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The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
A thoroughly entrancing visual and technological extravaganza, The Hudsucker Proxy takes the story of a children's toy further than ever seems possible. On a snowy New Year's Eve in New York, every inhabitant (rich to poor) is celebrating in the hope of a better year to come. Unfortunately this doesn't apply to a figure on the top floor of the Hudsucker skyscraper. A forlorn dot against the concrete bulk of the building, this film is the story of how Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) came to be considering suicide on a winter's evening. Well, just a little while before, Norville was a recent graduate out of the Muncie College of Business Administration, here in the Big Apple to seek his fortune. Unfortunately those doing the hiring and firing want experience and that's something that Norville just can't offer (amongst other things).

By chance, Hudsucker Industries are looking for new staff though, offering long hours and low pay in return. Right at the very moment Norville blunders through the front door, a board meeting is talking place on the 44th floor. With Waring Hudsucker (Charles Durning) presiding, the stunning financial results for the previous quarter are being described. Stock runs at an all time high and the future couldn't be brighter, which is why the entire board are shocked and stunned when Waring jumps on the table and leaps right out of the window (to a messy demise). The problem now is that a poison-pill clause comes into effect, meaning that all of Waring's stock will be sold to the public on the 1st of January, a tragedy for the board. To former right-hand man Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman) their next step is dreadfully clear though; they must appoint an incompetent President, leading to a free-fall in the company's value, allowing the board to buy every share for next to nothing.

In the bowels of the building, Norville is being indoctrinated in the intricate workings of the Post Room. A hive of activity, Norville's Orienter (Christopher Darga) delights in pointing out that every mistake leads to a pay-packet deduction. However, before Norville can get settled next to a cynical old-time sorter (Pat Cranshaw), the sector crashes to a halt as a "blue letter" arrives. It needs to go directly to the hand of Mussburger (circumstances which induce palpitations in most employees) and Norville inevitably gets lumbered. Thus, after encountering wise-cracking lift operator Buzz (Jim True), Norville finds himself in the hallowed presence of Mussburger and making a fool of himself. This is just what the board are looking for, an imbecile they can manipulate, giving Norville the fastest rise in corporate history and an investigation courtesy of pushy reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh).

Set in the late 1950s, The Hudsucker Proxy is just an excuse for the Coen brothers to run riot with their imagination, creating an Art Deco cityscape where the hard-bitten characters of a hundred films roam free. In the time-warp cathedral to capitalism that is Hudsucker Industries, a board of devious fat-cats selfishly decides the fate of all who work within (once the moderating presence of Waring is removed). Hence the stage is set for the vertiginous trajectory of Norville as he reaches the rarified heights of the board whilst being shamelessly used (part of his charm is that he never questions his luck). With all of this capped by the presence of Amy, a fast-talking newspaper hack, The Hudsucker Proxy presents a fully realised, incredibly detailed world in all of its glory. While this doesn't make the film a masterpiece, it does make it a fine satire and truly incredible to look at.

A continuing criticism of the work of the Coen brothers is that it lacks heart, that all they provide is flash and no substance. While this is a valid criticism (which they've rectified in Fargo), it partly misses the point. The Hudsucker Proxy is not a character-based production, but an exercise in imagination and directorial flourish. The aim is to render a vision, which means that in some senses the cast is relegated to the same status as the props, as tools which you use to get the job done. However, the cast put together here do a marvellous job of animating their roles, giving them everything that the parts require. Thus Newman is devious and slimy, Robbins is naive and trusting, and Jason Leigh is smart and mouthy. This doesn't exactly make the characters people that you care about, but they do fit perfectly into the movie (as do the host of supporting roles) and that's what really matters here.

Because art direction and set design are paramount to The Hudsucker Proxy, it is worth spending a moment on these aspects. Extensive use is made of models and background art, fleshing out an environment of pipes, signs, bureaucrats and the clash of modern and historic workplace culture. Everything is constructed on a large-scale, providing huge spaces crammed with detail, freeing the camera to sweep, slide and follow characters, objects and ideas. From this environment, brilliant sequences naturally arise, such as when a rain of job adverts nails Norville to the spot (echoing his thoughts) or the almost dialogue-free montage taking the hoop from its approval to the position of a country-wide craze. Such economical inventiveness is typical of the Coen's approach (the fantastic verbal choreography of the opening boardroom assembly is another example), making it possible to overlook the fact that things get a bit weird towards the end, rushing the outcome. With this allowance made, the only question is, how much of an influence was the Sweet Smell of Success on the brothers?

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