Hollywood: The opium of the masses...

Rating: 10/10 (10 March 2016)

The heart in a heartless world?
I am surprised at the number of reviewers describing this film as a shallow and meaningless picture as, for me, Hail Caesar is both a very coherent and exceptionally valid critique of the influence of money on the art of film-making. Perhaps this is because I have significant problems with being bombarded by endless remakes and superhero films which offer nothing constructive beyond nostalgia, dreams and escape. Hail Caesar's clear message is that Hollywood both seeks to control its actors, the world around it, and the views of its consumers.
But then, is not my enjoyment of such a clever and well-thought out critique of Hollywood not both a negation (the dialectic!)of the film's central message and proof that meaningful and clever films are still being made (though perhaps the relatively poor box office takings and negative reviews are still proof)? These ambiguities are reflected in the film itself and any critical film-goer. The Coen's clearly profit from and are products of a Hollywood they lay bare in this film. Whats more, the tenderness and love they have for Hollywood is evident throughout the picture. This love/hate relationship is something which resonates with me strongly as I spend hours condemning blockbuster hits to those around me whilst spending my weekends going to watch blockbuster films.
Perhaps the negativity felt toward this film is on it being miss-sold (that's capitalism for you) as an uproariously funny slapstick film. It is far from laugh out loud funny and has a more consistently playful and sardonic tone. The film follows a day in the life of the 'fixer' Eddie Mannix who enforces the will of his never seen higher power (the executives.) As you follow his travels you are transported around the products of Hollywood (I am not overly familiar with the films they are critiquing) and experience the playful but ultimately meaningless creation of the major Hollywood staples of the time.
The story follows the kidnapping of the star of the companies big blockbuster - Hail Caesar. The depiction of Jesus Christs' life within the film is itself a reflection of Hollywood's attempts to subsume religion to its own power. In one excellent scene the representatives of the major religions sit slavishly before their master (Eddie Mannix) whilst engaging in some irrelevant theology but all ultimately agreeing that the motion picture is fine.
The communists who capture Hail Caesar's star are then introduced into the story. The pastiche of a bunch of old men in woolly jumpers sitting round and analysing the role of films within society and their own position as film-makers reflects perfectly the failure of Frankfurt School Marxist intellectuals (like Marcuse) who failed to connect with the masses. This is despite their cunning attempts to smuggle the communist message into Hollywood (a playful reference to the absurd McCarthyite hunt of the 1950s) and indeed their own success at converting the sincere star of Hail Caesar. The communist message is eloquently upheld by the star (perhaps it is powerful) who literally explains it to Mannix the enforcer who responds by slapping him down. Mannix himself is well aware of Hollywood's message and power as is shown by his decision to stick with Hollywood despite the offer of work from an aviation company involved in producing the H-bomb (showing that film and the ability to communicate dreams can be more powerful than fear.)
The film end's with the star building up a powerful narrative as he addresses Christ on the cross before stumbling into incoherence. This is the perfect metaphor for a film industry which produces plenty of verbose hype but communicates little of substance to its consumer (a la the Revenant!) Style over substance.
The negation of religion by film is then completed with Eddie Mannix walking off into the light and the film lingering on the Christian imagery of a Hollywood who now rules the minds of the masses.
Maybe I read too much into it but I thought this film was stunning, its many sardonic and eclectic scenes keep popping into my mind and I have been mulling over the film ever since. Maybe I shall follow this fare with a superhero film to escape into!