One of the smallest of all sub-genres, “movies about movies” are usually packed to the rafters with loads of inside baseball industry jargon (which is not necessarily a bad thing if you’re a film junkie) and generally don’t fare well with the masses.
Mendes in Top Form
One of the scant few directors to win an Oscar for their debut feature (“American Beauty”), Mendes followed it with the equally impressive “Road to Perdition,” then made a few misfires before returning to tip-top form with the best Daniel Craig-era James Bond flick (“Skyfall”) and the emotionally-draining World War I stunner “1917.”
A master of visual shorthand, Mendes, who began his career directing on London’s West End, sets the mood immediately with a montage of popcorn machines, velvet ropes, projection machines, candy cases, and a ticket booth. This will be an examination of the movie-going experience in the waning years of the American New Wave era. By what we see on the marquee at the fictional Empire theater located in the English coastal city of Kent, “The Blues Brothers” and “All That Jazz,” it’s starting at the end of 1979.
Hilary (Olivia Colman) is the longtime assistant manager at the Empire who has settled into a routine that borders on the monotonous and is regularly demeaning. She works the concession stand, sweeps up errant snacks from the aisles, and tallies the daily takes before heading home. She also begrudgingly serves as the carnal plaything for her married boss, Mr. Ellis (Colin Firth), who is both a snake and a weasel.
Serving as the den mother to a tightly knit band of co-workers, Hilary’s predictable day-to-day gets a welcomed jolt with the arrival of Stephen (former model Micheal Ward), a charming and handsome lad who is less than half her age. Stephen views working at the Empire as a mere pit stop until he gets accepted to a university where he’ll major in architecture.
“Empire” marks the first time Mendes has served as his own solo screenwriter and the script regularly reflects facets of his stage work and non-verbal storytelling. Some have derided the story as being too one dimensional, which is baffling.
Music as Olive Branch
It’s also no coincidence that Mendes chose this particular stretch of time to frame the story. This was the period in the UK when anti-Thatcher sentiment was brewing, punctuated by the resurgence of the Skinhead movement.Like the Skinheads, Stephen is into Oi and 2 Tone (musical sub-genres which mix Ska, Reggae, and Punk) and one would think this common bond could act as an emollient of sorts to bridge other more divisive cultural, class, and racial chasms but, sadly, that is not the case.
Every Facet Mesmerizing
In addition to the shimmering, minimalist score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Finch, Mendes includes three classic Rock songs which act as defacto characters in key scenes. Joni Mitchell’s “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio” is heard when Hilary, in one of her rare upbeat moods, dresses for work.Bob Dylan’s epic masterpiece “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” underscores a temporary riff between Hilary and Stephen, but the most effective is the tranquil and uplifting “Morning Has Broken” by Cat Stevens. Mendes juxtaposes the song alongside the film’s most intense and foreboding passage to devastating effect.
Beginning with her Oscar-winning turn in “The Favourite,” Colman has delivered one tremendous role after another, and has firmly established herself as the world’s greatest living actress.
Exhibiting shades of Sidney Poitier, Ward should become a fixture on every casting director’s go-to list from this point forward.
None of the film’s many crowning achievements would be possible without the typically mesmerizing cinematography from Roger Deakins.
Although top-heavy with tension and anxiety, Mendes never let too much time pass between scenes to remind us of the transformational power of movies and ends his story with unmistakable beats of optimism and uplift.
