‘Birdman’ Live at Ravinia: 5 Takeaways
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It’s been 10 years since the release of Alejandro Gonzàlez Iñárritu’s dark comedy Birdman. Bringing home the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography, it made its mark on the year in film with its paranoid magical realism, meta commentary, and hefty doses of criticism on ego, caped crusaders, and criticism itself—all of which play well (if not, better) in 2024.
In honor of its 10th anniversary, Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois, held a special screening with an introduction and live performance by the film’s solo drum composer Antonio Sánchez, which we were thrilled to attend. (We also previously interviewed Antonio about the show, Birdman, and more.)
Here are 5 key takeaways from the event.
1. Antonio Sánchez delivers
In his introduction of the film, Sánchez said he improvised and recorded the drum score in a day and a half. Following both his emotional instincts as a player and the cues of Iñárritu, its cool, sophisticated, and often chaotic outcome complement and propel the story forward in a way no orchestra could have matched. But then to see him recreate it live 10 years later, still improvised but with a deeper sense of confidence and control, was nothing short of astonishing. Every beat was perfectly matched, from the emotions on Keaton’s face to the animated end credits.
2. Pure viscera
A movie like Birdman typically invites analysis, but this was different—it was an extremely visceral experience. To hear and feel the live drumming as Michael Keaton went about his days destroying dressing rooms, running around Times Square in his underwear, punching fellow actors, and walking frantically through the back hallways of an old Broadway theater was thrilling. Not to mention the experience of Ravinia itself: walking through trees down a limestone path to reach the gate is very different from walking into an air-conditioned and sanitized cineplex. At times, it felt like the very magical realism Riggan experiences throughout the film.
3. Altering egos
Throughout the film, Riggan is taunted by his ego in the form of Birdman, a superhero he’s famous for playing. It’s a fascinating characterization fit for a live-action R-rated take on Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out. Anyways, on my drive home from the screening, I got to thinking about the ego and the chokehold it has on us these days. Not in the form of a gravelly superhero (if so, seek help), but in the digital algorithms that mold and strengthen our narrow understanding of ourselves and the world. Much like Birdman, it offers a constant feed of validation of our beliefs and interests that can make us feel like we’re flying through life when in reality we’re just taking a cab like everyone else. And movies like Birdman that offer not only a critique of the ego but a dedicated time and space to confront and reflect on it are movies worthy of an event like the one held at Ravinia.
4. Emma Stone doesn’t lose
Your mileage may vary on a few films in Emma Stone’s filmography, but there’s one thing that can’t be argued: she rules in every single one of them. She’s now a two-time Oscar-winning actress for her performances in La La Land and Poor Things, and Birdman was the first film that signaled her stature beyond the teen comedies that introduced her to the world. The film ends memorably with her looking up to the sky in wonder—fitting for how high her star has soared since.
5. Movie scores forever
Imagine movies like Jaws, The Social Network, and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly without music. Whether we are mindful of it or not, music is essential to what we love about movies—and this is something Ravinia Festival understands and honors year after year. Whether it be Sanchez’s solo drumming along with Birdman or the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing the music of Danny Elfman for thousands of adoring Tim Burton fans dressed as their favorite characters, by making the music the main attraction Ravinia is actively deepening people’s love for the art of filmmaking. And that gets a giant hell yeah from us.