Every single review I've read or watched about this movie seems to be saying the same thing. But nobody is talking about what I got from it. I wrote this up the other day, but I'm not sure what to do with it, so I'll post it here and hopefully get people thinking deeper about it.
Hail, Caesar is about belief structures. How belief, or faith, is treated by man. We see Catholicism in the confessional with Mannix's guilt over trivial things like sneaking a cigarette. He is trying to get through his day by being helpful or a good man. He's a problem solver, but is conflicted by his guilt. He is entertaining the idea of leaving Hollywood to join Lockheed, but he isn't really taking it seriously. Just as he is Catholic, but works in an industry that some consider frivolous and ridiculous, just as the Lockheed guy mentions a few times. I think this is supposed to represent the way outsiders (Atheists) see insiders (Christians).
DeeAnna Moran is supposed to be the Coen's version of Mary, Jesus's mother. She is presented to the public as a beautiful vision with devout morals. She is twice divorced, pregnant, but there is "no father". While the studio is trying to cover it up, she leaves with Jonah Hill's character, Joseph, and elopes. Everyone will assume he is the father. Even the name Deeanna Moran is meant to evoke the word "Madonna" in the audiences mind. A fatherless birth, Joseph, Madonna, and a cover up story that won't be uncovered until 2015, when the movie we are watching was released.
The communists. They talk about and present communism as an intellectual pursuit to make things better through the study of history and economics, but make a point of pointing out that it's not about money. But they have created a situation where money (the briefcase) is seen as the goal. We, as the audience, follow the money because that's what we've been trained to do by every other ransom movie. But the real goal was a distraction for Gurney's defection to the Soviets. He is the only real communist there, because he is the only one of them that really doesn't care about the money. When he drops the money, all the other communists give a sigh of disappointment indicating that people may have the best intentions in their beliefs, but they will never be fully faithful unless they can let go of money. Also, Whitlock is comfortable in this beautiful and intellectual facade. He hears them out and it all seems reasonable. He signs up right away, with less than a day of discussion. Communism is reasonable on a theoretical level, when we discuss it. But in action, someone will always be in for themselves, and everyone else will be be left disappointed with nothing.
Hobie Doyle. The movie is telling us that this good looking, blue eyed, nice guy just stumbled into being a movie star. He was just working around the traps until they heard him sing, then put him on the big screen. He is nice, and innocent, and well meaning. This is supposed to be Jesus Christ. He even seems to able to perform miraculous feats with rope and spaghetti, making more out of his food than seems possible. They are decent tricks, but some would see it as a form of magic or miracle. He stumbles into being a star the way that Jesus stumbled into being a spiritual leader. Once the people behind the scenes heard him talk, they put him on the mount and made him the figure head of religion. Hobie is the all American cowboy. The character we idolize from film history, but don't see as important anymore. He is even the savior in this movie, rescuing Whitlock from his captors, even though he doesn't feel like he needs rescuing.
Laurentz symbolizes the church and its traditions. He will only accept making the movie his way, with no leniency. Just as the church is unwilling to change for the times. Using old antiquated dialogue and repeating it over and over until people get it the way he wants. Ever go to mass? The priest says something, you repeat it. Then, when the message is lost through repetition, tit is simplified for a wider audience, just like the bible. He is also an old gay man, hiding his true self while having sexual relations with younger men, Gurney, and covering it up. Just like the Catholic Church did with the paedophilia charges against their priests.
The reporter twins represent mans need to find absolute truth in divinity. Everyone says their belief is the right one, and we denigrate those who say otherwise. We all want to be right. But there is no difference between us. We are all the same. We all believe the same things. We are alike, but we are not willing to admit it, because being different is what makes us special. But really, as much as we hate to admit it, we just want the gossip.
In the end, the priest tells Mannix's that the right way is to do the thing that feels right. It's not important which belief you follow or what you have faith in, as long as you go with what's right for you and that you have faith in something. The setting of the golden age of Hollywood is important because that is the belief system, or religion, that mankind follows now. It's no less or more important than the belief structures that came before it. It's just different. It has a different hierarchy and a different set of rules, but it's all just the same.
I found it very interesting that the discussion around the table of the religious leaders talk of not showing God's face, and the only characters faces we don't see are the actor playing Jesus in the movie they are making, and the studio head Skank. We don't hear his voice either. But at the ending when Mannix's says he is meeting with Skank, the camera goes up and we see the water tank that reads "BEHOLD" and the sun streaming down from the clouds. Skank, the studio head, is God in the religion of Hollywood.
I've got to put more thought into this, but this is what I have so far.