Greta Gerwig, director of the highly anticipated Barbie film, reveals the influences, inspirations, and references she used in her creation.
In an interview with Letterboxd, Gerwig shared a watch list of 29 must-see films integral to her shaping of the Barbie world. The films spanned genres and decades and revealed a broad palette of influences on everything from set design to tone. Gerwig described the Barbie film as a “movie driven by music, but not a musical,” much in line with John Badham’s 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, a key inspiration. However, this did not stop the Academy Award-winning director from including ten musicals on her list: Grease (1978), Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935), Oklahoma! (1955), All That Jazz (1979), The Red Shoes (1948), Singin’ in the Rain (1952), An American in Paris (1951), The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), and The Wizard of Oz (1939).
A Watchlist for Barbie Fans
Other genres heavily represented on Gerwig’s list of influences include sci-fi/fantasy titles, namely The Truman Show (1998), Wings of Desire (1987), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), and Heaven Can Wait (1978). Aligned with the surreal and playful aspect of Barbie-land, Gerwig referenced not only sci-fi films and musicals but also the famed work of Jacques Demy. Speaking about his style, Gerwig gushed with admiration for Demy’s “amazing constructed worlds that operate on their own rules. They’re just delicious; his movies are delicious.” Gerwig also mentioned Demy’s Model Shop (1969) as a reference for Barbie’s storytelling and set design.
Spanning the last 60 years of the 20th century, other films on Gerwig’s list include The Godfather (1972), Splash (1984), Playtime (1967), Mon Oncle (1958), Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985), Modern Times (1936), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), The Earrings of Madame de… (1953), And the Ship Sails On (1983), Rear Window (1954), The Ladies Man (1961), Twentieth Century (1934), The Philadelphia Story (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), and A Matter of Life and Death (1946).
The Barbie film is gearing up to be one of the most talked-about films of 2023, with controversy, collaborations, and conspiracies mounting ahead of the July premiere. Recently, the film sparked controversy over the alleged use of a disputed “nine-dash line” map of the South China Sea, leading to a ban on Barbie in Vietnam. Barbie collaborations can be seen everywhere, from roller skates to the pinkifying of landmarks around the world. Margot Robbie, playing Barbie, has spoken about the film’s intention to address the toy’s “sharp edges” and its public perception, leading to flying fan theories about what can be expected when Barbie finally takes the big screen.
“Barbie” premieres in US theaters everywhere on July 21, 2023.
Source: Letterboxd