![]() ![]() There are several parts of this movie so beautifully performed and filmed that I found myself held motionless, breathless - like when Pete spots the sirens (three wash maids singing on a riverbank) and the men are overcome by their beauty and song. It's a remembrance of what music used to be - an expression of life. And nearly every scene is accompanied by soulful, compelling blues, spirituals, bluegrass, and mountain music - old-time songs to salve the soul. Everything looks miserably sun-washed and dirt poor. The effect steeps the viewer in the culture and climate of the Deep South. The Coens use a languid cinematography shot with faded sepia colors. (Believe me, I've known my share.) Everett may be leading the group, and Pete can be overbearing and mean, but it's Delmar who talks down a ten-year-old who takes shots at them with a gun twice his size 'cause his pa told him to shoot anyone serving papers from the bank. And Tim Blake Nelson's Delmar has more dignity and innocence than any other backwoods Billy I've ever seen. ![]() John Turturro delivers boiling-point fits of physical comedy similar to what he provided as Jesus in The Big Lebowski. A fight scene with his ex-wife's suitor is vaudevillian and brilliant. Their anti-action-hero, antiformulaic style and tongue-in-cheek humor breathe a down-to-earth realism into their fantastical characters and settings.Ĭlooney's trademark Gable-esque seductive star power is juxtaposed with his surprisingly perfect comic timing. The Coens brought us Fargo, Raising Arizona, and The Big Lebowski. But you don't need to have a working knowledge of Greek mythology to appreciate the movie. ULYSSES EVERETT MCGILL SERIESWritten by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, and loosely modeled on Homer's Odyssey, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (released in 2000) weaves cleverly in and out of subplots through a series of vignettes. To be more specific, they run into a blind oracle on a handcar, a midget with a broom, a cow on a cotton gin roof, a gopher on a stick, a blues singer who in Robert Johnson style has sold his soul to the devil, a one-eyed Bible salesman, sirens on the rocks, a KKK drill team, a reform party, two old-style river baptisms, and a toad with a case of mistaken identity. Before you can say "Damn, we're in a tight spot," the trio are off on a fantastical road trip fraught with peril. Hair-obsessed, quick-tongued Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), ill-tempered, dimwit Pete (Coen brothers film regular John Turturro), and sweet, even dimmer-witted Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) are still chained together and running from the law. I’m George Nelson, and I’m feeling ten feet tall.”ĭelmar: "Looks like George is right back on top again." (1:33)Įverett tells the others, "Well, any human being will cast about in a moment of stress.In the depths of Depression-era Mississippi, three convicts escape from their work farm and begin a race against time to reach buried treasure. George, laughing: ”Looks like the chair for George Nelson. Musician Pete: "Don’t be crazy, Tommy." (1:17)Įverett tells his wife Penny, referring to her wedding ring, "It’s just a symbol, honey" He’ll be back on top again." (0:37)īible salesman Daniel “Big Dan Teague tells Everett and his fellow escapee Delmar, "It’s an exercise in psychology, so to speak." (0:53) Yes, sir, it’s as if our old friend George is a alley cat, and his own damn humors are swingin’ him by the tail. His farmer cousin Washington Bartholomew “Wash” Hogwallop tells Pete, referring to cousin Bishop, He hanged hisself a year come May." (0:10)Įverett: “Well, Delmar, they say that with the thrill-seeking personality, what goes up must come down, top of the world one minute, haunted by meekness the next. ![]() Escaped convict Ulysses Everett McGill answers a fellow escapee, "Well Pete, I figured it should be the one with the capacity for abstract thought." (0:05) ![]()
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