Many movie-goers will happily remember Chicken Run, the claymation movie released in 2000. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, comes the sequel, or, rather, not so much a sequel as a remake with a modern twist clearly aimed at trying to make the plot more currently socially relevant in that it is the “women” who lead the way.
Both Chicken Run and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget harken back to prisoner-of-war escape movies so popular in the post-World War II period, such as The Colditz Story, The Great Escape, and most particularly, The Wooden Horse. (Indeed, the film is probably most entertaining for those familiar with those earlier movies.) Both films involve chickens attempting to escape imprisonment and death at the hands of a farmer determined to slaughter them for human consumption.
This may not sound like cause for comedy, but thanks to clever scripting and plotting, both films deliver a multitude of laughs, in addition to wildly inventive plot points. And, throughout, it remains faithful to the spirit of all those inspiring “escape movies.”
In fact, because of the grim reality underlying such films, one wonders if either film is appropriate for children. I have long questioned why so many tales that seem to be aimed at children as much as adults often contain plot elements which young people might find downright scary.
One has only to recall Grimm’s fairy tales (which are often truly grim) or films like Disney’s Snow White with its wicked witch, or even the death of Bambi’s mother. Perhaps a case can be made that such narratives help children deal with their own fears in a safe manner. I leave such conjectures to the child psychologists.
Be that as it may, the sequel to Chicken Run may well prove to be daunting to young viewers as it shows the protagonist avoiding being turned into chicken nuggets. Indeed, the film may well persuade some viewers to become devout vegans.
Despite these caveats, Ginger, as the heroine, leads the charge to save her daughter from dire death. While husband Rocky is no longer the audacious hero of the earlier film, the sequel is an entertaining piece of cinematic animation.
There are a multitude of comedic situations, a truly suspenseful plot, and some endearing characters, including an elderly knitter and an incompetent Colonel Blimp, as well as a truly nasty villainess. And, as a bonus there are also some witty one-liners, some of which reference World War II (as in “careless squawks cost lives”) or sly comment on the modern world today (as when a chick visiting a kind of Disneyland for chickens comments that it is not as much fun as shown in the advertisements).
Throughout, the brilliance of the claymation is a wondrous testimony to the skill, artistry, and enormous patience of the makers. And, of course, all this leads to a happy and satisfactory conclusion.
In short, allowing for some possible concerns over content, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget lives up to the high standard set by the first film – a truly entertaining and rollicking adventure story so much like the original that some may find it unnecessary.
The role of the orchestra conductor has always been fascinating, especially to those like me who are largely uninitiated in the complexities and subtleties of classical music. In some measure, this curiosity explains the popularity in 2022 of the movie Tar. Now, again in strong contention for a number of awards, comes along Maestro.
Unlike Tar, the new offering is based on fact – the life of famed American conductor Leonard Bernstein, who rose to worldwide fame in the second half of the last century.
Not only did he become the first American-born conductor appointed as conductor of a major symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, but he was responsible for a multitude of highly praised recordings. He also became a popular television star, most particularly for his presentations explaining the world of symphonic music to children (as well as a multitude of enraptured adults.)
He was also a composer of the musicals On the Town, West Side Story, and Candide, as well as a unique and somewhat controversial Mass.
As if this were not enough reason for a biopic dedicated to his life, he was also a renowned social activist, particularly involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement and efforts to bring an end to racism in the U.S.
The irony is that in Maestro, all of these achievements are either completely ignored or reduced to a largely undeveloped backdrop. Unlike Tar, instead, of the film concentrating on the protagonist’s role as a conductor with sexuality only part of the film, Maestro is entirely focused on Bernstein’s sexual life.
Bernstein did marry a well-known actress who was aware of his homosexual activities. They had children, and he loved his wife. But ultimately she could no longer accept Bernstein’s sexual infidelities with men and divorced him. All of this is true, but is it what we really want a film dedicated to a musical genius to be about?
Sadly, there is virtually nothing in the film that even begins to attempt to explain Bernstein’s impact on the world of musical theatre, of social movements, or of symphonic music.
After all, Bernstein had an international musical impact. Many Vancouverites will recall Bernstein coming to Vancouver with the New York Philharmonic and conducting in the old Garden Auditorium at the PNE. I will never be able to listen to Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe without recalling that performance, accompanied as it was by the twittering of appreciative birds in the rafters!
Many Canadians remember fondly his introducing Glenn Gould to a New York audience in 1962, explaining that Gould was offering an interpretation of that evening’s work with which he did not agree – but recognizing the soloist’s right to his interpretation. Indeed, Bernstein did have an enormous impact on the entire musical world – an impact to which Maestro pays only passing and incidental homage.
The film still has much to admire. There are moments when the audience is squarely and cleverly reminded of Bernstein’s genius, but these are rare and simply used as undeveloped background to the rest of the film.
The acting of Bradley Cooper in the title role and that of Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife are superb. Cooper is also responsible for some excellent directing as well as being co-author of the disappointing script. Beautifully shot, the film offers a superb view of changing times and places – Mulligan’s hairstyles alone are worth attention! But, at least for me, the unfolding became tedious, repetitive, and unsatisfactory, as at no point did the film’s emphasis on the private life of Bernstein seem to have any relevance to the spectacular achievement of Bernstein, the artist.
I have no doubt that Maestro will feature prominently in the upcoming awards season, but in essence it is a lost opportunity. It could and should have been so much more than it is.
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