{"id":2711,"date":"2017-03-10T16:06:55","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T16:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/?p=2711"},"modified":"2018-08-30T20:23:14","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T20:23:14","slug":"theatre-in-film-birdman-or-the-unexpected-virtue-of-ignorance-%ef%bb%bf2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-birdman-or-the-unexpected-virtue-of-ignorance-%ef%bb%bf2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre in Film: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) \ufeff(2014)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-header-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Theatre in Film:<i> Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)\u00a0<\/i>(2014)<\/h3>\n<font size=\"2\" color=\"grey\"><span style=\"border:1px solid ;-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);-webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);box-shadow: 0 0 3px rgba(0,0,0,.3);margin-right:25px;float:left;\" class=\"fusion-imageframe imageframe-glow imageframe-1 hover-type-none author-image\"><a class=\"fusion-no-lightbox\" href=\"http:\/\/performerstuff.com\" target=\"_self\"> <img src=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/authorimage.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-responsive\" style=\"-webkit-border-radius:50%;-moz-border-radius:50%;border-radius:50%;\"\/><\/a><\/span><p>Written by Ashleigh Gardner<\/p>\n<p>March 9, 2017<\/p>\n<\/font><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"fusion-one-full fusion-layout-column fusion-column-last fusion-spacing-yes section-body-post\" style=\"margin-top:;margin-bottom:;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper\"><p style=\"text-align: left;\">Welcome to Part VIII of Theatre in Film, our weekly feature on a film that depicts a life in the theatre. In Part VIII, we feature films where characters in the theatre must overcome a struggle in their personal lives while also managing the world of performance. This week, we take a look at the Academy Award-winning\u00a0film about a washed-up superhero-actor-turned-Broadway-writer\/director\/performer in Alejandro G.\u00a0I\u00f1\u00e1rritu&#8217;s\u00a0<em>Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).<\/em><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><i>Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)\u00a0<\/i>(2014)<\/h4>\n<br><div align=\"center\"><div class=\"fusion-video fusion-youtube\" style=\"max-width:600px;max-height:350px;\"><div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2bqh-UCY6Zg?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/div><br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Director:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Alejandro G. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u00f1\u00e1rritu<br \/>\n<\/span><b>Starring:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, Amy Ryan, Lindsay Duncan, and Andrea Riseborough <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">What happens:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The film follows Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a faded Hollywood actor who is best known for playing the superhero role of Birdman 20 years prior. Now, he\u2019s trying to make a name for himself in his Broadway play <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What We Talk About When We Talk About Love<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, originally a short story by Raymond Carver. Riggan has adapted, directed, and cast himself in the show as an attempt to have nearly complete control over its outcome &#8212; which he hopes will reintroduce him to the acting world as a serious intellectual performer and director. While he\u2019s attempting to reestablish himself, he\u2019s also battling his inner Birdman persona who keeps making an appearance, mocking Riggan into a mental submission and making him feel either washed up or too good for the other people he\u2019s working with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Riggan\u2019s vision for preview nights and opening night is dashed when a lighting instrument falls onto the head of another leading actor, Ralph, forcing Riggan and Jake (Zach Galifianakis) to look for another leading man. They find it in Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), a volatile method actor who takes situations to extremes. In the middle of this fiasco, Riggan\u2019s recovering drug addict daughter, Sam (Emma Stone), helps out in the theatre and subsequently enters into a relationship with Mike after he assaults his girlfriend and co-star, Lesley (Naomi Watts), during a scene onstage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To top things off, Tabitha Dickinson (Lindsay Duncan), a notorious theatre critic, is scheduled to see the show on opening night, and when Riggan sees her in a bar after a long day at the theatre, he berates her for delivering heartless reviews. Through the final two days of previews, Riggan has effectively lost his mind, and on opening night, when he enters the stage for the final scene, he shoots himself in the head. When he wakes up, he\u2019s in a hospital room with a new nose (he missed his head). Jake says that the review Tabitha gave them will have the show running forever &#8212; she\u2019s called it \u201csuper-realism\u201d and just the thing American theatre needed. Dissatisfied with the final outcome, Riggan steps onto the window ledge and vanishes. Sam arrives in the room, and seeing her father nowhere, looks out the window. She scans the ground for him, but then looks up, sees something, and smiles.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\">Why it matters:<\/h4>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\">This is one of my favorite theatre films hands down. It was automatically in my top 10 favorite films of all time, and when I walked out of the theatre, I turned to my friend (who&#8217;s also a writer\/actor) and said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t believe what I just saw. That&#8217;s my life. That&#8217;s our life. That&#8217;s what it&#8217;s like to be in the theatre.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Birman does something spectacular in its execution.\u00a0Emmanuel Lubezki, the cinematographer\u00a0who shot the film, won an Academy Award for his artistic\u00a0method of making the film look like one continuous shot. Though it&#8217;s not\u00a0<em>really\u00a0<\/em>one shot (a lot of editing went into making the film look that way), it&#8217;s a visual effect that creates a sort of unstoppable momentum for all the characters, not just for Riggan. Lubezki&#8217;s shots blur first preview morning into first preview night into second preview morning into second preview night into opening morning into opening night. There&#8217;s a non-stop pacing that really captures the rollercoaster feeling of being in rehearsals and dealing with personal struggles simultaneously.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">While some critics believe that Riggan actually\u00a0<em>does\u00a0<\/em>shoot himself and that the last scene of the movie is his mind post-death, I think there&#8217;s something to be said for the conversation Jake and Riggan have that details\u00a0Dickinson&#8217;s review. She calls it &#8220;super-realism&#8221; and the thing the American theatre needs &#8212; two things that are so far from theatre to begin with that we really have to step back and wonder&#8230;are those good things? Does the American theatre really need a hyper-realistic performance? Especially one that causes the death of an actor? No. Theatre is based on a willing suspension of disbelief. Writers, directors, actors, and technicians depend on this practice to tell an effective story without harming performers or audience members involved.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This is\u00a0where the fantasy and hyper-realism of superhero movies, like the\u00a0<em>Birdman<\/em>\u00a0franchise Riggan starred in, start to take over in modern culture. We see films and TV shows like\u00a0<em>Deadpool, The Avengers, Daredevil, Luke Cage,\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0war movies that depict graphic violence and sex, all the while making it look completely real. The screen is oversaturated with realism, and so Dickinson deems that American theatre should be, too.\u00a0But should it?<\/p>\n<br><p style=\"text-align: left;\">This film is the first film in\u00a0Part VIII. See below for the other films\u00a0in Part VIII.<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><em>A Life in the Theatre\u00a0<\/em>(1993) (<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>The Last Metro\u00a0<\/em>(1980)\u00a0(<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>Opening Night\u00a0<\/em>(2016)\u00a0(<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<li><em>The Tall Guy\u00a0<\/em>(1989)\u00a0(<em>Coming soon.<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Want to start with\u00a0<strong>Part I<\/strong>? Begin with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"http:\/\/mgs.performerstuff.com\/?p=133\">42nd Street\u00a0<\/a><\/em>(1933)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nMiss\u00a0<strong>Part II<\/strong>?\u00a0Check out\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-the-band-wagon-1953\/\"><strong><em>The Band Wagon<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<strong>(1953)<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<br \/>\nNeed a refresh for\u00a0<strong>Part III<\/strong>? Start with\u00a0our feature on\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-series-all-that-jazz-1979\/\">All That Jazz\u00a0<\/a><\/em><\/strong><strong>(1979)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nHow about a recap from\u00a0<strong>Part IV<\/strong>? Jump into\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-a-chorus-of-disapproval-1989\/\"><strong><em>A Chorus of Disapproval\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong>(1989)<\/strong><\/span>.<br \/>\nCheck out\u00a0<strong>Part V<\/strong><em>,\u00a0<\/em>and start with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-an-awfully-big-adventure-1995\/\"><em><strong>A<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">n Awfully Big Adventure\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>(1995)<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<br \/>\nStart reading\u00a0<strong>Part VI<\/strong>\u00a0with\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/theatre-in-film-camp-2003\/\">Camp\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/em><strong>(2003)<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-clearfix\"><\/div><hr \/>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\"><em><strong>Ashleigh Gardner<\/strong>\u00a0received her AA in Theatre\/Drama\/Dramatic Arts\u00a0from Valencia College and\u00a0her Bachelors Degree in English Literature and\u00a0Masters Degree in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies from\u00a0the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, an actor, and PerformerStuff.com\u2019s Editor.\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: left;\">Thumbnail image from\u00a0<em>Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).\u00a0<\/em>Copyright Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2014.<\/h5>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [...]","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2712,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[259,265],"tags":[6,160,139,10,105],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/performerstuff.com\/mgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}