As climate change provides north-western Europe with excessive rain this July while southern Europe swelters under abnormal heat, America's movie industry wilts as actors and film-makers go on strike for the first time in 60 years.
Creatively speaking, however, it is rewarding for audiences to see the movie industry mirroring many of the global concerns of the day on the big screen. Apart from climate change and the cost of living crisis, the issues absorbing people include national security and the threats of war, human rights, as well as the merits or otherwise of AI - artificial intelligence. At the same time people are ravenous for the return of normal activity like evenings out.
With perfect timing, two of the year's most anticipated films have been released in Canada, the U.S.A and Europe on the third weekend of July. Given the pleasant summer weather in June, the early summer had provided little incentive to sitting indoors in cinemas. By contrast, however, heavy and persistent rain have prevailed in July across both Britain and Ireland, resulting in people escaping from unseasonable weather into cinemas as a refuge to see the brand new Barbie and Oppenheimer films.
The record crowds have even become a self-contained news story in the main evening TV news (1). More interestingly, one newspaper reports (2) that the simultaneous release "has prompted some cinemagoers to take on the challenge of seeing them on the same day. That's four hours and 54 minutes viewing time." Barbenheimers is the new term for those adherents.
With both films on my radar, I considered rising to the escapist challenge. After diligent consideration of the journalist's strategy, my choice was to vary implementation of the challenge. It suited better to see the Oppenheimer epic on a Sunday evening; and instead of exposing my sitting apparatus to the ordeal of an extra couple of hours' top class entertainment, I would stall a date with Barbie for a little over twenty-four hours. An incentive was provided by the cinema's offer of a discount on Monday's.
The thought of spending three hours watching a film, much shot in gloomy black and white, to do with nuclear physics and the development of the atom bomb may at first sound unpromising. I'm happy to report that Christopher Nolan's treatment of a serious subject with all of its arresting sound and light effects and the employment of the best acting talent allayed any doubter's reservations.
This is a wonderful film, likely to stand the test of time. The audience's attention was held in rapt silence from start to finish, with the film's message best articulated during the final 45-60 minutes. Its portrayal of the ex-post policy inquiry provided much of the drama of a courtroom with senior lawyers taking on politicians. The theatrics also displayed strong hints of an abiding McCarthyite attitude among some politicians.
Despite having read previews about Greta Gerwig's brilliant work on previous movies, particularly on screenplay, my expectations of Barbie were low-ish before attending the screening. And yet they were exceeded in every way. Barbie presented such a visual contrast with the sombre tones of Oppenheimer. Audiences will be aware of the use of bright primary colours and the origins of the Mattel toy story. Without giving away the feature's means of communicating its message about feminism and human rights more broadly, I have to say that the use of subtle techniques and particularly smart satire make this an unmissable film.
In a way, the satire reminded me of the 2017 Nobel-prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and his 2022 book, Klara and the Sun. Barbie and her friends were somewhat reminiscent of that story's "AFs," Artificial Friends.
On which point, I see irony in the Barbie story and its industry's current travails over striking actors. This is that one of the principal concerns, apart from fair pay, driving the industrial relations discontent is Hollywood's use of AI in making movies. It was interesting to read comments made by the actor Brian Cox in Leicester Square London at an Equity rally in solidarity with the American SAG-AFTRA union when he said (3) - "the wages are one thing, but the worst aspect is the whole idea what AI can do to us."
Otherwise, we have two superb films released on the same day, substantially contrasting both in message and in techniques, a pair of artworks that are worthy of recognition, and both of which stimulate the imagination and debate about important topics in positive ways.
Together, Barbenheimer is set to be a major highlight of summer 2023, possibly even a phenomenon.
©Michael McSorley 2023
References:-
1. BBC News 24 July 2023 "Barbie movie wins box office battle in US" https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8334779191626017893/2005588484089038740
2. The Times Saturday 23 July 2023 Sidonie Wilson "The atomic blonde double bill"
3. The Times Saturday 23 July 2023 Stars align Andy Rain/EPA photo
