O Muse!
Sing in me, and through me tell the story Of that man skilled in all the ways of contending, A wanderer, harried for years on end…
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
by: Caleb Guard Film Appreciation (TR 9:00)
Narrative
O Brother is the story of a smooth-talking conman named Ulysses Everett McGill, who escapes from a dust-bowl era Mississippi chain gang with his two chain-mates, bad-tempered Pete and dim-witted Delmar, and embarks on a journey to find their freedom, their homes, and a buried treasure.
Everett and his friends attempt to hitch a ride on a train and come across a blind prophet who tells them they will come across many trials before finding a treasure, but it will not be the treasure they seek. Everett and friends come across a number of trials and temptations that roughly resemble episodes in The Odyssey, the Greek epic upon which the movie is loosely based. The plot is divided into several short episodes:
Narrative Continued
They stay with Pete‟s cousin, who tries to turn them in. Pete and Delmar are baptized with a congregation. They meet a man who sold his soul to play guitar. They sing “A Man of Constant Sorrow” for cash. They accompany “Babyface” Nelson as he robs a bank. They run in to lascivious Sirens who give them liquor before they pass out. Pete disappears, with a toad in his place. They meet “Big Dan” a Bible salesman who steals their money and kills the frog. They find Everett‟s daughters singing at a political rally, and Everett gets in a fight with his wife‟s new fiancé. They find Pete and break him out of prison, only to run in to a KKK meeting who mistakes them for “colored folks”. Everett also admits there was no treasure. Everett and friends agree to play their hit song at a
End of Narrative
Everett runs home to find his old wedding ring, and is confronted by the sheriff (the devil). Everett and his friends fall to their knees and plead for their lives as gallows are prepared. Everett prays to God for forgiveness for his wrongdoings, and asks him and his friends for a second chance. Suddenly a giant wave comes crashing down over them, washing them all away. They swim to safety, and find the wedding ring in a floating drawer. Delmar n Pete claim this was a miracle, yet Everett reverts back to his old self, giving his own rational explanation. Everett returns to his wife, only to find out that, despite all the relief of his pardon and family reunion, he grabbed the wrong ring. The movie ends with the blind prophet rolling by and singing to himself, as Everett faces his hew heroic task.
Elements of Style
The film is meant to mirror the adventures of Odysseus, recreate the feeling of the 1930‟s Great Depression South, all with a comedic twist, a little dry wit, sharp irony, and intriguing images. The color of the film gives the feel of a dusty, soggy storybook. It was the first to be digitally color-corrected. Camera is still, characters active. Smooth transitions. The first few seconds are in black and white,
More of those Elements
Cinematography is beautiful, wide shots of the nostalgic south, mixed with close-ups of the faces of the bizarre characters. The scenes flourish, despite the color-drain. The lighting is contrasted between brightly lit day scenes and dark, brooding night scenes. There is almost no non-diagetic material. All the music is either played by the characters or is most likely being played on the radio somewhere. *Music plays a major role in the film. It helps the story, set the mood, give religious implications and mythical meanings, and place us in the time in which the story takes place.
Suspense?
Surprise!
Will Everett and friends make it through the trials? Will they find the treasure? Is the treasure even real? What is the treasure the blind man talks about? Is Pete really a toad? Is the sheriff the devil? Will Penelope marry this new man in her life? Will the dam bust and flood Everett‟s home? How will they make it out of this one? Who will win the election? Will there be a happy ending? Will Everett‟s hair be ok?
Curiosity
How did they escape from the farm? Why is everybody so weird? Why is Delmar carrying a pig in the getaway vehicle? Why doesn‟t Everett care if he gets whacked in the face with a tree branch? Why do they face the gallows for escaping? How do they not drown when the valley floods? What‟s with Everett and his hair?
Expectations „n Such
We expect Everett to find his treasure before they dam the river. We expect Everett to reunite with his life. We expect all three men to get their lives back. We expect to see midgets who are members of the KKK. Gratified
Causation Motivation
Motivation is the driving force. Everett is motivated to do anything he can to get back to his wife and prove himself bona fide. His friends are motivated by treasure. Sheriff is after them.
Time
Film begins in media res. There is quite a bit of time compression, with most scenes moving in real time and jumping minutes, hours, evenings. Story is in 4 days. There are montages of events that take place one after another, showing the passing of time. Everyone seems to be stuck in time.
Norms/Conventions
It follows some traditional norms, but because it‟s a Coen Bros. film, it also breaks some. It follows in order like a story, progressing by implied chapters. It‟s a road movie, so we expect to see character development. The movie does not, however, carry the same mood throughout. It‟s a turning anthology of moods. We don‟t expect the blending of bluegrass-1930‟s Depression hayseed-hehaw comedy mixed with Greek mythology The conventions of dialogue are broken. The film blurs the line between screwball comedy and tragic drama.
Referential Meaning
Referential meaning: In rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, a sly-talking con-man escapes from a prison farm in search of his home. Shackled to two other inmates, he overcomes many obstacles to find her.
Explicit Meaning
Explicit: An imprisoned man wants nothing more than to be reunited with his wife and children. He finds that to redeem himself he must repent of his past deeds and throw his pride to the wind.
Implicit Meaning
Implicit: A man is willing to journey through many obstacles to reach his goal, but learns that his greatest challenge is humbling himself to be redeemed before God.
Symptomatic Meaning
Symptomatic: In a society where people are poverty-stricken, superstitious, and backward, it seems the only option is to throw out religion and bring in the age of reason. A man sets out to prove that you must be “bona fide” and have all the answers, only to learn that religion is still good enough, and that humility and submission to authority is better than surviving on charm and luck.
Evaluating the Film
Realism: The film is a mythical comedy of sorts and, although it has realistic mechanics and portrayal of the south, some character behaviors, odds of coming across such strange events, and the fulfilled prophecy are not realistic. Moral: The movie drops the “d” and “h” bomb a couple times. Fornication is referenced to, but rebuked. Quite a bit of comic violence (shooting cows, whacking people with a stick). The film teaches redemption, turning from evil, and the music especially teaches a hope and reliance on God.
Evaluating the Film
Coherence: The overall plot is well understood, some outdated language and practices may make some scenes confusing, however this is mostly due to the Coen Bros. style. It may be hard to understand why exactly characters are doing what they‟re doing. Complex: It is quite a complex movie, and every scene adds something to the overall story that can be missed, but shouldn‟t. There are many small bits of story and good ol‟ fashion humor that add up. Originality: The movie is very original. Obviously
Repetition Repetition & Similarity Like in The Oydssey many
phrases are repeated to show how often such things occur, and haunt the characters. “Man, we‟re in a tight spot!” “Do not seek the treasure.” “bona fide” “My hair” *“Man of Constant Sorrow” Many characters are recurring. Many of the southern people share that same manner of behavior, facial expressions. Motif- Missing eyes. Blind people can smell better, see future, or know a good song when they hear it. Music.
Difference and Variation
Each scene has its own different feel, and could stand alone as a short story. Everett stands out from his buddies in his sly wisdom, fast talking arrogance, and obsession with his hair. It is not a typical film; combines comedy, adventure, drama, myth, and a bit of action. Politics.
Unity/disunity
It seems as if completely different scenes in the movie gathered together and somehow managed to come together to form a unified whole. Many of the side-stories are concluded by the end. The characters seem to fit in the environment and yet belong in myth in one way or another. Given the mythical and comical touches, the film stands as a unified whole. When the river floods, items representing all the film’s elements come together.