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The Odessey by Homer serves as the basis of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? which was produced by the Coen Brothers. The brothers claimed that their film Fargo was indeed based on true events, but later they revealed that it wasn’t; this time they admit that they did not read the Odessey. They have however captured its essence. Like its inspiration, this movie is one darn thing after another.
The film outlines a journey through Mississipi during the proression era while highlighting the imagery that permeates the music, culture, and films of modern society. The characters based on Babyface Nelson and blues singer Robert Johnson provide comic relief by changing the storyline to englob soul trading deals made with the devil instead.
Just like in ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, this film’s feature also revolves around bluegrass music. Other aspects touched upon include rock creeks, hobo trains, Klan rallies, and cotton fields. The title of this movie stems from Preston Sturges’ 1941 comedy “Sullivan’s travels”, in which he intended to uplift society with a positive film. We also see a touch of Homer alongside Cyclops, sirens, and ‘Ulysses’ giving his wife the name Penny which is short for Penelope.
If things do not add up then perhaps there was no intention. This entire epic is based on tales of several storytellers before, and each one of those stories was made for a one night recital. Perhaps no one before Homer could merge everything to form a single piece. “O Brother” follows the same structure providing a collection of amazing sequences that can be shown as short films, but fails to connect everything into a cohesive form.
The movie starts with the first scene where three prisoners try to escape from a chain gang. The characters are Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete, and Delmar, played by George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson respectively. The unique delusion that they are completely invisible while ducking and running across an open field makes it clear that this motion picture contains farse and satire. This movie encompasses many elements so calling it a singular genre would be too simplistic. Clooney who plays McGill, portrays him as someone who is dismissive of any companions during the escape. As expected, for most of the time he is left with no choice considering his situation.Chained to the other two, he has to bring them into his scheme that is a treasure.
What was The Odyssey but a road trip? In “O Brother,” we follow three protagonists as They undertake an odyssey of their own during a political campaign, become accidental radio stars, walk in on a clan meeting, and manage Penny (Holly Hunter) McGill, who’s all set to leave with her children for a man who isn’t afraid of being incarcerated often.
Hunter and Turturro are veterans of earlier Coen movies just like John Goodman who plays the smooth talking bible salesman. Charles Durning plays the gubernatorial candidate and embodies American populism with his the charm of Huey Long. The story arcs converge and diverge like coincidences – it feels good sometimes but does not inspire confidence that there’s coherent writing behind the animation.
The most Klansman rally is in fact the most disturbing scene (missing one eye means he has one gaping hole in his sheet). The ceremony choreography is a cloudy mix of “Triumph of the Will” and Busby Berkley. The Coens did a brilliant job, in true style, of making it look ominous and ridiculous all at once.
Another haunting part of the movie is when the escapees stumble upon three women washing clothes in the river. Singing “Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby,” the women are clearly Sirens. As they sing, watching them perform their actions in slow motion gives off an incredible feeling.
The next series of events I love is when the boys go on the radio as the Soggy Mountain Boys. The group, now with a new black member, Tommy Johnson(Chris Thomas King) later becomes a sensation. Unfortunately, the group has to deal with a negative reception. The name of the group and the fact that they are black convicts sets the audience off. They have to wear wigs, and not the good ones.
Every scene is great in its own right, and yet I walked away from the movie feeling confused and unsatisfied. After watching it a second time and appreciating the same parts, I still walked away feeling the same. I get that not all films are plot-driven and I can appreciate the Coen brothers’ previous film “The Big Lebowski” for its appeal, where its stoned protagonist is completely out of touch with the narrative of his life. But with “O Brother Where Are Thou?” I was left feeling that there was great creativity, but it was aimless— like a collection of bright ideas that had no clue why they were invited to the same movie.
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