In the 2016, comedy musical film Hail, Caesar! The Rabbi makes a brief appearance when he and other religious figureheads are brought in as consultants on the matter of religion for the movie Capitol Pictures is producing- a swords and sandals epic Roman tale. Immediately we see how the Rabbi propels the scene into something more than just the set-up of a joke. As the conversation of Christ ensues, the Rabbi and Priests cannot agree on Christ’s parentage, whether or not god is split, or if God is wrathful. The conversation is full of unintentional irony by such replies of “there is unity in division” and “there is division in unity.” However, the Rabbi overtly disagrees with his peers on the absurdity they are spewing about Christ. But when asked if the depiction “cuts the mustard” everyone is in agreement, and the previously opinionated Rabbi replies with “Eh, I haven’t an opinion.” This particular scene reflects a type of humour that is synonymous with the Coen brothers. The Rabbi is played by Robert Picardo who notably played the opinionated lover of the arts and the EMH (emergency medical hologram) in Star Trek: Voyager. Picardo is what Will Straw calls the “Hollywood Extra” because of his extensive career, and recognizability which allows his small part to be perceived as cultish cinephilia because of the juxtaposition of an old performer in a modern role (Straw, 127). Despite having little screen time the scene provides the audience with some information to set the tone for the rest of the film. In the scene, the emphasis isn’t on Christ himself, but rather putting out a product that is from a studio wrapped in decadence to make money.
Works Cited
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Straw, Will. Scales of presence: Bess Flowers and the Hollywood extra, Screen, Volume 52, Issue 1, Spring 2011, Pages 121-127, https://doi.org/10.1093/screen/hjq061
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