By Christopher Nolan’s remarkable initial short film “Tarantella” (1989) – YouTube
Christopher Nolan’s fascinating first short film is now available for viewing on YouTube – but it likely won’t stay up for long.
Entitled Tarantella, this 1989 short film is co-written and directed by Nolan along with his collaborator Roko Belic.
According to the synopsis provided by the YouTube uploader The Worthy Cinema, “it centers on the turmoil of a young man who suffers from nightmares featuring spiders and demons.”
In the silent four-minute film, a man (portrayed by Belic) witnesses visions of spiders before abruptly awakening in his bed. He is then confronted by a pale-faced figure wearing dark lipstick (Nolan, in a rare acting role).
Following this, Tarantella devolves into a sequence of disturbing imagery that haunts the man’s mind and seems to drive him into madness. You can view it for yourself above.
However, do not expect Tarantella to remain accessible for much longer. It was thought to be lost for years until its rediscovery in 2021, yet it has subsequently been removed from the internet again.
In fact, this situation appears similar to the recent leaks of James Bond audition tapes (including Henry Cavill’s audition video) that surfaced earlier this year: an intriguing piece of cinematic history, but one that was never intended for public viewing.
Nonetheless, it offers an intriguing insight into the early works of Nolan, a budding director who, at that time, would have been an ambitious young man seeking to make his mark in the industry.
Nolan would later go on to produce two more shorts, Doodlebug and Larceny, the latter of which has never been released.
The director, of course, progressed to greater achievements. He made a significant impact with the thriller Memento in 2000 before gaining a global audience with The Dark Knight trilogy.
Since then, his films have become event cinema, with titles like Interstellar, Inception, and Academy Award winner Oppenheimer recognized as some of the finest films of the 21st century.
Nolan is currently working on The Odyssey, an adaptation of Homer’s epic poem. It features Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, and Zendaya – among many others.
For more, check out our ranking of the best Christopher Nolan films.