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That's part of the introductory narration to Hail, Caesar: A Tale of the Christ, the film-within-a-film in the Coen brothers film, uhh, Hail, Caesar! But winds of change from the east, threatening a long-standing institution seems to be a common thread among all the plots and subplots of this satiric look at 50's Hollywood.
Hail, Caesar! mostly follows Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a "fixer" for Capitol Pictures whose job is to make sure everything runs smoothly at the studio. From covering up scandals to streamlining production, his job is mostly to sell an image, a lie: that Western star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) can be a dramatic thespian, or that actress DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) isn't having a child out of wedlock, or that veteran actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), star of that film-within-a-film, isn't "out on a bender".
The truth is that Whitlock has been kidnapped by a group of blacklisted Communist screenwriters. Again, winds of change from the east, threatening a long-standing institution. Meanwhile, Mannix is struggling with his own crisis of faith, both in religion and in his job, i.e. the studio system. How much does he believe in both? Can these long-standing institutions sustain the winds of change?
If this explanation sounds like a lot, it's because it is as the Coen brothers juggle this huge ensemble cast and this seemingly disparate subplots. And although there are indeed common threads and themes among all of them, at times it does feel a bit all over the place. I feel like there is a true masterpiece buried here, and although the pieces are there, it doesn't quite come together.
Nevertheless, it is what you would expect from the Coens, in terms of performance, dialogue, and overall craft. I can say that two sequences in the first half literally had me laughing in tears (Mannix seeking advice from four different religious leaders regarding the Caesar film, and Hobie Doyle on his first day on the set of a puffy drama). Those two bits brought it home in terms of sharp writing and wit, as well as physical and verbal comedy respectively.
Despite whatever small flaws the film might have had to come together, I still enjoyed it a lot. It was the kind of film that had me smiling all the way through, as is usual with most Coen brothers films. Let's hope these new winds of change in their careers don't threaten their "edifice wrought of brick", because I certainly want more Coen brothers films in it.
Grade:
HAIL, CAESAR!
(2016, Coen)
A comedy
(2016, Coen)
A comedy
"But there is a new wind, blowing from the east, from the dusty streets of Bethlehem, that will soon challenge the vast house of Caesar, that edifice wrought of brick and blood which now seems so secure!"
That's part of the introductory narration to Hail, Caesar: A Tale of the Christ, the film-within-a-film in the Coen brothers film, uhh, Hail, Caesar! But winds of change from the east, threatening a long-standing institution seems to be a common thread among all the plots and subplots of this satiric look at 50's Hollywood.
Hail, Caesar! mostly follows Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a "fixer" for Capitol Pictures whose job is to make sure everything runs smoothly at the studio. From covering up scandals to streamlining production, his job is mostly to sell an image, a lie: that Western star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) can be a dramatic thespian, or that actress DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) isn't having a child out of wedlock, or that veteran actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), star of that film-within-a-film, isn't "out on a bender".
The truth is that Whitlock has been kidnapped by a group of blacklisted Communist screenwriters. Again, winds of change from the east, threatening a long-standing institution. Meanwhile, Mannix is struggling with his own crisis of faith, both in religion and in his job, i.e. the studio system. How much does he believe in both? Can these long-standing institutions sustain the winds of change?
If this explanation sounds like a lot, it's because it is as the Coen brothers juggle this huge ensemble cast and this seemingly disparate subplots. And although there are indeed common threads and themes among all of them, at times it does feel a bit all over the place. I feel like there is a true masterpiece buried here, and although the pieces are there, it doesn't quite come together.
Nevertheless, it is what you would expect from the Coens, in terms of performance, dialogue, and overall craft. I can say that two sequences in the first half literally had me laughing in tears (Mannix seeking advice from four different religious leaders regarding the Caesar film, and Hobie Doyle on his first day on the set of a puffy drama). Those two bits brought it home in terms of sharp writing and wit, as well as physical and verbal comedy respectively.
Despite whatever small flaws the film might have had to come together, I still enjoyed it a lot. It was the kind of film that had me smiling all the way through, as is usual with most Coen brothers films. Let's hope these new winds of change in their careers don't threaten their "edifice wrought of brick", because I certainly want more Coen brothers films in it.
Grade: