Who are we kidding? Madonna's half time show during last night's Super Bowl might be the greatest cinematic spectacle we'll see for at least the first half of 2012. Right? From her inspiring choreography, to her endless list of cinematic and cultural references, the Queen made sure to put on a show nobody would be able to top for years!
Appearing on stage, carried by dozens of semi-naked slave boys (or "boy toys" as she's affectionately called them in the past) Madonna immediately evoked visions of the young Liz Taylor atop a gargantuan carriage in the infamous
Cleopatra.
In doing so, the Queen wasn't only paying tribute to one of the most spectacular moments in all of Cinemascope history, she was also saying something about the way in which Taylor, miles ahead of almost any other actress of the Golden Era, was such an empowering feminist figure. A
recent article in W Magazine alludes to how Taylor;'s movies singlehandedly dealt with topics that weren't thought of as appropriate in a male-centric world. Themes like abortion, homosexuality and abuse were front of the line in Taylor's movies, however Taylor, like Madonna often had to suffer from prejudices towards her sex and is mostly remembered for her jewelry and marriages.
Wearing a custom made Philip Treacy headdress, Madge combined Egyptian couture with the mightiness of a Nordic goddess.
Never one to deny her love for all that's mainstream and influential, Madonna also paid tribute to some of today's hottest artists including M.I.A, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO, Cee-lo Green - all of whom collaborated with her onstage- as well as indirectly paying tribute to others whom she loves and admires like Kylie Minogue and everyone she mentions in the famous "Vogue" rap.
Kylie during her "Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour" which had her don the pose of the title Greek goddess.
Her performance of "Vogue" in particular was such a landmark among her live performances because she incorporated all the elements that make her such a timeless artist.
Madge has always been a pastiche artist and in this particular performance she delivered a hybrid that combined sword and sandals epic-ness (the swoosh and clink sounds included with the song's astonishing brass sections were orgasmic), love for classic movie stars and style (that she used Vogue magazine's instantly recognizable logo was a thing of pure genius!) and most remarkable of all is her fearlessness when it comes to technology. The way she incorporate the visuals on the football field was a work of art.
When it came to fashion, Madge went with Givenchy once more, who created a series of simple looks for her that worked like instant costume changes with minimum work (Madge showing you can be a mythical goddess and also a practical accesorizer was prcieless!).
Givenchy head designer Ricardo Tischi seems to have had a blast designing the pieces for Madge, who seamlessly moved between four different "settings", merely by removing or adding pieces. Now how's that for economical storytelling?
Did you enjoy the Queen as much as I did? What did you think of the way she threw all those pop culture references around?
