intended by DuVernay.

As reviewers and reporters dole out the best ways to see DUNKIRK, it leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth. If someone chooses to go to a theatre to enjoy a film, they shouldn’t feel like their local theatre with a DCP projector should be “[their] last resort”. All it does is further limit audiences from enjoying the work to a select few. They should be rewarded for their dedication and their time with a unique and thrilling experience. They shouldn’t feel left out because a director is choosing to reward a few fans with the access and means over the many that don’t.

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