MovieChat Forums > Hail, Caesar! (2016) Discussion > It really is a tale of the Christ, not a...

It really is a tale of the Christ, not a Hollywood spoof

posted 9 years ago by Komarovski
44 replies | jump to latest

I enjoyed the movie's wacky look at Hollywood of the era, but I don't think it was meant to be the focus. Audiences can't be faulted for looking only at and being disappointed by the comic relief, though, as that is how the movie was promoted in the trailers.

After the opening scene, the words "A Tale of the Christ" wipe onto the screen. We are then immediately shown Mannix to make the connection. Mannix shepherds a vast world populated with sinners, but who ultimately create good. He stands over bickering religious leaders, growing frustrated at their interpretations. Mannix considers his worst sin to be smoking, so it's no wonder the Devil, a head-hunter from Lockheed, tempts him with a cigarette as they meet in a very red restaurant. Mannix is offered an easier path, but one that leads to destruction rather than creation. To me, Mannix's struggle with which path to take is the crux of the movie. It is only after seeking his Father's advice that the decision is made.

Other elements of note are the demons (the blacklisted writers) who have stolen away Baird, one of Mannix's flock. Ultimately, the angel Hobie brings Baird back to the fold, while we see one of Mannix's truly lost ones pulled down into Hell (or the Pacific Ocean, as it were). The wayward son Baird is welcomed back, but when he extols the virtues of his captors, he is sternly punished with a regretful slap. Humbled Baird resumes his role in Mannix's creation, though Baird again shows he is not perfect when he forgets "faith."

[–] friendlyboy312 8 years ago

Yeah, you'd think the when the title came up "Hail Caesar: A Tale of the Christ" it would've clued people in.

Today is the day to say I love you to your best friend - chinese proverb

[–] bgbvette 8 years ago

Had I seen "Hail Ceaser: Tale of the Christ " in the title, I never would have watched this movie.

Now I wish I had seen this title, because it sucked!

[–] jonhopper217 8 years ago

I'm glad someone else said it. I loved the layers in the film and while you weren't exactly hit over the head with the religious connotations, they were pretty obvious. What I also liked was how the film touched on the era and the religious items and showed Mannix as the only one truly suffering. Everyone else's problems went away, because they put....what's that word faith in Mannix. Even the times he forgot or put something off, it ended up as it should. There was even that little scene towards the end where one could argue he was having a spiritual moment or as I believe, the set was a symbol of his "crosses to bear." The one thing people must remember about the "goofy" Coen Bros. is that nothing is just thrown in and they often play with religion or mythology in a fun, but responsible way.

[–] lotusburg-1 8 years ago

Partly agree, except that it's a Jewish spoof on the Tale of Christ, showing how dumb the whole story is to thinking Jews. Poor Mannix, a servant of NYC Jewish money, herds his Christian sheep around to keep them from sinning, while he cannot even renounce the trivial sin of smoking, in sinful LA. The Devil of Lockheed tempts Mannix in a red (communist) Chinese restaurant, offering ease and lucre instead of the mind-numbing toil of making stupid movies. And the dumb Commie (Tatum) chooses a dog over $100,000 as he leaves his naive comrades to be named and blacklisted.
A Tale of Christ, a slave's religion invented by the Romans to keep their slaves deluded about the greatness of the "next life". Loved it!

[–] MichaelMartinDeSapio 8 years ago

Unrelated to all of that was DeeAnna Moran - the scheme to adopt her own child is basically a 'virgin birth.' Also her name is an anagram for "Naree Madonna" which is a little bit of a stretch with Naree instead of Mary, but if you said it outloud no one would notice the difference.

In addition, the Virgin Mary's mother was St. Anne. Thus, DeeAnna="de Anna" (of Anne) and Moran=Mary.

[–] drnossal 8 years ago

The clincher being she married a guy named Joe, a stand-in father.

"You didn't come into this life just to sit around on a dugout bench, did ya?"

[–] nephihaha 8 years ago

If you start mocking Christianity from a Jewish perspective you'd better note the numerous problems in Judaism itself such as hyper-legalism.

Christianity may have slave religion on it, but Judaism is itself the fruit of long-term marginalisation and persecution.

And as many have observed, some of the most brutal bits of the Bible are in the Torah.
--
It's not "Sci-Fi", it's "SF"!

"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker

[–] kpocala 8 years ago

You make some interesting observation, but this movie is NOT meant to be a movie on Jesus Christ. They needed a "vehicle" to carry the movie, the parts of the movie involving Christ or the Romans could have changed into almost anything, and "real movie" would have carried on, and people would have liked or hated the movie with equal fervor. And the head-hunter for Lockheed as "The Devil"? Well, that's interesting, that you saw it that way, but that's a major stretchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......

[–] kingdio 8 years ago

Unfortunately, it doesn't make the movie any more entertaining. That's the real sin.

[–] olujicsteven 8 years ago

Agreed. Furthermore, Mannix is tempted 3 times by the Lockhead recruiter, just like Jesus was tempted 3 times by Satan in the desert. Like Jesus, Mannix is also offered worldy power (the power to destroy the world), and refuses to eat or smoke anything in his meetings with the Lockhead guy.

My name's Plissken.

[–] rikfontana 8 years ago

My girlfriend and I just finished our first viewing.
And threads like this are exactly why we come to IMDb. Thoughtful, clever, unique and interesting insights into a worthy film.
So much better than the flame wars that ruin so many other threads.
Thanks for everyone's input......

[–] WoodCheese 8 years ago

Great analysis OP, and you're very right, IMO. Also, knowing Coen Bros' previous work, particularly O Brother Where Art Thou, you're most likely very correct.

[–] jamotide 8 years ago

Best scene was the one where the roman dude just dumps his gods and takes on a new one. What better way to show that gods are just concepts that someone else made up.