O Brother Where Art Thou New York Fil Festival

Last week the New York Film Festival held a 15th anniversary screening of Joel and Ethan Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), which I hadn't seen information technology since its initial release. I remember liking information technology, but it didn't go to me the way Blood Simple (1984) or Fargo (1996) had. But when I saw information technology listed on this year'southward NYFF schedule, I was interested, especially since the Coen brothers and unspecified cast members were slated to exist at the screening.

Films on the main slate of the NYFF are held at Alice Tully Hall, where seating is reserved. My seat was centrally located in the second row, which is a bit closer than I usually prefer. At this distance, information technology initially feels like the movie screen might autumn on elevation of y'all, simply the middle and mind tend to suit pretty speedily. And as it turned out, I was glad to exist this close to the stage. Earlier O Brother began, Kent Jones, director of the NYFF, introduced the Coens, who in turn brought out the flick's cinematographer, Roger Deakins, and actors John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and finally George Clooney himself. This was quite a blitz, and had me hot-wired for the film itself.

I was amazed by how much I enjoyed O Blood brother, Where Art Thou? this time around. I thought information technology was swell, specially when compared to near of what's in theaters these days. Of course, knowing that the filmmakers were in attendance might have made me more than disposed to like it, only I don't think and so. The Coens accept a wonderfully off-kilter style of looking at things, and this motion picture is no exception. Loosely based on Homer's The Odyssey, O Brother, Where Fine art Thou? is set in Mississippi during the Swell Depression, and relates the surreal adventures of three convicts who escaped from a chain gang. The three are Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro), and Delmar O'Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson), a hapless and somewhat dimwitted trio chained together at the ankles. The ostensible reason for their escape is to recover a cache of money Ulysses claims he took when he knocked off an armored car.

The following prune will give you an idea of their commonage skill gear up.

The entire cast is excellent, and nearly have been in other Coen films. John Turturro had already been in three: Miller'southward Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), and The Big Lebowski (1998). Tim Blake Nelson had been in films and tv since 1992, but this was his get-go starring role, likewise every bit his first Coen film, and he killed it. O Blood brother was also George Clooney's commencement movie with the Coens, followed by Intolerable Cruelty (2003); Burn After Reading (2008); and the upcoming Hail, Caesar! (2016).

John Goodman previously was in Raising Arizona (1987) and The Big Lebowski. Here he plays"Large Dan" Teague, a one-eyed Bible salesman who mugs Ulysses and later turns upwards nether a hood at a Ku Klux Klan rally. Holly Hunter, who was also in Raising Arizona, plays Ulysses' ex-married woman Penny. Returning to her and his children is the real reason for Ulysses' escape. Charles Durning particularly shines every bit Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel, the incumbent governor of Mississippi, who's running for another term. His trip the light fantastic on stage almost the end of the film is a joy.

Charles Durning

In addition to references and parallels to The Odyssey — many of which I probably didn't become — O Blood brother Where Art Chiliad? brings in ii storylines that add together a lot to the texture of the flick. Chris Thomas King, a real-life dejection musician, plays Tommy Johnson, offset seen wearing a natty suit and carrying a guitar. After our heroes pick him up at a country crossroads and give him a ride, Tommy gain to tell them he sold his soul to the devil in order to exist a swell guitar player. This immediately evokes the real-life Robert Johnson, who supposedly sold his soul at such a crossroads. Tommy becomes a 4th member of the travelers. At another point, Ulysses, Pete, and Delmar encounter George "Babe Confront" Nelson just after he'southward robbed a banking company. Nelson is played with unrestrained exuberance by Michael Badalucco. In brief notes I made when I beginning saw O Brother in 2000, I'd written "At that place'south a great moment when a moo-cow gets hit past a speeding police car." You lot can see this after George gives the boys a lift in the following prune. I'd forgotten about this until I saw it again final week. It really has a dial.

O Brother, Where Art Chiliad? was filmed by Roger Deakins, a British cinematographer. If y'all don't know his name, you certainly know his work. With the exception ofWithin Llewyn Davis(2013), Deakins has shot every Coen brothers film since Barton Fink in 1991 — 11 total including the forthcoming Hail, Caesar!, to be released adjacent year. In add-on to Coen films, he's been managing director of photography for many other films, including The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Dead Man Walking (1995), A Beautiful Mind (2001), Skyfall (2012), and nigh recently, Sicario, currently in theaters. I was surprised to see how many there were.

For those who are interested, here's an interview with Roger Deakins from Filmmaker magazine this past July.

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O Blood brother, Where Art Thou? is filled with bully menses music, produced by T-Os Burnett. He worked on the music selection with the Coens even before the script was completed, and the soundtrack was recorded earlier the start of filming. A subsequent album of the music won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2001. Musicians who contributed to the soundtrack, including Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, Alison Kraus, and many others, went on a bout calledDownwards from the Mountain, performing music from the film. A documentary of that title was fabricated by D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, and Nick Doob.

Here is a clip of Clooney, Turturro, and Nelson singing "Man of Abiding Sorrow" virtually the finish of the film. The brief dialogue has been dubbed into French, but this should not distract.

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Afterwards the motion-picture show ended, I was preparing to exit when I saw chairs beingness set upward on stage in forepart of the screen. I hadn't realized at that place would be a Q&A, but there was no way I was going to miss this. Information technology was smashing. I was peculiarly impressed with what a class act George Clooney is in person. He comes beyond as funny, quick, cocky-deprecating, smart, and genuinely a prissy guy. I know he's an actor, and he has a public persona, simply it feels pretty authentic to me. It was a memorable dark and I'grand glad I was there. – Ted Hicks

In the photo below, left to right: Roger Deakins, George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Kent Jones (moderator)

O Brother, Where Fine art Thou? is available for streaming or purchase from Amazon, and for rental from Netflix. I hope you'll rediscover it, equally I did.

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Source: https://tdhicks.com/2015/10/06/o-brother-where-art-thou-as-good-as-it-gets/

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