So date night this week was at the Perth playhouse and we watched the latest Coen Brothers film: 'Hail Caesar.'
I've seen O Brother Where Art Thou, Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men, and was excited to see this...
Visually it sometimes seemed to be a good excuse to bring back some traditional Hollywood sets/scenes/designs, and the references towards the choreography of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, plus the synchronised swimming routines of Esther Williams were very clear. It took a while for me to get used to the 'style' of the film, as the colours and sets looked dated; which I would argue is a deliberate move on the part of the art department and director.
The colours and props, particularly in the Roman Army scenes, seemed to brash and looked cheap through the eye of a high resolution movie.
I particularly liked the beach house location, as pictured below, and found the juxtaposition of George Clooney in his Roman armour, comical against the fifties decor. From a storyline point of view, it was interesting to see his become absorbed and convinced by his captors....
Whilst it was interesting and layered with a few simultaneous storylines, it took a while to figure out who the protagonist was, and which storyline was prominent. I personally found it confusing and didn't engage with or root for any of the characters. Neither did I particularly want to discover 'what happens next'.
That said, I did enjoy the private moments the lead character had in the confession box and his inner moral dilemmas that were revealed....
The Beach House location
Navy Dance Routine
Gene Kelly Navy Dance Routine
Synchronised Swimming Routine with Scarlet Johansson
Esther Williams original Hollywood reference
