HAIL, CAESAR

US, 2016, 106 minutes, Colour.
Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Frances Mc Dormand, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Veronica Osorio, Heather Goldenhersh, Allison Pill, Max Baker, Fisher Stevens, John Bluthal, David Krumholz, Clancy Brown, Christopher Lambert, Jack Huston. Narrated by Michael Gambon.
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.

The Coen Brothers have had over 30 years success in making films, great critical success, audience fans, Oscars and awards from festivals including Cannes.

Perhaps, over all these years, they have had a special secret Bucket List of all the movie genres they would like to work in. And their output has been quite varied. With Hail, Caesar, they seem to be putting into practice all those wishes. And successfully, both as hommage as well as spoof.

The title. At the beginning of the film, Hollywood, 1951, is a Roman epic called Hail, Caesar. This gives them the opportunity to have ranks and ranks of marching Roman legions, slaves in captivity, and a star for the leader of the legions, Autolychus, George Clooney – adept at speaking some hammy lines, hammy performance as well is getting himself abducted by an alleged study group, naming themselves The Future, actually a Communist cell, giving Clooney lectures on politics and economics, on dialectic, with, of all people, the thinker, Herbert Marcuse, present in the group for discussions. (For Australian audiences and audiences of The Vicar of Dibley, John Bluthal plays Marcuse). Shades of the anti-Communist feeling of the time.

In fact, the focus of the film, is the manager of Capital Studios, Eddie Mannix, played very seriously with touches of irony by Josh Brolin. He is a fixer, on the phone to New York, getting reports from all the film locations, from the directors in the studios, handling temperaments, PR, arranged marriages, stars going into rehabilitation for drying out, dealing with the gossip columnists (in this case, two terrible twins both played very effectively and tartly by Tilda Swinton).

The opening is very surprising for a Coen Brothers, a close-up of a crucifix, extreme close-up of Jesus on the cross, followed by a confessional sequence (later to be repeated more seriously). Eddie is a Catholic (although there is a long history of Jewish heads of studios). He is also ecumenical for Hail, Caesar, because of the sequences with Jesus, the subtitle of Hail, Caesar is a Tale of the Christ (straight out of Ben Hur). In fact, Jesus comes out very well from the film, a reprisal of the Nazareth and cup of water sequence from Ben Hur as well as a final crucifixion scene with Autolychus coming to the cross and making a long speech, more heartfelt after his abduction and reprimands from Eddie, which could have fitted into any Crucifixion story – although, tension is broken right at the end when Clooney forgets his keyword, “faith”. (There are also memories of The Robe and a small homage to The Life of Brian in Roman pronunciations.)

There are lots and lots of other things in the film, Alden Ehrenreich standing out as a cowboy in a B-budget Western where he can do somersaults on his horse, get caught on a tree branch and shoot his enemies and get back on his horse. he is an expert at the lassoo, even with a string of spaghetti, and is seen singing in a romantic western scene. He is very funny when he is transferred, orders of New York, to go into a drawing-room drama where his cowboy gait and his terrible accent need the exasperated but charming attention of the director, played by Ralph Fiennes.

We also go into the editing room for a cameo by Mrs Coen, Frances Mc Dormand, smoking heavily and then her scarf getting caught in the projector and her almost choking!

There is a musical with a reminder of On the Town and South Pacific, sailors ensemble dance led by the singing and dancing Channing Tatum – his character is revealed to have a much more complex side, to do with Clooney’s abduction. There is Scarlett Johansson doing an Esther Williams in a swimming sequence – exuding innocence until she opens her tough mouth.

Many, many things to enjoy about the film, narrated by Michael Gambon, some fine casting and performances (and a question for trivial pursuit in the scene where Josh Brolin talks with the director played by Christophe Lambert, what they have in common is that they were both married Diane and Lane!).

The Coen brothers have done it again, and enjoyably.

1. 30 years of Coen Brother films, their reputation, consistency? Humane, humorous, sardonic, spoofs? Serious elements?

2. Hollywood 1951, Capitol Studios (and echoes of MGM), the manager’s office, the studios and the sets, location filming, the Malibu mansion, the submarine sequence, the film premiere, the editing room, restaurants, cars of the period, costumes and decor?

3. The musical score, the range of songs, fitting the background of the films being made, the musicals and the songs, the romantic songs, the cowboy songs…?

4. The Coen brothers and their Bucket List of types of movies to be made: a Roman epic, a religious epic, singing western, swimming entertainment, melodrama and drawing room comedy, musical like On the Town?

5. The narration by Michael Gambon, his accent, tone, the story, sardonic?

6. The focus on studio life, Eddie Mannix, as the boss, a Catholic instead of the Jewish head of studios, a problem solver, at all hours, love for his wife, his children, the son with baseball and success, the toys from Lockheed? The offer from Lockheed and the reasons for it, security, ten-year contract, options? His prayer, the rosary, going to confession, confessing cigarettes, lying to his wife? The repeat of the Lockheed negotiator, at confession, the question about easy work and hard work, the priest on the inner voice, the voice of God, doing the right thing? Eddie and his decision to stay with the studio?

7. The focus on Hail, Caesar? The spoof of Ben Hur, a Tale of the Christ? The Roman legions marching, the slaves, the presumption of the Roman soldiers, the vision of Rome, release? George Clooney as Autolychus? His hammy lines and performance, working with Gracchus? The marching sequence and pushing through the slaves? Romans before slaves? The banquet, the background of the extras and the poison in the chalice? The encounter, the laughter? The poking fun at the pronunciations? The finale of the foot of the cross, the parallel with Ben Hur and Jesus with the water at Nazareth? The crucifixion sequence, the emotional reality – and Baird forgetting the word ‘faith’ and the crew listening,rapt, then laughing?

8. The ecumenical consultation, the Orthodox presence, the worry about jumping from one speeding chariot to another? The common sense of the Protestant representative, the Rabbi, his sardonic comments, forbidding the image of God, Jesus not God, the argument with the priest, the priest and aspects of Jesus and theology, humanity and divinity, yes and no… But thinking the screenplay was respectful?

9. The focus on Hobie, the western, on location, the comedy with his gymnastics on the tree, shooting, on the horse? The premiere of his singing western and his skill in singing – despite the comedy going on and the man falling in the water? His demonstrations of lassoing, skipping, using the spaghetti strand is a lasso? The history of his casting, on the sets, his western abilities, saying a line, getting promoted? His being cast in the drawing room comedy by Nicholas Schenk, orders from New York? In a suit, awkwardly walking like a cowboy, his accent, repeating the scene, the director and his being nice, exasperated, training for the line, his difficulty in saying ‘twere’? And the irony of the scene in the editor’s room – and the line being simplified to “it’s complicated”? The premiere, enjoying it, his date, the discussions, the lasso demonstration? His visiting Eddie, learning about the situation of the abduction, seeing the case at the premiere, following the driver, entering the house, bringing Baird back to Hollywood, the discussion in the car?

10. Baird, all about him, as a star, womanising, drinking? George Clooney and the role? The performance, his being drugged, the abduction, wake up, the vacuuming lady, meeting the study group, the explanations, the discussions about economics, capitalism, the presence of Herbert Marcuse and his theories? Baird giving Marcuse stories about dialectic? His being converted to communism, signed up, his being brought back, proselytising, the visit to Eddie, his theories, Eddie slapping him and telling him to be a star?

11. Dee Anna, Scarlet Johansson, the Esther Williams parallel, swimming, underwater, the crown, the girls and the costumes, the movement and design, the Busby Berkely style, the orchestra playing, the mermaid rising from the depths, angry, throwing the crown at the conductor, the costume tail too tight? Tough? Two failed marriages and the explanations, the type of men chosen for her weddings? Pregnant, thinking the Swedish director was the father? The decision to adopt, Eddie and his move, the discussion with the lawyer, Silverman and his presence, signing all the documents, the fall guy even going to prison for the stars, Dee Anna impressed, and then the news of their marriage?

12. Laurence Laurent, reef finds, the dandy English director in Hollywood, accent, behaviour, dress? Trying to direct Hobie, coaching him, the exasperation, the repetition of the line, twere? Going to Eddie, desperate?

13. The story of Wings and Eagles, the scandal, the explanation about Laurent and his men, Baird, Burt…?

14. The visitor to the editor’s office, smoking, the scenes from the film, getting her scarf caught in the projector and almost choking?

15. The Swedish director, his moods, father of the child – but with the photo of his wife and children at home?

16. Channing Tatum and the sailors’ musical, On the Town, the sailors, the barman, the song about Dames and echoes of South Pacific, the tap dancing?

17. The irony of Burt owning the mansion, his being the leader of the study group, Communist, the rowing to the submarine and its emergence, his going to Moscow, the farewell, the dog and the case of money sinking in the water?

18. The twin gossip columnists, echoes of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons, the interviews with Eddie, the two sisters and their similarity, their manner, haughty, secrets and scoops? At the premiere party? Threatening Eddie, the story – and his arguing the journalist out of it, Burt is a Communist, a Communist as the source of her news…?

19. The representative from Lockheed, the development of planes and jets, the offer of the job, the toys as a bribe?

20. Eddie, at home, the meal, his pleasant wife, the children, her supporting him? Whatever he thought best?

21. The film as a spoof, Hollywood and celluloid dreams, moneymaking enterprise – but an affectionate of hommage as well as spoof?