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O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Starring George Clooney, John Turturro, John Goodman, and Holly Hunter. Cinematography by Roger Deakins. Edited by Roderick Jaynes and Tricia Cooke. Produced by Ethan Coen. Written by Joel and Ethan Coen. Directed by Joel Coen
Three convicts (played by George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson), all chained together, run though a field escaping the confines of their imprisonment. With the law hot on their heels they travel across the land in search of a promised treasure. Along the way they encounter many different characters: a young black man who has sold his soul to the devil in exchange for incredible musical talent (played by Chris Thomas King), a bank robber on the run with an itchy trigger finger (played by Michael Badalucco), an evil bible salesman with only one good eye (played by John Goodman), and the list goes on and on.
For a few dollars they “sing into a can” at the local radio broadcasting station and their simple pop tune becomes an overwhelming hit. With the demand for a record deal searching for them, and the law still on their trail, the three men continue their quest for the treasure; whatever that may be.
One of the Coen brother’s favorite books is Homer’s The Odyssey, and one of their favorite films is Sullivan’s Travels (in fact the title O Brother, Where Art Thou? is an homage to the movie). Their film is an inspired combination of the two. They set their project in 1937, towards the later end of the Great Depression, and deep in the south where the hot Mississippi sun has melted all of the colors out of the land.
Well, OK, it wasn’t the sun. It was computers. The entire film was digitized in post production to give the film the look of old photographs and picture books from the era. All of the greens were removed and replaced with shades of yellow and brown giving it a beautiful sepia tone that makes it truly unique.
One of the most memorable aspects of the film was the incredible soundtrack. The Coen brothers have been long time fans of southern vernacular and bluegrass music and working into the film was a major focus during the script writing process. The film features a collection of different styles ranging from the heavenly gospel hymn “Down in the River to Pray” to the downbeat blues of “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues”. The soundtrack eventually became an unexpected mega-hit in itself.
It was such a hit in fact that it financially surpassed the success of the film itself. It reached number one on the Billboard charts. It won the award for album of the year at the 2002 Grammy Awards and the Country Music Awards. It spawned a concert tour, its own documentary, and over a dozen tribute or follow-up albums. Very few film soundtracks have ever experienced the kind of success that the O Brother, Where Art Thou? album has seen. As Joel says, “The film is a valentine to the music”
Budget: $26,000,000
Total US Gross: $45,506,619
Genre: Adventure
Runtime: 106 Minutes
US Release Date: 12/22/00
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Awards:
Academy Awards:
Nominated for best cinematography and best screenplay based on previous material.
Golden Globes:
Won for best actor in a comedy/musical. Nominated for best comedy/musical.
Cannes Film Festival:
Nominated for the Golden Palm.
Tagline: They Have A Plan, But Not A Clue.
Quote: “That's not the issue Delmar. Even if that did put you square with the Lord, the State of Mississippi's a little more hard-nosed.”
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