The premiere of Barbie‘s first live-action film is here, and for some time now, nobody can stop talking about it. This movie, centered on the world’s most famous doll, has the world buzzing with anticipation over Margot Robbie’s performance as Barbie on her journey of self-discovery in the real world.
Renowned director Greta Gerwig heads this production based on a script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach and, based on what she has audiences accustomed to, Barbie will hopefully become a wildly acclaimed production. As if its brilliant marketing strategy wasn’t doing a great job on its own, there’s another major detail about Barbie that has turned it into a talking point: it premieres on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the other 2023 film that people can’t stop talking about.
Barbie hits theaters following numerous animated films starring this Mattel character, vowing a production that everyone will enjoy, regardless of their age or whether they love or hate Barbie. In order to develop this highly anticipated production, its director drew inspiration from a huge number of films across all genres, both film classics and smaller productions, and she discussed their influence on the upcoming film with Letterboxd. As we await Barbie‘s premiere, here’s a look at all the productions that inspired it.
The Wizard of Oz
This classic film has influenced all kinds of productions for decades, so it’s not strange that it has also made its mark on Gerwig and her upcoming film. The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 production that brought L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel to the silver screen, and it was responsible for launching actress and singer Judy Garland to absolute stardom. This cinematic masterpiece was a great source of inspiration for Barbie‘s director, primarily for its painted sets that, according to her, make it look “authentically artificial”. The movie also features several nods to The Wizard of Oz, and you can even spot it running in the Barbie Land cinema.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a 1964 film written and directed by Jacques Demy and starring Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo. It follows the story of two young people who have a brief love affair that leads to their separation. Greta was inspired by the use of colors and the surrealism of this French production, and also drew inspiration from one of the main character’s hairstyles to create one of Barbie’s signature looks.
The Young Girls of Rochefort
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is not the only Jacques Demy film that influenced Barbie: Gerwig was also struck by The Young Girls of Rochefort, another musical comedy by the French filmmaker, featuring Deneuve and her sister, Françoise Dorléac. This 1967 film follows a pair of twin sisters as they seek to find love. The Young Girls of Rochefort is a colorful production with a signature style that helped the director in her search for her own film’s identity. Moreover, the iconic hats of the film’s main characters also inspired one of Barbie’s props in this live-action movie.
Model Shop
It is quite obvious that Jacques Demy’s films were a major source of inspiration for Gerwig in developing Barbie, and she also cited the 1969 romantic film Model Shop as one of the productions that contributed to her own film’s world, particularly given Demy’s gift for creating unique universes based on his own rules in each and every one of his productions.
An American in Paris
An American in Paris is a Vincente Minnelli film starring Gene Kelly and presenting Leslie Caron in her film debut. This 1951 production follows Jerry Mulligan, an American war veteran who moves to Paris attempting to make it as an artist. Kelly is an actor who greatly influenced Gerwig’s career, and she even lists him as her favorite one growing up (per The Dissolve). What stands out most for the director in An American in Paris is its opening, which features the character in his small apartment performing his morning routine. Due to the size of the unit, all the furniture and decorations inside it shift around and fold into one another, which makes for a very visually rewarding scene.
Singin’ in the Rain
Singin’ in the Rain is another great classic in the history of cinema, and one of the most important films in Gene Kelly’s career, so it is only fitting that it belongs on the list of productions that inspired Barbie. To top it off, this musical comedy is one of Gerwig’s favorite films. Among all the elements in this masterpiece that inspired her own production, she specifically points out the dream ballet scene, which features Don Lockwood and Cyd Charisse in an iconic and dramatic sequence.
The Red Shoes
Another ballet film that inspired Greta in creating Barbie is The Red Shoes, a movie written, directed and produced by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger that marked ballerina Moira Shearer’s acting debut. This production, which follows a ballerina as she is torn between her career and love, inspired some of Barbie‘s scenes, and the cat-eye glasses worn by Boris Lermontov provided the inspiration for one of Ryan Gosling’s Ken’s most iconic props.
A Matter of Life and Death
Just as with Jacques Demy’s films, Gerwig credits several movies by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger as a source of inspiration for her live-action film. A Matter of Life and Death is among these productions, since its innovative approach to special effects struck a chord with the director. This 1946 film starred David Niven, Roger Livesey, Kim Hunter and Raymond Massey, and it went on to become one of the best films in English cinema history.
All That Jazz
All That Jazz is a Bob Fosse masterpiece that not only went down in history as a classic, but won a slew of nominations and awards, including four Academy Awards for Best Original Score, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing. The most inspiring elements for Gerwig in this production were the dance audition scene, right at the beginning of the film, and the scenes featuring Jessica Lange as the Angel of Death.
Heaven Can Wait
The 1978 film Heaven Can Wait has an extremely peculiar plot that still feels human, which is the aspect that Gerwig highlights the most about this production, along with some of the film’s special effects. This Warren Beatty and Buck Henry movie follows Joe Pendleton, a man who was mistakenly taken to heaven, and has to team up with his guardian angel to find a way back to Earth.
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is a 1955 film inspired by the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical of the same name released in 1943. It features Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in her acting debut. As with Singin’ in the Rain and The Red Shoes, what inspired Greta of Oklahoma! was its dream ballet, choreographed by Agnes de Mille.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
The 1988 black comedy film Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown was the production that made Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar famous worldwide. This film, which received several nominations and awards, starred Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas and became Spain’s highest-grossing film at the time. To create Barbie, Gerwig took inspiration from the way in which Almodóvar layered colors.
2001: A Space Odyssey
The nod to the iconic scene from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey in the very first Barbie teaser was among the things that audiences loved, and it made one thing clear: Gerwig’s production would be packed with homages to cinema classics. The teaser features little girls replacing the apes from Kubrick’s film, ditching their traditional baby dolls after a giant Barbie statue appears before them and completely blows their minds, marking the beginning of a new era.
His Girl Friday
His Girl Friday is a Howard Hawks comedy released in 1940 that Gerwig considers “one of the best fast-talking movies of all time”. This production starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell features Walter Burns, a newspaper editor who is about to lose his ex-wife and star reporter as she is about to remarry and become a housewife. Willing to keep her in her position, Burns suggests that they write one last story together, unaware that the assignment would be far more complicated than he had hoped.
Gold Diggers of 1935
Musical movies have played a major role in the creation of Barbie‘s live-action. Gold Diggers of 1935 is yet another production that inspired the director of this upcoming film, more precisely because of its musical number “Lullaby of Broadway”, with dozens of tap dancers performing an exquisite choreography. This 1935 film marked the first time in which choreographer Busby Berkeley served as director.
The Philadelphia Story
Katherine Hepburn’s character in the 1940 romantic comedy The Philadelphia Story was extremely important for the creation of Barbie in this new production. So much so that Gerwig asked Robbie to watch the film before they started shooting the live-action, unaware that this was one of the actress’ favorite productions. The Philadelphia Story is a film directed by George Cukor that, besides featuring Hepburn, showcases performances by Cary Grant, James Stewart and Ruth Hussey.
Twentieth Century
Robbie and Gosling’s performances are also inspired in some ways by John Barrymore and Carole Lombard’s in Twentieth Century, most notably in their dramatic fight scenes. This 1934 comedy was directed by Howard Hawks from a play of the same name, and follows a theater impresario who runs into his ex-lover and former leading lady on a train and goes to great lengths to win her back.
The Ladies Man
The house in the opening scene of the 1961 film The Ladies Man inspired some of Barbie‘s shots, more precisely the one in which she sits in front of a mirror through which the audience can see her clearly. This comedy was directed by and starred Jerry Lewis, and also featured performances by Helen Traubel, Pat Stanley and Kathleen Freeman.
Rear Window
The 1954 film Rear Window is, for many, one of the best productions in Alfred Hitchcock’s career. It is based on a 1942 short story by Cornell Woolrich, and stars James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Wendell Corey. This mystery thriller film features Jeff, a photographer who believes to be witness to a crime in a nearby building and sets out to solve it by himself. The builds of this production inspired Greta to construct Barbie Land.
And the Ship Sails On
The main reason why the Italian film And the Ship Sails On made the list of key productions for Gerwig is its fake sea. This production, directed by Federico Fellini, follows the passengers aboard a luxury cruise ship heading to Erimo to spread the ashes of the late opera singer Edmea Tetua, a voyage that will not be anything like they expect.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
