presentation cesar 2016

César 2016 : qui sont les lauréats ?

Parmi les lauréats, le film "Mustang", ode à la liberté qui raconte l'histoire de cinq sœurs adolescentes que l'on veut marier de force dans un village de Turquie, a été récompensé de quatre César, dont celui de meilleur premier film et celui du meilleur montage. Ce film de la réalisatrice franco-turque Deniz Gamze Ergüven représentera par ailleurs la France aux Oscars ce dimanche 28 février 2016 au soir à Hollywood.

Anne Tallineau, directrice générale déléguée de l'Institut français, opérateur de l'action culturelle extérieure de la France et dépendant du ministère des Affaires étrangères, a félicité l'équipe du film et s'est réjouie " de la diversité du cinéma français, qui contribue à diffuser les valeurs de la culture française à l'international ". Lire notre article : Avec Mustang, la Turquie côté femmes, entre fiction et réalité  

"Fatima" élu meilleur film

Parmi les autres films récompensés, "Fatima", de Philippe Faucon, a reçu le César du meilleur film. Ce portrait sensible et émouvant d'une femme de ménage immigrée, vivant seule en France avec ses deux filles, avait été présenté à la Quinzaine des réalisateurs au dernier Festival de Cannes, et avait déjà reçu en décembre le Prix Louis-Delluc. Toujours à l'affiche, il a été vu par plus de 300.000 spectateurs.

"Demain", meilleur documentaire

Autre film beaucoup vu avec plus de 500.000 spectateurs, l'écologiste et humaniste "Demain", élu meilleur documentaire. Signé Cyril Dion, ancien responsable du mouvement Colibris qu'il a cofondé avec l'essayiste et agriculteur Pierre Rabhi, et Mélanie Laurent, comédienne engagée dans les combats écologiques, "Demain" plonge dans l'univers des actions déjà mises en œuvre pour la planète, des Etats-Unis à l'Inde en passant par l'Islande ou la France : essor de l'agriculture biologique, développement des énergies renouvelables, recyclage généralisé des déchets mais aussi réhabilitation de la démocratie participative.  

Vincent Lindon et Catherine Frot meilleurs acteurs

Démocratie, égalité, justice ? Autant de notions questionnées par "La loi du marché". Vincent Lindon a été désigné meilleur acteur pour ce film cinglant sur la brutalité du monde du travail. Il avait déjà été sacré à Cannes (prix d'interprétation) pour ce rôle. Il y interprète Thierry, chômeur de longueur durée, qui après avoir enfin décroché un emploi se retrouve face à un douloureux dilemme moral : il lui est demandé d'espionner ses collègues... Catherine Frot a quant à elle été primée pour "Marguerite" de Xavier Giannoli, film qui a séduit plus d'un million de spectateurs. Elle y incarne à merveille le grain de folie d'une riche héritière décidée coûte que coûte à chanter des airs d'opéra en dépit d'une voix de casserole.  

Arnaud Desplechin élu meilleur réalisateur

Arnaud Desplechin a pour sa part été récompensé comme meilleur réalisateur pour "Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse", deuxième opus d'une saga amoureuse contemporaine débutée il y a vingt ans. En 1996, "Comme je me suis disputé... (ma vie sexuelle)" suivait les amours finissantes d'Esther (Emmanuelle Devos) et Paul Dédalus (Mathieu Amalric). Dans "Trois souvenirs...", Esther et Paul, encore adolescents, sont à l'aube de leur histoire d'amour. " Je suis vieux comme tout et je fais mon premier film ", avait-il plaisanté à sa sortie.

Le palmarès complet des César 2016 :

Meilleure actrice : Catherine Frot pour "Marguerite" Meilleur acteur : Vincent Lindon pour "La loi du marché" Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle : Sidse Babett Knudsen pour "L'hermine" Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle : Benoît Magimel pour "La tête haute" Meilleur espoir féminin : Zita Hanrot pour "Fatima" Meilleur espoir masculin : Rod Paradot, pour "La tête haute" Meilleur scénario original : Deniz Gamze Ergüven et Alice Winocour pour "Mustang" Meilleure adaptation : Philippe Faucon pour "Fatima" Meilleure musique originale : Warren Ellis pour "Mustang" Meilleur son : François Musy et Gabriel Hafner pour "Marguerite" Meilleure photo : Christophe Offenstein pour "Valley of love" Meilleur montage : Mathilde Van de Moortel pour "Mustang" Meilleurs costumes : Jean-Pierre Larroque pour "Marguerite" Meilleurs décors : Martin Kurel pour "Marguerite" Meilleure réalisation : Arnaud Desplechin pour "Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse" Meilleur film de court métrage : "La contre-allée", réalisé par Cécile Ducrocq Meilleur film d'animation : "Le repas dominical" (court métrage), réalisé par Cécile Devaux et "Le petit prince" (long métrage) réalisé par Mark Osborne Meilleur film documentaire : "Demain", réalisé par Cyril Dion et Mélanie Laurent Meilleur premier film : "Mustang", réalisé par Deniz Gamze Ergüven Meilleur film étranger : "Birdman", réalisé par Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Meilleur film : "Fatima", réalisé par Philippe Faucon César d'honneur : Michael Douglas Retrouver sur notre site la liste des nommés

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Bernard Pivot : Monique, Agnès, Cécile… Les femmes de sa vie en images

Les vacances virent au drame : 3 surfeurs tués d’une balle dans la tête et jetés dans un puits, caroline de monaco radieuse en robe à fleurs auprès du prince albert, césar 2016 - le triomphe de "fatima".

La 41e cérémonie des César du cinéma français, qui se déroulait au Théâtre du Châtelet, à Paris, vendredi soir, a réservé une belle surprise en sacrant "Fatima" de Philippe Faucon. 

Nous l'écrivions avant la cérémonie: le principal intérêt des César par rapport aux Oscars tient dans son suspense. Et, au terme d'une cérémonie plus plaisante qu'à l'accoutumée, grâce à une excellente Florence Foresti en maîtresse de cérémonie, c'est "Fatima" de Philippe Faucon qui a obtenu le César du meilleur film. Une vraie surprise, même si le film avait précédemment obtenu les César de la meilleure espoir féminin pour Zita Hanrot et pour le scénario adapté.

A lire: les meilleures phrases des César 2016

Jusqu'à ce coup de théâtre (Châtelet oblige), le duel attendu entre «Mustang» de Deniz Gamze Ergüven et «Marguerite» de Xavier Gianolli battait son plein avec quatre César chacun dont celui du meilleur premier film pour le premier nommé, et de la meilleure actrice pour le second. «La Tête haute» d'Emmanuelle Bercot a obtenu deux beaux César: meilleur jeune espoir pour Rod Paradot, meilleur second rôle masculin pour Benoît Magimel. Arnaud Desplechin, quant à lui, a enfin été sacré meilleur réalisateur pour «Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse». «La Loi du marché» de Stéphane Brizé et «L'Hermine» de Christian Vincent ne sont pas repartis bredouilles: César du meilleur acteur, le premier, pour Vincent Lindon, César du meilleur second rôle féminin pour Sidse Babett Knudsen.

Ce que l'on a aimé dans cette cérémonie ? L'émotion de Rod Paradot remerciant la CPE de son lycée, la blague sur la moustache de Vincent Lindon, la présentation des films par des extraits (on y tient), la pensée de Philippe Faucon pour l'actrice Lubna Abidar et le sentiment, aussi, que le cinéma français récompense le meilleur du cinéma d'auteur du monde entier: un animateur américain, un décorateur tchèque, un compositeur australien, une jeune réalisatrice turque, une actrice danoise... Comme l'a bien résumé Michael Douglas, «Vive la France». 

Revivez le tapis rouge de la cérémonie

Le palmarès

Meilleur film :  «Fatima» de Philippe Faucon

Meilleure actrice :  Catherine Frot («Marguerite»)

Meilleur acteur:  Vincent Lindon («La loi du marché») 

Meilleur réalisateur: Arnaud Desplechin pour "Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse"

Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle:  Sidse Babett Knudsen dans "L'Hermine"

Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle:  Benoît Magimel pour "La tête haute"

Meilleure espoir féminin:  Zita Hanrot dans "Fatima"

Meilleur espoir masculin:   Rod Paradot dans "La Tête haute"

Meilleur scénario original: "Mustang"

Meilleure adaptation: "Fatima"

Meilleur film étranger: "Birdman" d'Alejandro González Iñárritu

Meilleur premier film: "Mustang" de de Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Meilleur documentaire: "Demain" de Cyril Dion et Mélanie Laurent

Meilleur film d'animation: "Le Petit Prince"

Meilleure musique: "Mustang"

Meilleure photographie: "Valley of Love"

Meilleur montage: "Mustang"

Meilleurs décors: "Marguerite"

Meilleurs costumes: "Marguerite"

Meilleur son: "Marguerite"

Meilleur court-métrage: "La contre-allée"

Meilleur court-métrage d'animation: "Le repas dominical"

Contenus sponsorisés

Adèle exarchopoulos et élodie bouchez reçoivent le césar des lycéens, judith godrèche et son fils noé, la joie de justine triet... dans les coulisses des césar, près de deux millions de téléspectateurs pour les césar 2024, judith godrèche et sa fille tess, juliette binoche… les stars se retrouvent au fouquet’s, « ta gueule » de jamel, gag de magimel et vive la france... les moments improbables des césar 2024, jamel debbouze et son fils léon, duo complice aux césar, adèle exarchopoulos, ana girardot, léa drucker… aux césar, un décolleté ou rien.

César 2016 : le palmarès complet et les meilleurs moments de la cérémonie

Après Edouard Baer, Florence Foresti s'essayait pour la première fois à l'exercice de l'animation. Après avoir commencé la cérémonie en s'incrustant dans des films cultes (Nikita, Itinéraire d'un enfant gâté, Black Swan), la maîtresse de la soirée a débarqué sur la scène en mode star de la pop avec ses gardes de corps avant d'entamer son sketch. Challenge réussi à en croire les commentaires des internautes sur les réseaux sociaux et les rires de la salle. La cérémonie démarre par le César du meilleur espoir féminin remportée par la belle Zita Hanrot pour le film Fatima de Philippe Faucon.

La chanteuse Louane Emera vient ensuite remettre le César du meilleur espoir masculin à un certain Rod Paradot pour La Tête haute d'Emmanuelle Bercot. Le jeune acteur très ému a touché toute l'assistance avec son hommage à sa mère, ses proches et sa CPE.

Remercier sa CPE au discours des #Csar2016 : Bouleversant discours de Rod Paradot https://t.co/yep8ysGaJ9 https://t.co/tM9xup7G3g — CANAL+ (@canalplus) 26 fvrier 2016

L' actrice Audrey Lamy s'est aussi illustrée pendant cette soirée, non pas pour un rôle pour avoir osé chanter de longues minutes sa reprise du titre "Je t'aime". En milieu de soirée, les téléspectateurs ont découvert une parodie de "Bloqués" version Florence Foresti en duo avec Vanessa Paradis . Un moment culte.

La parodie de @Bloques par @florenceforesti et Vanessa Paradis > https://t.co/LfCpPTGhbk #Csar2016 pic.twitter.com/q9MZMvE6kC — CANAL+ (@canalplus) 26 fvrier 2016

Christine and the Queens s'est ensuite appropriée la scène pour une reprise de "It's Only Mystère" de Arthur Simms, chanson culte du film de Luc Besson, Subway. A quelques minutes de la fin de la cérémonie, on demande à Florence Foresti "d'accelérer le tempo" et elle débarque en robe de soirée sur un overboard.

On a demand @florenceforesti d'acclrer un peu le tempo de la soire #Csar2016 pic.twitter.com/tWukuhpUzi — CANAL+ (@canalplus) 26 fvrier 2016

Enfin, après un hommage à l'acteur américain Michael Douglas , les derniers prix ont été distribués au meilleur acteur, à la meilleur actrice, au meilleur film. Découvrez tout le palmarès ci-dessous.

Les gagnants des César 2016

Meilleur Film : FATIMA de Philippe Faucon

Meilleure actrice : Catherine Frot pour MARGUERITE

Meilleur acteur : Vincent Lindon pour LA LOI DU MARCHE

Meilleur acteur dans un second rôle : Benoit Magimel pour LA TETE HAUTE

Meilleure actrice dans un second rôle : Sidse Babeff Knudsen dans L'HERMINE

Meilleur réalisateur : Arnaud Desplechin pour TROIS SOUVENIRS DE MA JEUNESSE

Meilleur espoir Masculin : Rod Paradot pour LA TETE HAUTE

Meilleur espoir Féminin : Zita Hanrot pour FATIMA

Meilleur premier film : MUSTANG

Meilleur film étranger : BIRDMAN

Meilleur film documentaire : DEMAIN de Cyril Dion et Mélanie Laurent

Meilleure adaptation : Philippe Faucon pour FATIMA

Meilleur film de court-métrage : LA CONTRE ALLEE de Cécile Ducrocq

Meilleure photographie : Christophe Offenstein pour VALLEY OF LOVE

Meilleur film court métrage d'animation : LE REPAS DOMINICAL de Celine Devaux

Meilleur film d'animation : LE PETIT PRINCE de Mark Osborne

Meilleur son : François Musy et Gabriel Hafner pour MARGUERITE

Meilleure musique originale : Warren Ellis pour MUSTANG

Meilleur scénario original : MUSTANG

Meilleurs costumes : Pierre-Jean Larroque pour MARGUERITE

Meilleurs décors : Martin Kurel pour MARGUERITE

Meilleur montage : Mathilde Van de Moortel pour MUSTANG

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Catherine deneuve, isabelle huppert, gerard depardieu among france’s cesar awards nominees.

Xavier Giannoli's 'Marguerite' and Arnaud Desplechin's 'My Golden Years' led the nominations for the French Academy's 41st annual awards with 11 each.

By Rhonda Richford

Rhonda Richford

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Paris France Eiffel Tower - H 2014

France's Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences on Wednesday morning unveiled the nominees for this year's Cesar Awards — the country's equivalent to the Oscars — during a press conference at the famed Fouquet's restaurant on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

Foreign-language film Oscar nominee Mustang received nine mentions, including for best film, first film and director.

Xavier Giannoli's Marguerite , the tale of a wealthy woman in the 1920s who tries to become an opera singer despite limited talent, and Arnaud Desplechin's Cannes Directors’ Fortnight opening film My Golden Days , about a man who looks back on his life, led the nominations with 11 each. Jacques Audiard’s Palme d’Or winner Dheepan , a crime drama, received nine noms.

Cannes winners Vincent Lindon, who earned a prize for The Measure of a Man , and Emmanuelle Bercot, who won for Mon Roi , were mentioned in the best acting categories.

Among the best film nominees are Dheepan , Fatima , Measure of a Man , Marguerite , Mon R oi , Mustang and Standing Tall .

Best actress contenders include Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Huppert, while the best actor nominees include Gerard Depardieu. Among the best foreign film nominees are Birdman , Youth and Taxi .

The Little Prince is among the best animated film nominees, while Dheepan and Mustang are among the pics that will vie for best cinematography honors.

Organizers also announced on Wednesday that Michael Douglas will receive an honorary Cesar at the upcoming ceremony. Academy president Alain Terzian and comedian Florence Floresti, who will host the show, read the list of nominees for the 41st annual awards.

The ceremony will be held on Feb. 26 — two days before the Oscars — at Paris’ Chatelet Theatre.

At last year's Cesars, Aberrahmane Sissako's Timbuktu took home seven trophies, including for best film, director, editing and cinematography. Also, Kristen Stewart made history by earning best supporting actress honors for her role in Sils Maria , becoming the first American to win an acting award from the French Academy. She expressed love for French film during her acceptance speech.

Here's a complete look at this year's nominations:

Fatima , Philippe  Faucon  (WINNER)

Dheepan , Jacques Audiard

The Measure of a Man , Stephane Brize

Marguerite , Xavier Giannoli

Mon Roi , Maiwenn

Mustang , Deniz Gamze Erguven

Standing Tall , Emmanuelle Bercot

My Golden Days , Arnaud Desplechin

Best Director

Arnaud   Desplechin ,  My Golden Days (WINNER)

Jacques Audiard , Dheepan

Stephane Brize , The Measure of a Man

Xavier Giannoli , Marguerite

Maiwenn , Mon Roi

Deniz Gamze Erguven , Mustang

Emmanuelle Bercot , Standing Tall

Best Actress

Catherine  Frot ,  Marguerite (WINNER)

Loubna Abidar , Much Loved

Emmanuelle Bercot , Mon Roi

Cecile de France, Summertime

Catherine Deneuve , Standing Tall

Isabelle Huppert , Valley of Love

Soria Zeroual , Fatima

Vincent Lindon , The Measure of a Man (WINNER)

Jean-Pierre Bacri , La Vie Tres Privee de Monsier Sim

Vincent Cassel , Mon Roi

Francois Damiens , Cowboys

Gerard Depardieu , Valley of Love

Antonythasan Jesuthasan , Dheepan

Fabrice Luchini , Courted

Best Foreign Film

Birdman , Alejandro G. Inarritu  (WINNER)

Son of Saul , Laszlo Nemes

Je Suis Mort Mais J’Ai Des Amis , Guillaume and Stephane Malandrin

Mia Madre , Nanni Moretti

Taxi , Jafar Panahi

The Brand New Testament , Jaco Van Dormael

Youth , Paolo Sorrentino

Best Original Screenplay

Deniz   Gamze   Erguven  and Alice  Winocour ,  Mustang (WINNER)

Noe Debre , Thomas Bidegain , Jacques Audiard , Dheepan

Emmanuelle Bercot and Marcia Romano, Standing Tall

Arnaude Despleching and Julie Peyr , My Golden Days

Best Adapted Screenplay

Philippe  Faucon ,  Fatima (WINNER)

David Oelhoffen and Frederic Tellier , SK1

Samuel Benchetrit , Asphalte

Vincent Garenq and Stephane Cable, L’Enquete

Helene Zimmer and Benoit Jacquot , The Diary of a Chambermaid

Best Supporting Actress

Sidse   Babett  Knudsen,  Courted (WINNER)

Sara Forestier , Standing Tall

Agnes Jaoui , Comme un Avion

Noemie Levovsky , Summertime

Karin Viard , 21 Nights With Pattie

Best Supporting Actor

Benoit  Magimel ,  Standing Tall (WINNER)

Michel Fau , Marguerite

Louis Garrel , Mon Roi

Andre Marcon , Marguerite

Vincent Rottiers , Dheepan

Best New Actress

Zita   Hanrot ,  Fatima (WINNER)

Camille Cottin , Connasse , Princesse des Coeurs

Sara Giraudeau , Les Betises

Diane Rouxel , Standing Tall

Lou Roy-Lecolllinet , My Golden Years

Best New Actor

Rod  Paradot ,  Standing Tall (WINNER)

Swann Arlaud , Les Anarchistes

Quentin Dolmaire , My Golden Days

Felix Moati , All About Them

Finnegan Oldfield , Cowboys

Best Documentary

Demain , Cyril Dion and Melanie Laurent (WINNER)

Le Bouton de Nacre , Patricio Guzman

Cavanna , Jusqu’a l’Ultime Seconde , J’Ecrirai , Denis Robert and Nina Robert

L’Image Manquante , Rithy Pahn

Une Jeunesse Allemande , Jean-Gabriel Periot

Best First Film

Mustang ,  Deniz   Gamze   Erguven  (WINNER)

SK1 , Frederic Tellier

Cowboys , Thomas Bidegain

The Wakhan Front , Clement Cogitore

Nous Trois ou Rien , Kheiron

Best Costume

Pierre-Jean  Larroque ,  Marguerite (WINNER)

Anais Romand , The Diary of a Chambermaid

Selin Sozen , Mustang

Catherine Leterrier , L’Odeur de la Mandarin

Nathalie Paoul , My Golden Days

Best Set Decoration

Martin  Kurel ,  Marguerite (WINNER)

Michel Barthelemy , Dheepan

Katia Wyszkop , The Diary of a Chambermaid

Jean Rabasse , L’Odeur de la Mandarine

Toma Baqueni , My Golden Days

Best Cinematography

Christophe   Offenstein ,  Valley of Love (WINNER)

Eponine Momenceau , Dheepan

Glynn Speekaert , Marguerite

David Chizallet , Mustang

Irina Lubtchansky , My Golden Days

Best Editing

Mathilde van de  Moortel ,  Mustang (WINNER)

Juliette Welfling , Dheepan

Cyril Nakache , Marguerite

Simon Jacquet , Mon Roi

Laurence Briaud , My Golden Days

Fancois   Musy  and Gabriel  Hafner ,  Marguerite (WINNER)

Danie Sobrino , Valerie Deloof and Cyril Holtz , Dheepan

Nicolas Rovost , Agnes Ravez and Emmanuel Croset , Mon Roi

Ibrahim Gok , Damien Guillaume and Olivier Goinard , Mustang

Nicolas Cantin , Sylvain Malbrant and Stephane Theibaut , My Golden Days

Best Original Music

Warren Ellis,  Mustang (WINNER)

Raphael, Cowboys

Ennio Morricone , Come What May

Stephen Warbeck , Mon Roi

Gregoire Hetzel , My Golden Days

Best Animated Feature

The Little Prince , Mark Osborne (WINNER)

Adama , Simon Rouby

April and the Twisted World , Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci

Best Animated Short

Le  Repas   Dominical , Celine Devaux  (WINNER)

La Nuit Americaine d’Angelique , Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet and Joris Clerte

Sous Tes Doigts , Marie-Christine Courtes

Best Short Film

La Contre Allee , Cecile Durcocq (WINNER)

Le Dernier des Cefrans , Pierre-Emmanuel Urcun

Essaie de Mourir Jeune , Morgan Simon

Guy Moquet , Demis Herenger

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César film award nominations announced

Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu among nominees for the awards which will take place on 26 February

Some of France’s most renowned actors including Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu have been nominated for César awards, the country’s version of the Oscars, while Hollywood star Michael Douglas will pick up a lifetime achievement prize at the event in Paris on 26 February.

Topping the list of nominations announced yesterday were Trois Souvenirs de ma Jeunesse (My Golden Days), the story of an anthropologist in Tajikistan directed by Arnaud Desplechin, which is up for 11 awards including best film and director, and Xavier Giannoli’s opera singer biopic Marguerite, which is the French entry for best foreign language picture at the Academy awards and also has 11 César nominations.

Also among the frontrunners is Dheepan, directed by Jacques Audiard, a story of Sri Lankan refugees in France that won the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes film festival and has nine César award nominations.

Depardieu, 67, and Huppert, 62, have both been nominated for their roles as a grief-stricken couple reuniting for a trip through California’s Death Valley in Valley of Love.

They are the most-nominated actors in the history of the Césars, with 32 nods between them. Depardieu has won twice and Huppert once.

Deneuve, 72, is nominated for her supporting role as a judge in gritty urban drama La Tête Haute (Standing Tall).

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It’s been some time since Joel and Ethan Coen have made a full-out comedy. The producing, writing, and directing (and editing, too, albeit under an assumed name) brother team’s last three films, “ A Serious Man ,” “True Grit,” and “ Inside Llewyn Davis ,” certainly haven’t lacked for funny moments. But “Man” was an apocalyptic riff painted on two inches of ivory, “True Grit” a rousing adventure that gradually mutated into a memory play about loss and mortality, and “Llewyn Davis” was at least in part a deeply sad story of inescapable existential failure. In other words, pretty heavy s**t. Their new film, “Hail Caesar!” is an exhilarating switchup: A comic fable that’s both deftly clever and irrepressibly goofy. It is also, from stem to stern, the sweetest and sunniest film the Coens have ever made. Although you might not guess that from its opening shot, of a sculpture of a crucified Christ figure in a Catholic church. Bear with me.

Set in an unspecified period in 20 th -century Hollywood some time between the end of World War II and … well, certainly before 1960, although the movie is meticulously determined in certain ways to be as ahistorical as possible, “Hail Caesar!” depicts 28 or so hours in the life of one Eddie Mannix, played here with a beautiful combination of no-nonsense gruffness and tortured tenderness by Josh Brolin . The Coens took the name of their character from the real-life name of one of the more villainous figures in backstage Hollywood history (he was played by Bob Hoskins in the much darker Tinseltown riff “Hollywoodland”), but this entirely fictional Mannix is a harried ordinary-joe exec, “Head Of Physical Production” for a studio called Capitol Pictures. Capitol churns out conscientiously produced but hopelessly schlocky big pictures in a variety of genres, from Biblical epics to cornball oaters. 

On this day in the life, Mannix has a number of big problems to contend with. The front office wants Mannix to “promote” singing cowboy Hobie Doyle ( Alden Ehrenreich ) from B-western star to romantic comedy leading man, much to the confusion of the eager-to-please Hobie himself, and the consternation of his new, exacting director, self-styled studio auteur Laurence Laurentz. The aquatic musical star DeeAnna Moran ( Scarlett Johansson ) is newly pregnant, which is making her mermaid costume painful to wear, and on top of that, she’s not sure if she’s interested in marrying the father of her child, a refusal that would constitute a potential PR gaffe for a studio that prides itself on an All-American image. A pair of twin gossip columnists (both played by Tilda Swinton ) are demanding answers to awkward questions and threatening to go public with an awkward story about the studio’s biggest matinee idol, Baird Whitlock ( George Clooney ). Finally, and most crucially, Whitlock himself has been kidnapped from the set of his Biblical epic, by a group of disgruntled Communist screenwriters who call themselves “ The Future ” in their terse ransom note. In the meantime, Mannix must deal with his personal demons: he’s a devout Catholic who almost compulsively goes to confession, much to the exasperation of his otherwise kindly and indulgent confessor. He frets over having told his loving wife that he’s going to quit smoking, and then sneaking some cigarettes during his stress-filled day. He’s also being aggressively courted by a recruiter from Lockheed, who tempts Eddie with a vested position, the promise of saner hours, and the chance to involve himself with something “serious.” How serious? This character shows Eddie a shot of a recent H-bomb test at Bikini Atoll. “Lockheed was there,” he intones. You can tell this character is the devil because he always offers Eddie a cigarette when they meet.

The Coens being the Coens, they cannot, or rather do not, resist the temptation to take what were and remain serious matters not-terribly-seriously; in their funhouse mirror mashup of 1950s Hollywood, the ostensible Red Scare was no “scare” at all but rather a Cold War component in which a big Hollywood star might conceivably defect to play “Soviet Man” for Mosfilm. Once in the hands of his kidnappers, the amiable but boneheaded Whitlock—poor George Clooney, playing his fourth idiot for the Coen Brothers, is stuck in a goofy Roman Centurion costume and haircut for the whole movie—is instructed in Marxist logic by no less a personage than Dr. Herbert Marcuse himself. (Okay, he’s only referred to as “Professor Marcuse,” but actor John Bluthal is made up to look like the actual figure.) All this cockeyed revisionist history may inspire scary thoughts of Steven Spielberg ’s (ostensibly) disastrous 1979 comedy “1941.” And to tell you the truth, there is more than a bit of broad, blithely unserious japery at play here. One also recalls “The Hudsucker Proxy” and the Sam Raimi-directed, Coen-Brothers-co-written “Crimewave.” But the Coen Brothers have funnier jokes than Spielberg did, and they also know their real stuff at an almost dangerous level—in the new commentary to “Inside Llewyn Davis” on the Criterion Collection disc, writers Robert Christgau and Sean Wilentz marvel at a throwaway Max Schactman reference in the movie that flew over the heads of 99 44/100 th percent of viewers, and here they present an American Communist Party membership card replete with a Gus Hall signature.

You can miss or ignore so many of these details and still enjoy the exquisite clockwork mechanism of the movie’s plot, and/or the various pastiches of old movies it offers up in differing manifestations. The goofily, cluelessly homoerotic “No Dames” musical number, starring a game-as-always Channing Tatum , is a highlight, as is the near-pornographic whale-spouting imagery of the Busby-Berkeley-inflected Johansson-showcasing water ballet. (Around the time of “ The Big Lebowski ” I asked the Coens if they were influenced by the Technicolor musical films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger , and they were characteristically cagey in response; here they acknowledge their fandom by scoring the water dance to a bit from Offenbach’s “Tales of Hoffmann.”) The movie’s performances are all spectacularly rewarding, but Ehrenreich practically steals the picture as the completely ingenuous singing cowboy who ain’t quite as dumb as he seems, not by a long shot.

The movie makes light of the dialectic as explained to Baird by Marcuse, but it also, in its tricky way, continually invites/compels the viewer to use it. Eddie Mannix is a good man who is very good at his job—but his job seems to be manufacturing schlock. People enjoy schlock, but schlock is arguably an agent of The People’s oppression, so … anyway, one needn’t go on. Suffice it to say that in the cosmology of the delightful “Hail Caesar!”, regardless of the conclusions to which dialectical thinking may lead, acceptance is the key, and Hollywood, while “problematic,” is more a force for good than the military-industrial complex can ever hope to be. And, finally, doing the right thing is an instinct shared by both company men and singing cowboys, for whatever that’s worth. 

Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and smoking.

100 minutes

Scarlett Johansson as DeeAnna Moran

Channing Tatum as Burt Gurney

Josh Brolin as Eddie Mannix

Ralph Fiennes as Laurence Lorenz

George Clooney as Baird Whitlock

Tilda Swinton as Thora Thacker / Thessaly Thacker

Jonah Hill as Joseph Silverman

Frances McDormand as C. C. Calhoun

Alden Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle

Alison Pill as Mrs. Mannix

Director of Photography

• Roger Deakins
• Carter Burwell

Production Design

• Jess Gonchor

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Hail, Caesar!

A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line. A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line. A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line.

• Josh Brolin
• George Clooney
• Alden Ehrenreich
• 501 User reviews
• 480 Critic reviews
• 72 Metascore
• 14 wins & 44 nominations total

• Eddie Mannix

• Baird Whitlock

• Hobie Doyle

• Laurence Laurentz

• DeeAnna Moran

• Thora Thacker …

• Burt Gurney

• C.C. Calhoun

• Joe Silverman

• Carlotta Valdez

• Natalie - Secretary

• Mrs. Mannix

• Head Communist Writer

• Communist Writer

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia For his role as Hobie Doyle, Alden Ehrenreich learned horseback riding, rope tricks, twirling guns, and playing the guitar. He has stated twirling the spaghetti, mimicking the lasso, was the hardest part of his role.
• Goofs When Mannix is viewing the rushes (or dailies), they are being shown in color. Rushes would have been printed on inexpensive black-and-white stock as they were used only for cursory approval purposes.

Hobie Doyle : Would that it were so simple?

• Crazy credits At the end of the closing credits there is a disclaimer that reads "This motion picture contains no visual depiction of the godhead."
• Connections Featured in Roeper's Reviews: Richard Roeper's Top 16 Films for 2016 (2016)
• Soundtracks No Dames! Music by Henry Krieger Lyrics by Willie Reale Performed by Channing Tatum Arranged by Sam Davis Orchestrator Doug Besterman Recordings & Mixer Todd Whitelock Contractor Howard Joines

User reviews 501

• bob-the-movie-man
• Mar 7, 2016
• February 5, 2016 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Official Facebook
• Official site (France)
• Hail, Caesar! A Tale of The Christ
• Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA (Capitol Studios exteriors)
• Universal Pictures
• Working Title Films
• Mike Zoss Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $22,000,000 (estimated)
• $30,498,085
• $11,355,225
• Feb 7, 2016
• $63,945,241

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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7 unforgettable leadership lessons from the ancient Roman conqueror Julius Caesar

After eliminating his rivals in a civil war, general and politician Gaius Julius Caesar began serving as dictator of Rome in 49 BCE.

He established a number of political reforms before getting stabbed to death on the Ides of March in 44 BCE.

This sparked yet another civil war that doomed the Roman Republic to mutate into an empire with Caesar's adopted heir Octavian at the helm.

Today, Caesar is still considered one of the greatest military commanders in history. His name is also synonymous with cults of personality and political strongmen.

So how exactly did the one-time high priest of Jupiter accrue so much power during his lifetime?

Business Insider looked through some of his own writings — as well as the less-reliable but still interesting works of contemporary ancient writers — to get a sense of his leadership style.

Here are the top seven lessons we came up with:

1. Presentation matters

The best leaders don't just do amazing things — they know how to present a compelling story.

After a relatively brief war with a certain Pharnacles II of Pontus, Caesar had to sit down and write out a report to Rome detailing his conquest. According to both Greek biographer Plutarch and Roman historian Suetonius , the commander didn't go into too much detail, writing simply: "I came, I saw, I conquered."

The phrase proved so catchy that we still remember it, centuries later.

Caesar could have gone on and on about his military prowess (in fact, he was the author of several long military accounts). Instead, he realized that the simple note would convey the most powerful message.

2. Take risks

In ancient Rome, crossing the Rubicon River with an army was kind of a big deal. It was tantamount to a declaration of war and could be punishable by death.

Related stories

When Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his legion, he put everything on the line. In " The Life of the Deified Julius ," Suetonius writes that Caesar quoted an Athenian playwright as he crossed the river, declaring "the die is cast."

He risked it all and it paid off (in the short-term, at least).

3. There's nothing wrong with starting small

Oftentimes, you've got to start out as a large fish in a small pond in order to succeed as a leader.

Caesar understood this. He managed to climb back into a position of power, even after losing his inheritance in a coup as a young man.

According to the ancient Plutarch's " Parallel Lives ," the general also made a rather curious remark while passing through a small village in the Alps: "I assure you I had rather be the first man here than the second man in Rome."

4. Nothing is set in stone

As a general, Caesar new that circumstances could change in an instant. According to Bill Yonne's " Julius Caesar: Lessons in Leadership from the Great Conqueror ," Caesar once wrote that "in war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes."

Resting on your laurels is never a good idea — because things can always take a turn for the worst.

5. Never kid yourself

Even if you're a successful leader, you never want to get to the point where you start to buy your own nonsense.

In his chronicle of the Gallic Wars , Caesar concludes that: "i n most cases men willingly believe what they wish" when describing a tactical mistake on the part of his Gallic enemies.

The best leaders behave rationally and don't allow their feelings or preconceived notions to dominate their decision-making. Gut calls and instincts are important too, but the best leaders utilize both — not one or the other.

6. Don't get comfortable

No matter how good things look, the best leaders never fail to anticipate the worst outcomes.

In his " Commentaries on the Gallic Wars ," Caesar writes: "The immortal gods are wont to allow those persons whom they wish to punish for their guilt sometimes a greater prosperity and longer impunity, in order that they may suffer the more severely from a reverse of circumstances."

Basically, if you're on a winning streak, watch out. Caesar would have done well to actually follow this advice himself. Instead, he allowed a conspiracy to boil under him once he became dictator, resulting in his famous assassination.

7. Never sell yourself short

In order to lead, you need confidence in your own abilities. This is something that Caesar never seemed to lack.

This is illustrated by one notable incident in the ancient Roman's life (involving pirates, of all things). In his account of Caesar's life , Plutarch writes that, as a young man, Julius Caesar was abducted by the pirates that swarmed the Mediterranean Sea.

Livius.org provides a translation of what happened next: "First, when the pirates demanded a ransom of twenty talents, Caesar burst out laughing. They did not know, he said, who it was that they had captured, and he volunteered to pay fifty."

Caesar went on to promise the pirates that he'd personally kill them once he was free. After he was ransomed, he raised a fleet, hunted them down, and did just that.

Watch: Why this pizza cone is Rome's favorite street eat

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Cesar Cerrudo, Chief Technology Officer for IOActive, to present at RISE

In this presentation, Cesar takes a deep dive into building secure, hacker-proof software capable of withstanding sophisticated cyber attacks. He will cover some of the main problems affecting software security and provide attendees with solutions to help build more secure software. He will also explore reverse engineering, code review, social engineering, and more.

About Cesar Cerrudo Cesar Cerrudo is CTO for IOActive Labs where he leads the team in producing ongoing, cutting-edge research in the areas of SCADA, mobile device, application security, and more. Formerly the founder and CEO of Argeniss Consulting–which was acquired by IOActive–Cesar is a world-renowned security researcher and specialist in application security.

Throughout his career, Cesar is credited with discovering and helping to eliminate dozens of vulnerabilities in leading applications, including Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle database server, IBM DB2, Microsoft Windows, Yahoo! Messenger, and Twitter. He has a record of finding more than 50 vulnerabilities in Microsoft products and more than 20 in Microsoft Windows operating systems. Cesar has authored several white papers on database and application security as well as attacks and exploitation techniques based on his unique research. He has been invited to present at a variety of companies and conferences including Microsoft, Black Hat, Bellua, CanSecWest, EuSecWest, WebSec, HITB, Microsoft BlueHat, EkoParty, FRHACK, H2HC, Infiltrate, BlueHat, 8.8, Hackito Ergo Sum, NcN, and DEF CON. Cesar collaborates with, and is regularly quoted in, print and online publications.

About RISE RISE is produced by the team behind Web Summit. In five short years, Web Summit has become Europe’s largest tech conference which last year attracted 42,000 attendees from 134 countries around the world.

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