It’s 3/3 for Greta Gerwig as a filmmaker. ‘Barbie,’ starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, perfectly balances studio expectations and personal artistic aspirations. Gerwig’s existential comedy is pure joy from beginning to end. Even when it holds court to remind us about feminism and humanity, it’s still committed to entertainment.
The film also tackles the unrealistic body standards caused by Barbie and Mattel’s dodgy past. To create the pretty pink world of the film, Greta Gerwig was inspired by films like ‘The Matrix’ and ‘An American In Paris.’ Believe it or not, the opening scene with the girls smashing the dolls is a nod to filmmaker Stanley Kubrick.
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‘Barbie’ Opening Scene Explained
The film opens with little girls playing with identical, joyless dolls in a prehistoric setting. For them, they are playthings they’ll eventually get bored with. Ultimately their attention span and interest fade as they start smashing the dolls. However, we see Margot Robbie appear out of the unclear skies.
Watching the first Barbie doll ever proves revolutionary for these girls. Finally, having dolls with personalities, the little girls are opened to the infinite life and career possibilities ahead of them as they become enamored with their new toys. Doctors, astronauts, surfers, journalists, scientists, and businesswomen, there’s no limit to what they can be when they grow up.
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‘Barbie’ Pays Homage To Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odessey’
For the uninitiated, this scene is an ingenious homage to the prelude of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ The scene in discussion is the scene involving apes. They lead miserable lives until they stumble upon a mysterious monolith. They don’t understand its purpose or power, yet are drawn to it.
Its ominous power propels them to aspire for the next step in their evolution. The similar desire for betterment makes Greta Gerwig’s cinematic parallel a masterstroke. It’s one of many glorious moments in the film that has made it a shoo-in for a billion-dollar box office revenue.
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