I thought it appropriate to reflect upon other Jews who wrote about Christian protagonists. (Spoiler Alert! See Hail, Caesar! before and after reading this.)
The ultimate story-maker is God, and the Bible is the story
of how God acts in the world. Movie creators act in imitatio dei as they create a mimetic universe. The Coen
Brothers have created a meta-movie, Hail,
Caesar!, about the story of Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) making the movie Hail, Caesar! – a story of the Christ. This and other meta-films
comment upon the story-making process itself. Other movies where the theme of a
demigod-like filmmaker/illusionist is explored include Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Red, and Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, NY. Hail, Caesar! is an
ironic title derived from the Christian biblical quote: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God
the things that are God's” (Mark 12:17). In the movie they are making, it
refers to Autolochus, a Roman centurion, who comes to reject worship of Caesar
for faith in the one true God.
Several Coen Brothers movies view the way God acts in the
world from a Jewish perspective. In Hail,
Caesar! it is the divine aspect of loving-kindness, chesed, that predominates. They showed us the other side of God,
His justice, din, in A Serious Man -- their retelling of the
Book of Job. That movie ends with a tornado coming down from the sky; this one
with a sun sending golden beams down to Capitol Pictures through the clouds – the
glory that ensues when we work with God, rather than against Him. In their Jewish
vision, God works with us and through us with chesed when we do right; when we do wrong, God acts against us with
din. In their earlier film, The Man who Wasn’t There, we also saw an intimation of the
din aspect of God: even when we
think we’re invisible, the all-seeing God metes out justice.
Hail, Caesar! also
comments upon the Coen Brothers’ earlier movie, Barton Fink, which was set ten years earlier at the same fictitious
studio, Capitol Pictures. Barton Fink, like the writers in Hail, Caesar! who form the Communist cell called “The Future,” sees himself as the champion of the common man. The buffoonish character Baird
Whitlock echoes Barton Fink when he condescendingly declares, “Of course I’m
for the little guy.” Eddie Mannix, like his predecessor at Capitol Pictures, Jack Lipnick, runs the studio with godlike authority. But while Barton
Fink’s world is demonic, Hail, Caesar!
takes place in a kinder, gentler world ruled by Providence.
The Coen Brothers are Jewish filmmakers telling the story of
a Catholic filmmaker who is telling the “story of the Christ.” Although Eddie
Mannix is a devout Catholic, and the film he is producing is Christian, the
sensibility of this movie is strictly kosher. In Judaism, unlike the tenets of
some other religions, non-Jews can be among the righteous of nations.
One of the ways Jews understand God’s seemingly
incomprehensible world is through story, aggadah.
Just as we ask questions to answer questions, we tell stories to explain
stories. Metafiction comes naturally to us. The Bible was a document written in
the media of its time. Now we have movies. As Eddie Mannix explains, “The Bible
of course is terrific. But for
millions of people, pictures will be their reference point for the story – the
story’s embodiment, the story’s realization.”
In this parable (and unlike the real MGM "fixer" Edgar Mannix), Eddie Mannix is an everyman, a Man X. We
first meet him in the confessional where he comes every day seeking absolution.
He is desperately trying to do what God wants him to, to be a righteous man. This
is the journey he takes us on.
Eddie has two foils on his journey. Hobie Doyle (Alden
Ehrenreich) is the man of unshakeable faith who always acts righteously. Baird
Whitlock (George Clooney) is the man of no faith – in fact, “faith” is the word
he always forgets in his lines. Baird behaves immorally and is swayed by the
unbelievers. We learn that he got his big break, cast in another movie with a
religious title -- On Wings As Eagles
(Isaiah 40:31), by committing an act of sodomy with the director Laurence
Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes). Hobie is the uncommon common man, a former cowboy who
does his own stunts and sings cowboy songs in his movies. Baird is a talented
“serious” actor, who never fails to impress with his moving portrayals. In the
story of the artist Bezalel (Exodus 31), we learn that our talents are
God-given and ultimately serve His purpose whether we mean them to or not. It
is a Jewish concept that the Coen Brothers employ: talent comes as inspiration (the filling of our spirit) from
God. God graces even the undeserving like Baird Whitlock.
The Talmud teaches that God purposely left creation
incomplete, and that it is man’s purpose to complete it. In this parable, Eddie is God’s
partner in creation. Eddie has to choose between the hard job, making movies, and
the easy job, making H-Bombs for Grumman. Creation will be good or bad –
the magic of movies or the destruction of the hydrogen bomb -- depending on our
choices.
In the Coen Brothers’ vision, movies, even if they are pure
illusion, are the illusion God wants for a greater purpose: to give people
meaning, a respite from the hard work of completing creation, and inspiration to do the right thing. The
Narrator (Michael Gambon) tells us: “Capitol Pictures, whose tireless machinery
clanks on, producing this week’s ration of dreams for all the peoples of the
world.” The actors are just frail and morally corrupt, but the movie is greater
than any of its parts. Unlike the Communists who can see only exploitation,
Eddie realizes that we all have our parts to play in creation, and that’s what
gives our lives meaning: “You’re going to do it [act] because you’re an actor
and that’s what you do. Just like the director does what he does, and the writer and the script girl and the guy who slaps
the slate.”
Baird, we are told, makes a choice – a bad one. The Narrator
explains: “Baird Whitlock has become an acolyte of the Communists, a convert to
their cause, his belief compelled but not grudging – no more than was Saul’s on
the dusty road of long ago…” Saul is Paul who, like Autolochus, renounces his
old ways and chooses faith in Jesus. In contrast, Baird, the faithless man, tells Eddie, “I mean we might tell ourselves that we are creating something of
artistic value, that there’s some kind of spiritual dimension to the picture
business, but what it is is this fat cat Nick Skenck out in NY running a
factory that makes these lollipops that pacify…” Eddie, acting righteously,
will not brook this kind of atheism, this ridiculing the holiness of creation.
He slaps Baird. “Nick Skenck and this studio have been good to you and everyone
who works here…” God’s goodness is unassailable.“You’re going to do it because the picture has worth and you
have worth if you serve the picture…”
Perkei Avot (2:21) teaches: "It is not incumbent upon you to complete
the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it." Or as the Narrator
paraphrases: “The stories begin, the stories end, but the work of Eddie Mannix
will never end…Eddie Mannix continues his work day, a day that has no
beginning, no end – for he is ever at work.”This is a profound insight into the Shabbat – God was able
to rest from the work of creation for all time because he created us to take
over for all time, with only a weekly day of rest until the World To Come.
When Eddie is tempted by a Satanic (the Satan is the tempter
in Judaism) offer of cushier job making H-bombs, he questions whether he should
be doing the exhausting work at the studio. He says to the Father, “But then
there’s another job that’s not so easy. In fact it’s hard. It’s so hard,
Father—sometimes I don’t know if I can keep doing it. But it seems right. I
don’t know how to explain.” Then the answer comes from the Father: “God wants
us to do what’s right… The inner voice that tells you it’s right – it comes
from God, my son”
Providence is the unseen actor behind the scenes. Just as a
writer manipulates a screenplay, God is manipulating the meta-screenplay – the
story of the story of screenplays – our history. The Coen Brothers reveal the
actions of the unseen actor throughout the movie. Providence may seem like luck
– good luck for the righteous, bad luck for the wicked.
When his son, Little Eddie, didn’t get the Little League
position he wanted, “I’ll call the coach,” Eddie says, adding yet another task
to his long list. But when he forgets to do that, he finds that his son has
learned to prefer his new position. “Great. It took care of itself,” Eddie says
incredulously. His daughter is doing well too. God is acting behind the scenes
to take care of Eddie. Mrs. Mannix (Allison Pill) is supportive when Eddie is
contemplating a job offer, “What do you
think, honey? You know best.” While some may see this as the pre-feminist 1951
housewife’s reply, it is actually a loving and supportive statement. In
choosing how to live righteously, Eddie already has all the inner wisdom he
needs to make the right decision. His wife is encouraging him to make the
decision only he can make.
Eddie sees the miraculous hand of Providence in solving his
problem with DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson) who is unwed and pregnant. As
he matter-of-factly explains, “the public loves you because they know how
innocent you are.” He knows that God’s illusions, the movies, must be defended.
When she, like Mary, marries Joe Silverman (Jonah Hill), the dependable father she
seeks for her child, Eddie is nonplussed. “Huh,” he says.
Hobie is the righteous instrument of Providence. In contrast
to Eddie, who wrestles, Hobie acts. Hobie is providentially put into a position to do God’s will.
Nick Skenck, the unseen studio boss in NY, in a seemingly incomprehensible
move, insists that Hobie be cast as a debonair.
Hobie is luckily in a series of right places at the right
times, and by managing to keep Baird Whitlock out of the papers, keeps the studio
intact. Unlike Eddie, who doubts, Hobie, like the prophets in the Bible, is
sure of the right thing to do. It is “so simple” for him. Skenck, the studio
owner in NY, places Hobie where he has to be to do the right thing. Hobie
intuits that the extras on the set are involved. His belt ties the attaché case
holding the ransom, and he recognizes it (echoing his character’s recognition
of the valise in his movie Merrily We
Dance) when he luckily happens to see Burt Gurney (Channing Tatum) at the
Brown Derby after his premiere. This is a set of coincidences so unlikely that
we suspect the hand of Providence is involved.
Providence is at play too when the briefcase full of money
for the Soviets is unluckily lost. The Communist’s plot is foiled. God is not on
their side.
The idea of God as the unseen actor is taken very literally.
When Eddie asks for endorsement from a variety of religious leaders, the Rabbi (Robert
Picardo) says, “…for we Jews, any visual depiction of the Godhead is most
strictly prohibited.” In the closing credits we see: “No depictions of the
Godhead were used in the creation of this movie.” Eddie, who is always trying
to do right, doesn’t take any chances. We never see Jesus (even the actor who
plays him isn’t sure if he’s a principal actor in this story), the thieves, or
the Father that Eddie confesses to. We never see Skenck (or the image of the
Coen Brothers, for that matter). One of the writers in the Communist cell wrote
the screenplay called The House of Ahasuerus,
which is a reference to the Book of Esther. Esther is the only book of the
bible where God’s name is never mentioned – He is the unnamed Force behind the
scenes.
God will provide, whether we act or not. In that, we should
have faith (the word Baird
Whitlock can’t remember). Eddie Mannix learns to have faith.
The Jewish sensibility is reflected in the socialist
politics of the writers. There were many Jewish communists, many Jewish writers
in Hollywood, and some were both. The Coen Brothers mock those who profess to
be for the common man while doing nothing to help others. Like Barton Fink,
they are portrayed as schlimazelim (sufferers
of bad luck). In Judaism, tzedukkah
(charity/righteousness) is the proper way to help others. And as Maimonides
explained, creating a job for someone is the highest form of tzedukkah. The studio creates jobs, the
Communists only extort ransom, exploiting others. In Judaism, it is the action
– praxis in Professor Marcuse’s
words– that is important, not the convoluted thinking about it. It boils down
to giving the thirsty water to drink (as Jesus does in the interior movie they
are making), rather than bringing the end of history (which is never supposed
to end by man’s hand). To be “for the common man,” religion offers a better
alternative than Marxism. It is God who takes care of the “little man” through
his servants on earth, by creating jobs and feeding their spirit. Eddie rejects
the Marxist point of view. In the Jewish point of view, every life is a
universe. All people have intrinsic value, and have an important part to play
in the work of creation -- here, the making of movies.
Incidentally, the real Professor Herbert Marcuse, like Professor
Marcuse (John Bluthal) in the movie, was a Marxist who believed that the
Hegelian dialectic is the driver of an inevitable history, and end of history
(when Man realizes his erotic nature). Like Marcuse, he advocated subversive
action against the status quo, but unlike Marcuse in the screenplay, he was not
a supporter of the Soviet system.
It is impossible to speak of Jewish sensibility without
mentioning Jewish humor, and the Coen Brothers offer us some of the funniest
shticks ever shown in a motion picture. They have created a classic in the Vaudeville-like routine between Hobie
and Laurence Lorentz. Hobie’s hickster drawl “Would that itwuhr so simple” is
contrasted to Laurence Lorentz’s Noel Coward-like elegance. The punch line
doesn’t arrive until several scenes later when the editor, the chain-smoking,
scarf-wearing, CC Calhoun (Frances McDormand) shows us the final cut. The line
has become, “It’s complicated.”
It is worth noting the meta-joke in the dance number “No Dames!” which ironically features a straight actor (Channing Tatum) playing Burt
Gurney, “Mr. Laurentz’s current…protégé,” dancing a very gay dance, which only
we in the movie audience seem to be aware of.
The mostly Jewish studio heads created the history of the
movies just as God, with our help and sometimes hindrance, created the history
of the Jews. The Coen brothers pay tribute to that history with nods to Gene Autry, Will Rogers, Roy Rogers and Trigger, Richard Burton, Esther Williams, Abbott & Costello, Gene Kelly, Carmen Miranda, Ernst Lubitsch, Margaret Booth, Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons.
The Coen Brothers have created a seriously religious work of
art in their comedy, Hail, Caesar!
Unlike many “message” movies, the themes are handled with such grace and humor
as to be easily overlooked. Its essentially Jewish character can be enjoyed by
people of any (or no) faith.
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