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Skyscraper mania has followed Hollywood’s finest since the beginning. The ‘silent era’ has its Safety Last that dates back to 1923. Directors Newmeyer and Taylor had the protagonist played by Harold Lloyd, essaying the role of a store clerk who has to scale a skyscraper for a contest that he, himself organized. A decade later, Hollywood was at it again. This time, they had King Kong – the great ape sashay up the Empire State Building as part of the grand finale. Ever since then, Hollywood has never really quit its fascination with all things going skywards. Skyscrapers were used as a symbol of power and control, where they bad guys came to play and the good guys would come crash the party in spectacular fashion. Think Basic Instinct and the Die Hard series. The changes in the economic balance of power have gone onto affect the fortunes of the United States of America. The reign of skyscrapers in the backyard suddenly decided to go someplace else and Hollywood followed suit, chasing them wherever they went. Towards the ending of the previous century, director Jon Amiel decided to use the twin-towers of Malaysia, also famously known as the Petronas Towers, as the backdrop for his blockbuster creation, Entrapment. Featuring the gorgeous Catherine Zeta Jones together with the ever-so-dapper Sean Connery, Amiel used his talents to create an effective love-triangle of sorts when he weaved in the Petronas Towers into the fabric of his movie. Hollywood celebrity newspublications were at a fever pitch recently, when the iconic Burj Khalifa was featured in the latest exploits of Tom Cruise who returned to the franchise, essaying the role of Agent Ethan Hunt together with his Mission Impossible team. It is tough to separate the movie from the towering edifice that’s the Burj Khalifa. One thing’s for certain, both sides must have laughed all the way to the bank. At last count in February, the Mission Impossible franchise had gone on to gross over 2.34 Billion AED in revenues, the world over. On the other hand, prior to the Hollywood Blockbuster showcase, the Burj Khalifa was lagging behind in raking in the revenues, in spite of being unmatched as an art and cultural icon, elsewhere in the world. The global economy was in the grip of a slowdown and the local sentiment too was feeling the heat. The realty bubble that had been expanding exploded as it superheated beyond control. But Hollywood came in and fixed it all. Of-course, the fact that Dubai had virtually bankrolled the movie must have had some influence when the decision to use the Burj Khalifa was made by the Hollywood Moguls. This latest incident may as well be one of the finest uses of product placements in filmdom, if you could ever call a 163 story, 1.8 Billion AED global icon, a product in the first place. Proof then that Hollywood stardom does come to those who truly deserve it, even sky rises that seek to represent art and culture in the global backyard! Authors Resources: Hiamag is the leading Arab fashion magazine for seasonal runway looks, as well as modern women magazine and women & business news
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