Inspired by this no-nonsense ‘fixer,’ Hail, Caesar! follows a day in the life of a fictionalized version of Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a devout Catholic and family man who’s pretty much responsible for everything that goes on at Capitol Pictures, working around the clock to ensure that things at the dream factory remain in check. Keeping all this in mind, Hail, Caesar! has sorta kinda been inspired by the real life exploits of Eddie Mannix, a mobster-esque ‘fixer’ with a Mafia mentality who was paid bucket loads by MGM to keep the company financially afloat (he helped boost the career of screen legend Ava Gardner for instance) while cleaning up a lot of its scandal-prone stars’ images, including Greta Garbo’s lesbian relationships. Mayer and Jack Warner controlled everyone on their payroll as celebs were literally told what movies they could star in, how to dress, and even who to date - a far cry from today’s social media culture. micromanaged both their talents’ professional and private lives. Behind every actor is a ‘fixer’ holding it all together.įurthermore, large studios such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and Warner Bros. Hollywood responded to these threats (both real and bogus) by providing people with splashy escapist fare as audiences were treated with a number of wide-screen biblical epics, such as The Ten Commandments (1956), bold Technicolor musicals with Busby Berkeley-type aquatic numbers (think 1952’s Million Dollar Mermaid), as well as countless burly Westerns and refined drawing-room dramas. What’s more, the political and social landscape at the time was facing post-World War II changes given the frenzy over the Red Scare and the Cold War. To give a bit of context, the early 1950s was a transitional time for the motion picture industry as the studio system was beginning to show some cracks, major studios having been forced to divest themselves of their theaters as television (still in it’s early years) threatened the industry. Now, in their 17th full-length feature the brothers take us all the way back to the heyday of Hollywood during the 1950s (1951 to be precise) in their love letter to the ‘golden age’ of movies. Over the years acclaimed filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen have taken us to a variety of different worlds, each peppered with their unique idiosyncratic tone and kooky, off-kilter characters Fargo (1996) took us to a frosty neo-noir North Dakota, the spoof O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) plopped us headfirst into the Depression-era South, while the Western remake True Grit (2010) swept viewers through the American Wild West in the 1800s.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |