MEMENTO - Watch the American release in chronological order! (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Cooper]

The other night I went through and made note of all the starting times for each scene in the Columbia/Tristar R1 release of Memento. This will enable you to program in the start times for each scene in the cronological order.
The times listed below are the start of each scene. When the scene ends, stop the player and enter in the time of the next scene. Where applicable the start of a chapter is used instead of a time, since the chapters are easier to jump to. Chapter listings are indicated by parenthesis ().
Enjoy!
(2)
(3)
10:12
(5)
(6)
26:43
31:41
(8)
45:00
(9)
52:02
(10)
56:35
59:27
(11)
1:09:18
1:12:55
(14)
(15)
1:23:12
(16)
(17)
1:30:03
1:23:35
1:22:25
1:17:47
1:13:20
(13)
(12)
1:00:07
57:27
53:43
52:15
49:22
46:01
40:11
32:32
(7)
22:54
16:56
(4)
7:01
2:58
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-Jeff Cooper
"Curse you inspector Dim! You are too clever for us naughty people."

 

[Seymour Uranowitz]

Excellent job, Jeff! I watched it in chronological order last week, based on Salon.com's definitive analysis. About halfway through I realized I should have been writing down the times just as you did. Thanks for doing the work.
What's so cool about the film is that while the plot is usually described as running backward, it actually runs forward and backward simultaneously. So the last scene is actually the middle point of the plot!! This point is much clearer as you navigate through it chronologically on the DVD, and seeing it both ways really helps you appreciate the brilliance of its construction.
By the way, Memento Mori, the short story that inspired the film, is included as an extra on the DVD, but if you want to print it out it's available here on Esquire's web site.
Seymour

 

[Clinton McClure]

Hmmmm.....have not seen it, but it sounds like it was put together in the same manner as Pulp Fiction.
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[Scott Weinberg]

Not even close to the structure of Pulp Fiction, but still staggeringly clever.
Thanks for the chapter stop...stops. I'll use 'em!
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Scott
Check out my Movie Reviews at Epinions. Help support my debilitating DVD addiction!
AOL IM: TheAngryJew29

 

[Seymour Uranowitz]

Looking at the list again, it seems like the opening credit sequence is not included. I'm not at home to check the DVD, but I think it should be the last entry in the list, with the times shown in reverse from the end of Chapter 1 to the beginning (e.g., 1:28 -> 0:00). This is the one scene in the film that actually does run backward; the opening shot of the film is the last scene of the plot.
Seymour
[Edited last by Seymour Uranowitz on September 19, 2001 at 12:16 PM]

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Yes if you really wanted the full experience, the last item on the list would be to start at the beginning of chapter 2, and put your player into rewind x1 speed. I actually did this, and it is somewhat interesting, but my player is kind of jerky going backwards, not smooth, plus you have no audio.
Then where do you put the credits?
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-Jeff Cooper
"Curse you inspector Dim! You are too clever for us naughty people."

 

[Seymour Uranowitz]

Then where do you put the credits?

They should have done what the Seinfeld show did in their reverse-sequence episode (The Betrayal, loosely based on the Pinter play). Start with the closing credits and copyright notice!

 

[Jodee]

I have to wonder...why not watch it the way the director intended?
I can understand the fascination, but I still find it a bit ironic that if Memento had been released in pan&scan we'd all be on here crying about the director's intent, but we don't seem to find anything wrong with re-editing a film to our liking.
Flame suit on.....

 

[Seymour Uranowitz]

No flames here...just a comment. I love the film exactly the way it was made. But manipulating the time element is a way of exploring the film's unique narrative style in order to understand it a little better. I would never recommend it to someone who hasn't seen the film in its original form first.
Watching a film while listening to a director's commentary also alters the original experience, often exposing hidden tricks and techniques. But it's a great way of enhancing the experience after the initial viewing.
Seymour

 

[cafink]

I have to wonder...why not watch it the way the director intended?
I can understand the fascination, but I still find it a bit ironic that if Memento had been released in pan&scan we'd all be on here crying about the director's intent, but we don't seem to find anything wrong with re-editing a film to our liking.

Apples and oranges.
No one is saying that anyone should watching Memento chronologically before they've even seen the film in proper order. No one is saying that the chronological version is a reasonable substitute for the proper version. No one is saying that two versions of the DVD should have been produced, one with the proper cut and the other with the chronological cut. No stores are selling the chronological version sanctioned as an "official" cut.
This is NOT about altering a movie to pander to the ignorant, as pan-and-scan is. This is simply a way for fans of the film to re-examine it in a new light.

 

[Billy Fogerty]

Sorry guy's, backward, forward or in order, this is not a good film. No way is it Pulp fiction caliber. I was looking forward to seeing it. Was I disappointed. It actually became incredibly boring.

[Edited last by Billy Fogerty on September 19, 2001 at 09:46 PM]

 

[Doug R]

Everyone's entitled to their opinion Billy but just realize you're outnumbered like 100 to 1

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[LARUE]

Wasn't there a Seinfeld episode that was cut in the same manner as Memento? Something about a wedding?

 

[Pierre Gagne]

I watched MEMENTO in chronological order as I have the Alliance version. This is the only supplement offered on the disc. If you catch the trick on how to program the scenes from this disc, you can watch the new version with just one interruption (my player can only take 30 chapters at a time).
Just remember that the black and white scenes of the movie come first (as they are seen in the original version) and the colored ones follow in descending order.
Finally I just want to add that seeing the movie that way in quite interesting (after watching it the way it was intended, of course). In my case, I understood the movie better and it still made the movie a great entertainment.
Again, highly recommended.
Pierre

 

[Mathias Klemme]

No offense, but am I the only one who thinks watching MEMENTO chronologically is a stupid idea? It's not meant to be seen that way, period.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

No offense, but am I the only one who thinks watching MEMENTO chronologically is a stupid idea? It's not meant to be seen that way, period.

I guess you never disassembled any of your toys as a kid just to see how they work.
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-Jeff Cooper
"Curse you inspector Dim! You are too clever for us naughty people."

 

[MichaelPe]

I watched Memento in chronological order earlier this year, and it made me realize something: Christopher Nolan is a genius.
Do yourself a favor and watch it in order at least once, and you'll notice many little things about the movie that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise.
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[DonnyD]

An astounding movie. I loaned it out to someone with the warning of don't do drugs or get drunk while watching this movie!
My first time around, I was in a daze when the movie was over. It made me feel like I was losing my memory too! I found Memento to be the most clever movie I've seen in quite a while because of it's non-chronological order, yet we are constantly trying to arrange it in our minds in chronological order.... So thanks to the one who has listed the order above.
The story line is not that much of a draw to watch; only the way it has been presented makes it what it is IMO. I usually am drawn to movies that offer pure entertainment (sci-fi and adventure) and great sound but a movie like Memento makes you sit down and THINK. Nice change and actually made me appreciate other dramas a little more.
The director has hit a stride unlike some other highly touted ones who are still in the dark......
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"I am part of all that I have met, yet all experience is an arch wherethru gleams that untraveled world whose margin fades forever and forever...."

 

[Tom-G]

Apples and oranges.

Not really. Watching it chronologically is not the way the director intended his movie to be seen, although it doesn't compromise the film quite the same as pan and scan, it still does none the less.
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[Seth Paxton]

Watching a film with the COMMENTARY ON is ALSO NOT the manner that the director intended.
Watching one scene isolated in a film studies class is ALSO NOT the manner that the director intended.
Watching DAILIES as the film is being made is NOT the manner that the director intended.
Watching DELETED SCENES or OUTTAKES is not what the director intended.
In fact, some directors don't like to do commentaries for that very reason (Woody Allen thinks the film says it all). Other directors don't like to release cut scenes because they often can change the perception of the film by introducing other material.
HOWEVER, since the point of many film lovers is to study and understand film from every aspect, these things exist.
Seymour has already made the best point regarding a chrological viewing - you can then appreciate the full editing/directing effort. You can better understand just what they were accomplishing in their cutting methods, in the editing choices. You can even understand what the actors were up against in playing each scene.
It is apples and oranges because this is about FILM APPRECIATION. It's the place you go when you go past just wanting to see films. P&S viewing is the place you are BEFORE you get to just wanting to see films, when they are still just merchandise.
There is nothing wrong with NOT wanting to analyze film like this, but please understand that those who do are reaching for the deepest levels of their love of film.
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[Edited last by Seth Paxton on September 22, 2001 at 08:15 AM]