The Coen Brothers. If one were to look at the top 500 films of all-time (7 films) and top 100 films of the decade count (11) it would look like the Coen Brothers should be a top 10-15 director(s). They might be in time. With no top 100 all-time films (that hurts) their filmography ranks them 20th actually but remember that’s not counting anything from 2009 to now so we’re talking about some major works (A Serious Man, Inside Llewyn Davis) still to come on my next update. Still, the Coens’ are the third highest rated director(s) who made their debut post 1980 (P.T. Anderson, Kar-Wai Wong). They have made 18 films, 17 of them archiveable (Ladykillers), and 10-11 of them in the top 10 of the year. Indeed, they have an undeniably strong case
Best film: Fargo. People who think this film launched their career into another stratosphere are exaggerating a bit – I mean their previous film starred Paul Newman and by my count they already had 3 top 500 all-time films under their belt. But Fargo is simply one of the 5 best screenplays of the 90’s. The Coens have created some of cinema’s greatest characters—Lebowski is right there- but I don’t think it gets better than their creation and construction of Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson. It may also be Carter Burwell’s greatest achievement with the film score—it’s unique- but it builds and rolls over the top like Bernard Herrmann’s Taxi Driver score. Period and location details- not just the accents by a long stretch but mise-en-scene for sure- scrapping the car off, the clothes, the hair, but make no mistake about it- the Coens are in love with this unique vernacular… but there’s more– tonight show in bed, cheesy picture at the car dealership, Macy’s wife with her voice inflections. What smacked me in the face with the latest viewing (probably about #10) is the stunningly gorgeous reoccurring shots of snow-filled parking lots and that fence scene. It’s architecture as character and not something I see much in the Coen’s filmography (though it is actually first used in their debut Blood Simple)- it blew me away. A strong meditation on greed, chance/fate.
total archiveable films: 17
top 100 films: 0
top 500 films: 7 (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men, Barton Fink, Miller’s Crossing, Blood Simple, O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
top 100 films of the decade: 11 (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Fargo, Barton Fink, The Big Lebowski, Miller’s Crossing, No Country For Old Men, A Serious Man, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Inside Llewyn Davis)
most overrated: Raising Arizona– I love Raising Arizona (more so the wonderful opening than the increasingly slapstick last half hour). TSPDT has it as their 5th best film and I’ve got it as #10.
most underrated: Blood Simple at #798 on TSPDT is ridiculous- I’m at #328. Blood Simple is one of the all-time great debut films—lots of them out there from Citizen Kane to The 400 Blows. Like nearly all of their work to follow, Blood Simple is a meditation on fate and randomness. We have, here, covering up someone else’s murder, McDormand’s character thinking she’s just killed Hedeya at the end—it absolute packs a punch. The Walsh character laughs and says “if I see him. I’ll sure give him the message”—hauntingly good. I love Paulline Kael’s “isn’t about anything” misguided awful negative review. The car coming while crime is going on would be repeated in Fargo. The beautiful minimalist Carter Burwell piano score.
gem I want to spotlight: I want to spotlight their 1990 and 1991 films. I feel like they get overlooked and my god Miller’s Crossings and Barton Fink are astounding films. Miller’s is all style and polish made with panache (those gorgeous shots in the woods) and Fink is a slow-burn minimalist writer’s block meditation (amongst other things). If these are the 6th and 7th best films from the Coen’s….they match up well with any auteur’s 6th and 7th best film.
stylistic innovations/traits: Black comedy crime and a knack for colloquial languages and screenwriting- idiosyncratic and postmodern. Ok, so they aren’t as brilliant behind the camera as Ophuls or even Cuaron or anything but unlike some critics, I don’t think they are predominantly writing talents. They DO make beautiful films (Deakins has shot 12 of their 18 films). More importantly, they certainly do create their own cinematic world. “All style and no substance” is continually the knock on the Coen’s—well sign me up for that. Again, hey aren’t as visually spectacular as Lynch or Malick or even a few others that will come shortly on this list but they DO create their own world and have given us the some of the best films of the past 35 years. Indeed, still going strong their oeuvre already contains as many top 500 all-time films as Fellini, Scorsese, Welles, and Tarkovsky and more than Coppola, Antonioni, Kurosawa and we haven’t hit the eligibility for A Serious Man and Inside Llewyn Davis.
Their work features word repetition and incredible narratives that just roll (No Country For Old Men in particular). Character creation is a forte of theirs as well from Marge Gunderson to Jeff Lebowski to Anton Chigurh and Llewyn Davis. Meditation and exploration of fate- from the coin toss in No Country, to the randomness of the finale of Blood Simple. You have the bookends in Llewyn Davis (Llewyn is getting his ass kicked in the alley while Dylan is becoming a star) andthe falling pin in Lebowski (Fate—Donnie strikes all movie long then the night of his death the pin stands up when it shouldn’t- he threw it perfectly).
top 10
- Fargo
- The Big Lebowski
- No Country For Old Men
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- A Serious Man
- Barton Fink
- Miller’s Crossing
- Blood Simple
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?
- Raising Arizona
By year and grades
| 1984- Blood Simple | MS |
| 1987- Raising Arizona | HR |
| 1990- Miller’s Crossing | MS |
| 1991- Barton Fink | MS |
| 1994- The Hudsucker Proxy | R |
| 1996- Fargo | MP |
| 1998- The Big Lebowski | MP |
| 2000- O Brother, Where Art Thou | MS |
| 2001- The Man Who Wasn’t There | R/HR |
| 2003- Intolerable Cruelty | R |
| 2007- No Country For Old Men | MP |
| 2008- Burn After Reading | HR |
| 2009- A Serious Man | MP |
| 2010- True Grit | R/HR |
| 2013- Inside Llewyn Davis | MP |
| 2016- Hail, Caesar | R |
| 2018- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
I still remember practically everything about my viewing of O Brother, Where Art Thou yesterday (along with The Outsiders from Coppola—which i got at R/HR right now) and its certainly my second favorite Coens film after Big Lebowski. There’s a lot to love about O Brother with Deakins cinematography, the Coens screenplay (still surprised its based on The Odyssey) and direction, the hilarious performances—especially by Clooney, and may I say that the color pallet used in the film is perhaps one of the best used in the 2000’s?
Overall, the my current ranking is this for the Coen Brothers filmography goes like this:
1. Fargo (1996) — Masterpiece
2. The Big Lebowski (1998) — Masterpiece
3. No Country For Old Men (2007) — Masterpiece
4. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) — Must See/Masterpiece
and as a bonus, the performances list probably goes like this:
1. Bridges in The Big Lebowski — 5
2. McDormand in Fargo — 5
3. Goodman in The Big Lebowski — 5
4. Bardem in No Country For Old Men — 5
5. Buscemi in Fargo — 5
6. H. Macy in Fargo — 5
7. Stormare in Fargo — 5
8. Clooney in O Brother, Where Art Thou? — 4.5/5
9. Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men — 4.5
10. Moore in The Big Lebowski — 4.5
My ranking of Coen’s films that I’ve seen:
1. Inside Llewyn Davis MP
2. Fargo MP
3. The Big Lebowski MP
4. No Country for Old Men MP
5. A Serious Man MP
6. Barton Fink MP
7. Miller’s Crossing MS/MP
8. The Tragedy of Macbeth MS
9. Blood Simple MS
10. O Brother, Where Art Thou? MS
11. True Grit HR/MS
12. Raising Arizona HR
13. The Man Who Wasn’t There HR
14. Burn After Reading R/HR
15. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs R
16. The Hudsucker Proxy R
30 Best Performances
1. Isaac- Inside Llewyn Davis 5
2. McDormand- Fargo 5
3. Bridges- The Big Lebowski 5
4. Goodman- The Big Lebowski 5
5. Turturro- Barton Fink 5
6. Stuhlbarg- A Serious Man 5
7. Goodman- Barton Fink 5
8. Washington- The Tragedy of Macbeth 5
9. Bardem- No Country for Old Men 5
10. H. Macy- Fargo 5
11. Buscemi- Fargo 5
12. Hunter- The Tragedy of Macbeth 5
13. McDormand- Blood Simple 5
14. Lee Jones- No Country for Old Men 5
15. Finney- Miller’s Crossing 5
16. McDormand- The Tragedy of Macbeth 5
17. Turturro- Miller’s Crossing 5
18. Brolin- No Country for Old Men 4.5
19. Melamed- A Serious Man 4.5
20. Waits- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 4.5
21. Steinfeld- True Grit 4.5
22. Clooney- O Brother, Where Art Thou? 4.5
23. Byrne- Miller’s Crossing 4.5
24. Stormare- Fargo 4.5
25. Davis- Barton Fink 4.5
26. Blake Nelson- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 4.5
27. Pitt- Burn After Reading 4.5
28. Hassell- The Tragedy of Macbeth 4.5
29. Cage- Raising Arizona 4.5
30. Moore- The Big Lebowski 4
Anyone seen Drive-Away Dolls? Is it any good?
@Anderson- I have seen Drive-Away Dolls. It has a few moments and energetic performances – but at least after one viewing- it would land at, or near, the very bottom of the Coen brothers filmography”
That’s disappointing. Is it at least better than The Ladykillers and made it into the archives?
https://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2024/drive_away_dolls.shtml
What are going to do now since both Joel and Ethan is now releasing solo films without the involvement of the other? Drive-Away-Dolls was pushed to early next year but still. Not sure including Tragedy of Macbeth as a common archivable film is the right thing given Ethan had nothing to do with it.
@Lionel- I think just keep them on the same page with an asterix for the new additions
Drake, keep up the great work. Question: you have True Grit listed here as R/HR but it’s listed in the 2010 year page as HR/MS. Did you downgrade it or has the item simply not been updated on this page?
@Haider- thank you so much for the kind words- Haven’t downgraded it. The Coen Brothers page is older/out of date. https://thecinemaarchives.com/2021/04/24/true-grit-2010-coen/
Oh, it is an Ethan film.
Joel’s new film has a trailer. https://youtu.be/Oy0RYiQRWUk
How would you manage their page going forward? Are these new films like Macbeth, DDD, etc going to be included here?
@AP- Good question – I was thinking about it. I was thinking to keep them here with an asterix – but I don’t know yet. What do you think is best?
@Drake- Sounds good- It’s not like their separate work will get them a place in the top 250.
If that happens someday, they can get their individual pages.
@TomVanBuskirk – I did a study for the Coen Brothers in the above posts and I can say it is tricky at times and perhaps even feels a tad bit arbitrary when separating films close in quality but I do like the idea of using tiers. I think you could call Barton Fink a lower level MP although I’m fine with my MS grade.
Hey not a film nerd or expert but trying to learn and have informed opinions. The Coens’ filmography is so strong it seems hard for me to separate what is a masterpiece and something less in some cases. But the only real difference of opinion I have with you is Barton Fink seems pretty close in quality to the films you ranked ahead of it. Funnily I don’t disagree with the ranking, but why doesn’t it make the masterpiece level? It’s pretty brilliant stylistically, structurally and from ab acting and writing perspective.
@Tom Van Buskirk- Thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. Easier to talk about how a film is a masterpiece than how it isn’t. I agree it does seem close in quality to the films ranked ahead of it. “Pretty brilliant stylistically…”. Tell me more here. I’m not opposed to calling Barton Fink a masterpiece, but I guess I need to see a bit more here.
I’m not Drake, but I studied the Coens recently and I’d say it’s fine to call Barton Fink a MP. I think it’s close. I gave it a MS rating, but have it just behind No Country (a MP) in their ranking, so I could go up a grade. I would just say that the first two acts are kind of flat visually. The Coens aren’t style-plus directors and that shows in the first hour or so of Barton Fink. Still a phenomenal film, though.
@Pedro – for sure- phenomenal film indeed- but part of this is just comparative – if Barton Fink is a masterpiece – what is Barry Lyndon?
Agreed. And I like that you chose Barry Lyndon for this example. Very fitting.
@Drake@Harry – thanks appreciate it, I wanted to do Macbeth but couldn’t find it outside of AppleTV which I don’t have. I’ll watch it at some point in future. No Country and Fargo are close. You may be correct on Llewyn Davis, after 2 viewings I have it as their 3rd best but would not be all that surprised if it moves up although for now I’m good with my list. Just realized I correct True Grit and Burn After Reading.
MP
Fargo (1996)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
MS
Barton Fink (1991)
True Grit (2010)
A Serious Man (2009)
Blood Simple (1984)
HR/MS
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
HR
Burn After Reading (2008)
R/HR
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Raising Arizona (1987)
R
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
@James Trapp – are the MPs in ranked order? I also just finished a Coen Brothers study and trying to decide whether The Big Lebowski or No Country for Old Men should be ranked higher is killing me haha
@LeBronSmith – they are ranked in order with best at the top.
No Country for Old Men (2007), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), and The Big Lebowski (1998) were really close. I don’t think No Country has any singular shots at the level of the level of the opening for Llewyn Davis or the dream sequence in The Big Lebowski but certainly the cinematography was impressive throughout the film and the narrative pull for No Country is incredible along with an all time great Villain.
I don’t think there is really a wrong answer
@James Trapp- Amazing- I very much look forward to these comments. Tackling or retackling Kurosawa is a big achievement- well done – and keep up the good work.
Final Ranking and Grades:
Study Summary:
There are so many great auteurs that I have spend significant time watching and reading about over the past couple of years that it can be easy to forget how great some of the other directors are and admittingly there is definitely a degree of recently bias; all of this leading to me being shocked by this study. I mean I’ve always liked and admired the Cohen Brothers work but even, so I was surprised by just how great their filmography truly is.
I imagine being in a Coen Brothers film is a lot of fun, they are top level auteurs but man they get ridiculous casts, only A Serious Man (2009) had a cast of mostly lesser-known actors, but I think that was on purpose
Regarding the “Desert Island” concept, the Cohen Brothers have to be in the top 3 or 4 best candidates
I think there are 4 major elements to consider in Desert Island Scenario:
1. Sheer quantity of watchable films
2. Versatility/Variety – many forms of this in terms of genre, tone, subject
matter, pacing, cinematography, etc.
3. Rewatchability
4. Quality of their top tier films
# 1 Almost all of the films I watched in this study were at least HR or better and the majority were MS
# 2 Just about all their films can be consider drama/comedies and if you drew out a line representing a spectrum then their films would be quite spread out. They are a little different from say Park Chan-wook or Bong Joon-ho as those 2 are masters of shifting a films tone/mood almost without you noticing it. The Coen Brothers on the other hand don’t shift tones so much as they blend them if that makes any sense. Their filmography consists of Westerns, Film Noir, Gangster, psychological thriller, and musical dramas
# 3 While they are amazing directors you could argue they are even better writers; arguing they are the greatest directors of all time would be going overboard while calling them the greatest screenwriters would not be. The narratives of their films are lean, each scene with a purpose and you will rarely see long stretches of time where the narrative seems to grind to a halt, this along with their humor and great characters makes their films extremely rewatchable
# 4 They don’t have a film of the quality of say The Godfather, 2001, or Aguirre to name a few but Fargo is arguably a top 100 film
They have a consistent world view throughout their filmography and explore similar themes of fate, the human condition, existentialism, etc.
Final Rankings
MP
Fargo (1996)
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
MS
Barton Fink (1991)
A Serious Man (2009)
Blood Simple (1984)
HR/MS
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
R/HR
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Raising Arizona (1987)
R
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
@James Trapp- Fantastic summary and really well done overall James.
@James – great study as always, no Macbeth?
No Country is my personal favourite but I feel as time’s passed that Llewyn Davis is their grand achievement.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Notes:
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
Starts with close up shot of book with title name “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” the film is anthology with 6 parts
1:50 camera pans over pages inside book and dissolve edit to beautiful shot with John Ford setting and man playing guitar while riding a horse in desert
4 min close up on Buster Scruggs speaking and breaking 4th wall
6:13 quick draw skills inside bar
9:13 creative and hilarious way for winning gun fight without gun
10:20 Buster dancing on bar
12:47 over the shoulder shot
13:08 slow zoom in on face reacting to potential danger is frequent Coen Brothers shot
14:25 extreme close up with face taking up most of frame
14:44 “well that ain’t good”
15:38 Buster’s ghost with wings on his back rises from his dead body and floats toward sky, Buster continues to narrate and sing
“Near Algodones”
17:37 chapter change in book
18:46 James Franco as Cowboy approaches Bank Teller played by Steven Root in green lit room
20:42 hazy green light
21:08 very similar setting to opening shots of No Country with Josh Brolin’s character hunting
22:11 great dissolve edits after cowboy regains consciousness
23:16 great blocking
26:04 gorgeous long shot with landscape/hills in background
“Meal Ticket”
29:37 change in color palette to more green/blue
31:45 surreal image of man with no legs or arms putting on show for town peoples
32:11 great use of frame, love the reference to Ozymandias as a Breaking Bad fan
38:03 darker blue tint, nice shot overlooking the below valley
43:20 repeating show with less and less of an audience
48:34 beautiful long shot of Impresario traveling over snow
“All Gold Canyon”
49:34 starts with sunrise and a gorgeous montage of shots of nature setting tone, we see this in the opening to Blood Simple, only without the narration
1:00:37 close up using most of frame
1:02:52 very subtle change in shadow
1:03:24 brilliant low angle shot with killer in background in elevated plane and man shot in foreground
1:08:00 love the close up on owl
“The Gal Who Got Rattled”
1:10:50 family sitting around table with many of the close up shots have just one person in frame at time, seen this in A Serious Man and True Grit as well
1:14:10 reserve tracking shot through large field
1:14:58 beautiful painterly image with subject in center of frame
1:15:33 nice frame though wagons opening
1:21:56 painterly shot with half frame with orange sky in background
1:32:42 dissolve
1:35:38 perfect composition of cattle filling frame
1:47:54 camera panning over hill following battle
“The Mortal Remains”
1:49:00 Stagecoach traveling with 6 passengers
1:52:34 heavy use of green in mise-en-scene and clothing
1:54:44 so far exclusively close up shots during this vignette
Very dialogue heavy vignette but some interesting color palette changes
Thoughts:
Coen Brothers return to genre film this time with a Western Anthology with 6 vignettes and while I’ll admit that I am not a huge fan of anthologies as its more difficult to get invested in the characters and story in general, none the less this is impressive work visually
This is not one of their top-notch films but definitely a (fairly) big step up from Hail, Caesar! (2016) which did not do it for me. On the contrary, this one is a lot of fun
As always with Coen Brothers the cast is loaded, I think Tim Blake Nelson playing the title character is the best performance or at least he’s the most interesting character
Verdict: R/HR
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Notes:
Starts inside confession booth with Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) face half visible
2:55 narration as Eddie walks through stormy night
4:30 nice overhead shot of marching army dressed as soldier in ancient Rome
5:30 aspect ratio changes as movie with movie is watched by Eddie in theatre
9:42 aspect ratio changes again going from movie in movie to the actual film
19:35 slow zoom in set to opera music with synchronized swimmers
20:24 Scarlett Johansson makes her intro into film
24:40 great composition and character blocking
30:20 nice overhead long shot of water
33:34 great use of red lighting in shot inside Asian restaurant
39 min Clooney stumbling into Communist Meeting
42:22 nice overhead shot, perfect symmetry
51 min great use of color with green painted “Swingin’ Dinghy” bar
1:04:40 black and white TV in movie but aspect ratio remains constant
1:06:30 quick zoom in as Eddie returns to same Asian Restaurant from, earlier in film
1:11:01 nice dissolve edit from close up on Eddie to shot of water
1:21:36 series of beautiful dissolve edits leading to one of the films best shots at 1:22:02 of Eddie walking through set shown with an overhead shot
1:22:38 great use of shadow and silhouette
1:26:02 great night shot of submarine in foreground and light separating shot with perfect symmetry
1:38:55 Eddie back in confessional booth
Thoughts:
I had some trouble getting into this narrative, it sounds great on paper, but I found it difficult to care about any of the characters
I did not laugh much and while that might not be a legitimate criticism to some, this is rare for Coen Brothers film although Clooney stumbling into the Communist Meeting was humorous
That said it certainly at some great shots and I liked the changing aspect ratios to indicate a movie in a movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) did this several times
I think Wes Anderson would have been an ideal director for this narrative mainly due to the undeniable similarities to The Grand Budapest Hotel; much overlapping as far as cast goes, saturated colors, changing aspect ratios, narration, time period (some of) the story is set, and perhaps a few other similarities. However, Grand Budapest is a clear MP while this is far from it
I like all of Clooney’s previous collaborations with Coen Brothers but this one falls a little flat
Despite my criticisms there are some impressive shots to give a R but this is a weaker Coen Brothers
Verdict: R
Notes:
1:04 Starts with close up on Oscar Issac’s character, Llewyn Davis, singer into microphone and playing guitar
1:38 hazy green light spills into small music venue of about 100 people
2:27 gorgeous painterly image
4:44 film noir shot of alleyway and silhouette figure smoking cigarette
5 min Llewyn takes alley beating, for some reason doesn’t bother fighting back
5:55 deep focus shot of hallway with Llewyn looking out of door
8:52 close up shot of Llewyn holding cat on subway
10:40 creative overhead shot with narrow frame
12:57 extremely narrow hallways in building
15:33 green light similar to opening scene as Llewyn and friends watch show
19:30 close up on cat on window
23 min reverse tracking shot, color palette continues
32 min jam session with Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake, and Adam Driver is as fun as in sounds
35:48 greenish tint
38:28 close up shot tracks Llewyn retrieve cat
42 min shot of Llewyn holding cat on right side of frame with the rest of frame empty subway, this right after Llewyn learns a previous girlfriend did not go through with an abortion and had the child making Llewyn a father for the first time
49 min John Goodman makes his entrance
50:02 great framing of faces inside of the car, with Llewyn in foreground and Goodman’s character in background
52:34 dissolve edit with Llewyn playing guitar along road trip
59:24 dedication to color palette when even the bathroom matched, like the Shining
1:00:53 POV shots from inside car
1:03:33 stunning silhouette image of Llewyn after stepping out of car at night after police arrest driver
1:04:25 dissolve edit to Llewyn sitting in cold bus
1:11:00 Llewyn playing in empty club with similar color/lighting to opening scene
1:14:50 POV from driver seat of car shortly before he narrowly misses cat
1:21:00 close ups used in scene with Llewyn playing for his father in retirement home
1:28:02 great blocking in scene at club
1:30:52 Llewyn drunken taunting singer
1:35:03 bookend with earlier scenes
Thoughts:
Coen Brothers with a very different film from anything else I’ve seen booth narratively and visually; the first 5 minutes have some of their most beautiful shots of their entire filmography
I bought the soundtrack immediately following the film, much of the music I listen to in general comes from hearing songs in films
Llewyn Davis is such an authentic character, feels like that guy who is talented but his own worst enemy, so often self-defeating. It has a loaded cast like most Coen Brothers films but is less of an ensemble as Oscar Isaac has by far and away the most screentime and gives one of the top 5 performance of this study so far
I have to be honest; I am not sure what to make of the cat, perhaps it serves as a parallel to Llewyn who is always on the go and seems to reject any attempts by friends/family/ acquaintance/strangers to settle into more stable life. Llewyn more than just rejects these attempts in fact, he openly shows contempt. For example during an argument with Jean, he calls her a “careerist” as an insult
Subdued color palette matches mood perfectly, again quite different from other films in the study
I’ll admit that folk music has never been my thing but I enjoyed the soundtrack so who knows, films are actually my main source for getting into new music and by new music I mean new to me not new as in contemporary
This was my 1st viewing and it was extremely impressive work and arguably their most visually accomplished
Verdict: MP
The cat is a play on the “save the cat” narrative device whereby a character saves a cat and draws an instant affinity to the audience. He loses the cat so the oppositie happens. To add to that he also might be the cat.
@Jagman – interesting, what do you mean he might be the cat?
@James Trapp and @Jagman- there’s some good stuff here- https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/12/whats-really-going-on-with-the-cat-in-em-inside-llewyn-davis-em-a-theory/282583/ also, Ulysses is the cat, right? Maybe this is obvious but The Coen Brothers have already adapted Homer at this point in their career with O Brother, Where Art Thou?
@Drake – thanks for posting, good read. To bolster the theory of Llewyn as the Cat; the Criterion cover for Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) has the cat in the center of the cover and Llewyn himself is not there. Of couse the Criterion release of the film did not come out until a few yeras later but it was approved by the Coen Brothers so maybe there is something to it.
True Grit (2010)
Notes:
Starts with narration from Mattie Ross on her fathers murder by Tom Chaney
2:02 beautiful painterly image, impressive lighting
2:25 silhouette image of woman riding horse away from camera with blue background
2:35 a great dissolve edit
4:38 a public hanging with large crowd certainly screams that you are watching a Western
14:50 camera pans in courtroom with hazy light creating beautiful shot, Coen Brothers are great at this with similar shots in Barton Fink (1991) and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
25:10 Matt Damon makes his entrance as LaBoeuf
27 min low angle shot of LaBoeuf trying to intimidate Mattie followed by close up on her face
32:50 narration through letters again
38 min close up on LaBoeuf sitting at fire along with Mattie and Rooster; camera shows close ups of each of these characters one at a time as they speak while taking up most of frame creating an intimacy necessary for bonding
47:01 great composition with layout of trees as Mattie is small dot on the frame as she climbs tree to verify if a man hanging from a high up tree branch is the man they are looking for
48:45 ground as ceiling shot
49:11 dissolve edit used to transition to scene with snow light fall and darker frame
55 min similar to around 38 min mark we have close ups usually showing one character at a time with a few characters in close proximity only here the atmosphere in more tense and they are in enclosed space inside small cabin
1:02:36 high angle shot from Mattie and Rooster POV from foreground of the frame, this leads to a shootout a few min later after tense build up
1:06:18 beautiful nighttime shots as mild but peaceful snowfall continues
1:08:02 green and brown in mise en scene similar to Miller’s Crossing
1:09:21 Rooster showing off gun skills
1:10:13 very low angle shot of Rooster giving him a brief mythical image as his knees are approximately at bottom of frame and head near the top of the frame
1:11:27 long shot with Mattie, Rooster, and LaBoeuf as silhouette images walking toward camera
1:11:51 a couple brilliant dissolve edits as the trio continues the trek
1:19:18 Josh Brolin as Tom Chaney, Mattie and Chaney staring at each other across the river
1:21:46 great frame using trees along riverbank
1:22:06 Tarantino trunk shot angle from Mattie POV
1:25:52 binocular deep focus shot
1:30:00 classic Western showdown
1:31:50 sniper shot lands
1:32:50 POV shot from Mattie looking up after falling into snake hole
1:36:57 dissolve edits as Mattie and Rooster get out of trouble
1:41:25 silhouette image of Mattie 25 years later, now with one arm, and the final minutes are essentially an epilogue
1:43:25 beautiful long shot of Mattie on a hill after burial of Rooster
Thoughts:
In every Director Study there is always one film that is “the hidden gem” basically a film that was great that I did not really expect that much from, I have a few films to go but so far this is my “hidden gem”. When looking through the filmography at start of study I barely gave any through toward True Grit, yet I think this was so well done for several reasons:
The performances are uniformly great, I will need to see the original again to say for sure as I have only seen in once and it was 13 years ago, but I think I preferred Jeff Bridge’s performance to John Wayne’s
I preferred the Mattie in this to the original 1969 version as that Mattie just did not resemble a kid in anyway, this version’s Mattie still talks tough and is wise beyond her years but comes across as more vulnerable and overall just feels like a more fleshed out character
This is one of the Coen Brothers most beautiful films which is not necessarily their strong suit but this has a number of painterly shots and gorgeous silhouettes
The screenplay is great as always, no wasted scenes, every character serves a purpose and suspense builds over the course of their journey. I have said before I always love these types of journey films where a group of characters is setting out for some specific purpose.
The last 20 min was really powerful on an emotional level, the characters were fleshed out rather than archetypes, and the character interactions build a powerful bond that pays off later
In the last month or so I have watched The Big Lebowski, Hell or Highwater, and Tucker: The Man and His Dream and have come to believe Jeff Bridges is a great actor, not that I didn’t like him previously I just did not fully realize he great he was. Rooster is a complex character
Verdict: MS
A Serious Man (2009)
Notes:
Starts with a quote “receive with simplicity everything that happens to you” – Rashi
Opening scene set in 1800s in Eastern Europe
1:25 overhead shot of snow fall in during night in small town
2:40 slow zoom shots used more and more it seems through this study
5:38 “I am a rational man” setting up later themes
6:38 shocking act of violence inside cabin lit only by candlelight
8:02 beautiful shot with frame in frame as Dybbuk exits cabin into snowstorm
The opening 8 minutes and 30 seconds of film in Yiddish
9:30 Jefferson Airplane “Somebody to Love” alters films mood drastically as we go to 1967 St. Louis Park Minnesota
Michael Stuhlbarg as the protagonist, Larry Gopnik
11 min class of teenagers in Hebrew School
12:45 doctor smoking cigarettes always a fun image
16 min Larry doesn’t have respect from students who tries to bride him
26 min shot with 3 steps of field inside house
27:33 Larry’s family friend Sy openly and nonchalantly having affair with Larry’s wife
30 min Larry climbs to roof of his house and then we see 360 POV shot of neighborhood with bright green and perfectly cut lawns
30:30 high angle shot of Larry on roof followed by edit to low angle shot as Larry fixing antenna on roof
37 min rapid shots as Larry becomes increasingly stressed
39:15 close up shots of characters faces seems to be used frequently in last couple of Coen films
42 min pan across teens passing a joint
44:17 title card announcing “The First Rabbi”
51:17 exterior shot of motel and quick transition to pitch black interior of Larry’s hotel room
51:48 surveillance camera angle of Larry walking to car in motel parking lot
55:07 extreme close up on Larry’s face which takes up most of frame
56:26 title card announcing “The Second Rabbi”
1:03:56 overhead canted angle at the funeral for Sy, really beautiful composition
1:04:10 slow zoom in on Rabbi with frame in frame background
1:10:10 Larry writing on chalk board for his class with only his right hand and arm visible in the frame
1:10:30 great wide angle shot of chalk board filled to the brim with equations
1:21:23 Larry waking up after bizarre dream sequence, overhead shot with sweeping light
1:23:05 brilliant shot with multiple frame in frame, great mise-en-scene with Rabbi in background of the frame
1:27:20 another nightmare, this time Larry and his brother killed by neighbors hunting
1:28:22 overhead shot inside Synagogue followed by camera panning to Larry’s son shown in blurry vision
1:28:48 perfect symmetry inside service
1:29:00 surreal sequence with Larry’s son walking inside Synagogue with canted angles and blurry visions
1:33:40 Larry’s son comes face to face with Rabbi Marshak
1:40:45 crazy ending shot of incoming tornado and right before Larry is called from a doctor indicating a serious medical issue
Thoughts:
I saw this when it first came out so excited to finally check it out again, this is obviously the Coen Brothers most religious film. Other films have religious undertones or religious characters but not to this extent. With the Coen Brothers being Jewish this would seem to be a much more personal film as well. Larry is constantly told to just accept the way things are and Larry refuses, this could be seen as a critique on organized religion.
A Serious Man diverges from other Coen Brother films in that it uses a cast of actors and actresses that are not widely known. It is probably the most intellectual film I have seen so far in this study and without a doubt the most confusing, not so much the surface level plot which is easy enough to follow but this is a dense film with multiple interpretations
It is listed as a drama comedy like most Coen Brothers films but it is not really laugh out laugh comedy like say Burn After Reading. Rather it is funny (and depressing) watching Larry’s slow fall during the film and the way he feels powerless and indecisive about so much in his life. Yet Larry is the one usually in the right and is not a sad sack loser, he is intelligent and quite reasonable about most things, yet he is being hit with an avalanche and injustices throughout the film
Crazy ending right after things actually start to go Larry’s way. Right after Larry briefing gives in and compromises his ethics regarding the student trying to bride him for a passing grade he gets call from doctor indicating very bad news and right after a tornado is rapidly approaching school where Larry’s son is a student. If Larry is being punished for this transgression the punishment would seem completely out of proportion with the crime
Of all the films in the study this is the one so far that I think would most benefit from another viewing
Verdict: MS
@James Trapp- Did you skip The Hudsucker Proxy, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers?
@Drake – I did, would you strongly recommend any of those?
I try to balance with these studies; there are so many great auteurs I want to cover. I am not exactly a “completionist” but I want to get a thorough viewing of each of their filmographies. I usually scan through a filmography at the beginning of a study and see if there are any films that seem not as crucial to watch. For example when I did WKW I didn’t bother with Blueberry Nights. Nothing is set in stone of course and sometimes I will add a film back to a study or take one off based on other peoples suggestions.
@James Trapp All good- I was just curious. If you only saw one movie a week I’d say you never need to see them. But with your pace, I would say at some point you should see them at some point.
@Drake, thanks, yeah I have a list of films that were skipped over in studies that I plan on getting to. I always liked the Coen Brothers but even I am shocked at how amazing their filmpgraphy truly is. Obviously they don’t have a The Godfather or 2001 Space Odyssey level MP but I am 12 films in and aside from Burn After Reading whiich I have as HR and Arizona as R/HR I have 9 MS and 3 MP. So far this might be the most consistently great filmography I have come across. And I just started Llewyn Davis, which is incredible so far.
@Drake – Sorry I meant to say 7 MS and 3 MP
Burn After Reading (2008) – sorry didn’t mean to post twice and meant to put grade:
Verdict: HR
Burn After Reading (2008)
Notes:
Opening shot of planet Earth from satellite in space
2 min Camera placed low tracking John Malkovich as CIA Analyst Osborne Cox walking into office and then getting demoted
4:21 low angle shot of angry and animated Osborne filling most of frame
4:45 Tilda Swinton enters room as Katie Cox out of focus in back of frame
8:08 creative composition with 4 faces in frame despite only 2 characters, 3 of Tilda’s character in frame with 2 from mirror reflections and Osborne in back of frame
11:50 overhead shot of Osborne lying around speaking into a recorder
13:25 close up shots on ice cubes, liquor, lime, and glass indicating possible truth to claim that Osborne has drinking problem
16 min Frances McDormand’s Linda Litzke first appearance of film at surgeon
18:30 Brad Pitt as Chad, gym employee co-worker and friend of Linda
22:16 Montage of Linda’s awkward date that is both humorous and pathetic
26:10 George Clooney’s character continues to feel like he’s being followed
34 min Linda and Chad make perfectly hilarious/idiotic duo (seemingly a platonic one) in their hilarious phone call to Osborne Cox
41:10 Linda date going much better with George Clooney character than the creep from earlier
43:43 shot using mirror reflection with Brad Pitt character in the background of the frame
47 min Pitt and McDormand’s characters as attempted blackmailers are arguably the dumbest criminals in the Coen Brothers canon and there is some stiff competition there
49:40 tracking shot through gym
50:18 nice shot of restaurant from 2nd floor
1:01:58 Chad POV shot from inside closet
1:03:12 what a way to break the tension that had been building for a couple of minutes
1:03:53 canted overhead shot of Harry (Clooney) following shooting as his paranoia is off the charts at this point
1:17:58 great shot of Linda, after getting kicked out of Embassy, shown as tiny figure in bottom of the frame while next to massive Embassy building, almost Antonioni like which is not something you would expect from Coen Brothers
1:18:15 close up on Osborne’s face shouting into phone after discovering his wife emptying took money out of bank accounts
1:19:48 zoom in on Ted’s (Richard Jenkins) face after getting chewed out by Linda
1:24:14 zoom in on Harry’s face after a series of crazy coincidences with Linda and Chad
1:24:48 series of quick edits emphasizing Harry’s paranoia
1:28:00 Osborne Cox walking to basement holding the gun in one hand with a stiff drink in the other while wearing a bath robe and confronts Ted “You’re in league with that moronic woman. You are part of a league of morons.
1:30:00 JK Simmons is perfect as the near omnipresent head of CIA
1:31:38 great ending shot that serves as bookend to opening
Thoughts:
Watched this many times when it came out during my 3rd year in College, I would watch with my College buddies and let’s just say things got hazy
This has a loaded cast as usual but JK Simmons, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, George Clooney, Richard Jenkins, and others. Malkovich gives the best performance of the film in my opinion; I love the image of Osborne Cox at the end of the film holding the gun in one hand with a stiff drink in the other “You’re in league with that moronic woman. You are part of a league of morons.” lol. Absolutely hilarious start to finish.
Some may argue that this is a Minor Coen Brothers film and to a certain degree they would be correct as it is not Burn After Reading (2008)
Notes:
Opening shot of planet Earth from satellite in space
2 min Camera placed low tracking John Malkovich as CIA Analyst Osborne Cox walking into office and then getting demoted
4:21 low angle shot of angry and animated Osborne filling most of frame
4:45 Tilda Swinton enters room as Katie Cox out of focus in back of frame
8:08 creative composition with 4 faces in frame despite only 2 characters, 3 of Tilda’s character in frame with 2 from mirror reflections and Osborne in back of frame
11:50 overhead shot of Osborne lying around speaking into a recorder
13:25 close up shots on ice cubes, liquor, lime, and glass indicating possible truth to claim that Osborne has drinking problem
16 min Frances McDormand’s Linda Litzke first appearance of film at surgeon
18:30 Brad Pitt as Chad, gym employee co-worker and friend of Linda
22:16 Montage of Linda’s awkward date that is both humorous and pathetic
26:10 George Clooney’s character continues to feel like he’s being followed
34 min Linda and Chad make perfectly hilarious/idiotic duo (seemingly a platonic one) in their hilarious phone call to Osborne Cox
41:10 Linda date going much better with George Clooney character than the creep from earlier
43:43 shot using mirror reflection with Brad Pitt character in the background of the frame
47 min Pitt and McDormand’s characters as attempted blackmailers are arguably the dumbest criminals in the Coen Brothers canon and there is some stiff competition there
49:40 tracking shot through gym
50:18 nice shot of restaurant from 2nd floor
1:01:58 Chad POV shot from inside closet
1:03:12 what a way to break the tension that had been building for a couple of minutes
1:03:53 canted overhead shot of Harry (Clooney) following shooting as his paranoia is off the charts at this point
1:17:58 great shot of Linda, after getting kicked out of Embassy, shown as tiny figure in bottom of the frame while next to massive Embassy building, almost Antonioni like which is not something you would expect from Coen Brothers
1:18:15 close up on Osborne’s face shouting into phone after discovering his wife emptying took money out of bank accounts
1:19:48 zoom in on Ted’s (Richard Jenkins) face after getting chewed out by Linda
1:24:14 zoom in on Harry’s face after a series of crazy coincidences with Linda and Chad
1:24:48 series of quick edits emphasizing Harry’s paranoia
1:28:00 Osborne Cox walking to basement holding the gun in one hand with a stiff drink in the other while wearing a bath robe and confronts Ted “You’re in league with that moronic woman. You are part of a league of morons.
1:30:00 JK Simmons is perfect as the near omnipresent head of CIA
1:31:38 great ending shot that serves as bookend to opening
Thoughts:
Watched this many times when it came out during my 3rd year in College, I would watch with my College buddies and let’s just say things got hazy
This has a loaded cast as usual but JK Simmons, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovich, George Clooney, Richard Jenkins, and others. Malkovich gives the best performance of the film in my opinion; I love the image of Osborne Cox at the end of the film holding the gun in one hand with a stiff drink in the other “You’re in league with that moronic woman. You are part of a league of morons.” lol. Absolutely hilarious start to finish.
Some may argue that this is a Minor Coen Brothers film and to a certain degree they would be correct as it is not on the same level as their MPs like Fargo or No Country but it works perfectly for what they are going for which is an entertaining dark comedy spy film and they succeed marvelously
Impressive how this film fits in with the rest of the Coen Brothers work; themes of fate and chance, greed and blackmail, and brilliant screen play. Like many other Coen Brothers films there is a great mix of drama and comedy although here it is definitely even more weighted toward comedy than usual.
on the same level as their MPs like Fargo or No Country but it works perfectly for what they are going for which is an entertaining dark comedy spy film and they succeed marvelously
Impressive how this film fits in with the rest of the Coen Brothers work; themes of fate and chance, greed and blackmail, and brilliant screen play. Like many other Coen Brothers films there is a great mix of drama and comedy although here it is definitely even more weighted toward comedy than usual.
@James Trapp Thank you for this- I just caught up with this one about 10 days ago myself. I’ve seen it– man– I don’t know how many times. Such an easy watch- hilarious.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Notes:
Opening montage consists of shots of West Texas, the last film in the study, The Man Who Wasn’t There, began with narration from Billy Bob Thornton who has a great narration voice, this one starts with narration from Tommy Lee Jones who somehow has an even better narration voice
3 min Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh strangling Deputy to death in police station, shaky camera captures out what starts as out of control struggle then goes to an overhead shot focusing on Anton’s menacing face at 3:20 as Anton gains upper hand
4:49 close up on Anton’s face before murdering innocent man
5:20 close up on Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss as he hunts
8:20 camera drops to low position as Moss carefully walks through a brutal crime scene resulting from a botched drug deal
13:13 a bag full of cash, classic sign of a Coen Brothers film
13:36 painterly image with some foreshadowing with Moss walking toward his pickup truck carrying bag of drug money as sky indicates a storm coming along with sound of thunder
14 min Kelly Macdonald as Carla Jean Moss
19:44 twist of standard chase scene by having Moss swimming away in River from vicious Pit Bull
21:07 Anton reacts to harmless small talk question from Gas Station Clerk with increasing menace, yet at the end of it at 25 min it is clear that this is nothing more than just sadistic amusement for Anton
27:44 POV shot of Anton casually murdering 2 men hired to get the stolen drug money
32:15 camera positioned low
33:18 interesting reflection shot with frame in frame
34 min this is first time Anton spares someone also he might have if not sound indicating someone else there, fate is of course a reoccurring theme with Coen Brothers
36:51 same shot from 33:18 only with Bell instead of Anton
42:50 surveillance camera angle of Moss at store
46:55 Anton looking at same motel room map that Moss was a few minutes before
49:17 tracking shot of Anton with in dimly lit motel
51:10 low angle shot of eerily calm Anton sitting on hotel bed with half of his face covered by shadow and with man he murdered in background on left side of frame
53 min dissolve edit from dark interior of vehicle at night to brightly lit elevator of corporate building which Woody Harrelson’s bounty hunter character, Carson, meeting the corporate suit financing drug deal, huge window in office strikes me as an example of “hiding in plain sight”
56:06 hallway shot resembling the one in Barton Fink
57:49 slow zoom in on Moss face upon finding tracking device inside money bag
1:09:09 beautiful silhouette shot after Moss wakes up to a mariachi group
1:10:04 great low angle close up shot of Anton who is taking up most of frame
1:15:00 camera pans up to Carson in hospital holding flowers sitting over Moss’s bed
1:21:15 Anton walks into far right side of frame without any changes in camera angle or any cuts, thus sneaking up on us (audience) in the same way he sneaks up on Carson who is walking up steps inside the Hotel
1:23:08 Anton philosophizing to Carson before killing him, Woody Harrelson’s acting in the hotel scene is tremendous, right after Anton laughs off his futile offer “an ATM” with a menacing smile, his face just drops and he knows this is the end for him
1:30:48 terrified money launderer in background with Anton in foreground of the frame
1:36:00 Moss killed off screen
1:38:33 Bell and local cop as silhouette images speaking of Anton as a “ghost”
1:40:27 Anton hiding with half face visible from light
1:42:44 Bell visiting old friend about state of world
1:48:42 Anton waiting in house for Carla Jean, shot reverse shot with the shots of Carla Jean closer to the camera and in brighter frames than Anton who is further back and darker frames
1:51:30 classic Coen Brothers with impossible to predict situation, fate
1:56:00 film ends with conversation between recently retired Bell and his wife
Thoughts:
I caught this in theatres back in 2007 with my buddy who was big into film, we both walked out blown away, I legitimately thought Anton Chigurh was the greatest movie villain of all time and while I would temper that claim somewhat, I think it is undeniable that Anton Chigurh is certainly one of the all-time great movie villains
The Cast in absolutely loaded, I would rank the top 5 performances as follows:
# 1 Javier Bardem
# 2 Tommy Lee Jones
# 3 Woody Harrelson
# 4 Kelly Macdonald
# 5 Josh Brolin
Brolin at #5 might seem like a slight his way but that has more to do with the performances of the 4 above including Kelly Macdonald whose performance understandably gets overlooked due to her character’s limited screen time but that final scene with Javier Bardem is done so perfectly. Plus Brolin is kind of playing the straight man so to speak while Bardem and Harrelson get the more colorful characters to play
The Gas Station Scene is one of best and most suspenseful in any film, as you identify the poor attendant whose seemingly harmless question almost results in a brutal death, the fact that Anton does not kill every single character actually makes him more scary because at least there is suspense
Tommy Lee Jones monologues prove he has one of the greatest narration voices, I could listen to him speak all day
Initially I actually preferred this film over There Will Blood (2007) a position I have certainly changed but that is due mainly to the greatness of There Will Be Blood (my # 5 all time) than any shortcomings with No Country which is pretty much a perfect film. It actually does not have the artistic highs of There Will Be Blood and not as many stunning visuals but like I said it’s a near perfect film and I don’t think there is anything I would change
Verdict: MP
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
Notes:
Starts with low angle shot of barber pole and then voiceover from Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Ed Crane, who is barber living in 1940s Santa Rosa, California
4 min crisp black and white cinematography looks great inside barbershop
5 min Italian music that plays in Shawshank when Andy locks door and plays record to prison yard
6:12 perfect symmetry with Ed smoking cigarette on family room couch
7:53 frame in frame with Big Dave talking to Ed’s wife Doris with whom she’s probably having affair with
17:38 close up of typewriter as Ed writes the blackmail note
25:25 tension building between Ed and Big Dave as Ed does not know if Big Dave is on to him regarding the blackmail note
25:38 Ed walking through piano room in dark
26:53 Scarlet Johannsson as Birdy on piano, 2 years before her breakout role Lost in Translation
28:20 repeating shadow moving over Ed and Doris inside the car
32:45 Godfather like music playing upon arrival at Italian Wedding
38 min Ed and Big Dave face off in dark office, heavy use of close ups on faces with Big Dave enraged and Ed with a complete Poker Face
40:37 Big Dave choking out Ed and pushing into glass
41:46 close up on Eds face then hands after stabbing Big Dave to death
44:05 dissolve edit as Ed falls asleep at barber shop
45 min misdirection with homicide detectives alerting Ed that his wife was arrested for the murder of Big Ed
46:40 shot of front of Ed’s suburban house complete with the white picket fence and trees on both sides
50:12 slow zoom toward camera with Ed visiting Doris in prison as she awaits trial
54:48 dimly lit restaurant like every other indoor location so far
1:09:06 possibly best shot of film so far, Ed and Doris in prison room where lawyers meet clients, there is a circular hazy light UFO style
1:15:50 slow pan over auditorium to piano playing at High School talent show
1:20:20 ceiling shot of elevator going down after discovery that Doris hanged herself before start of the trial
1:24:40 another shot with hazy light entering a dark room, this time a bar with a silhouette profile shot of Ed
1:26:31 silhouette image walking through the hallway
1:34:50 POV shot from driving car
1:36:08 Birdy makes moves on Ed leading to accident with rapid 360 camera spin
1:36:48 slow motion of car flying off cliff before falling, shortly after Ed has vision resembling a UFO
1:40:45 same UFO image
1:41:08 great blocking on low angle shot of doctor and 2 detectives standing over Ed in hospital
1:42:36 surreal image of murdered man
1:46:00 low angle shots in courtroom following Ed being punched by Frank “asking what kind of man are you” this is same line uttered by Big Dave earlier in film
1:47:50 Ed waking up in empty prison and walking out of open cell
1:48:32 one of best shots, high angle with silhouette image of man walking through open door near middle of frame
Thoughts:
The Coen Brothers and film noir sound like a good match, there are obvious narrative and thematic similarities to other films in their filmography like Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing, and Fargo. This is a very low-key film
Billy Bob has one of those great narration voices, employed here with a healthy dose of fatalism, this is a character who accepts and doesn’t fight his fate. In fact, his character Ed Crane, is in many ways one of the most passive of noir lead characters and seems neither pleased nor displeased with whatever happen to him at any point
Black and White cinematography was a great choice giving off an authentic 1940s atmosphere, there is heavy use of shadows, silhouette, shots during night
I am not entirely sure what to make of the UFO references, I neither like nor hated them
Incredible cast with Billy Bob, James Gandolfini, Frances McDormand, in addition to a number of Coen brother regulars. I haven’t seen a ton of Gandolfini performances outside of The Sopranos (my all time favorite show along with Breaking Bad) but I have been impressed from what I have seen
This is one of Billy Bob’s more restrained performances, he plays melancholy to perfection and in general goes against his usual persona
Not sure if it’s just a coincidence but there is a character named Diedrickson, the same last name of the Barbara Stanwyck character in Double Indemnity although the spelling is slightly different, Diedrickson
Verdict: HR/MS
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Notes:
Starts with pan through open fields to a prison chain gang in stripped white and black uniforms working in fields
2:33 low camera shot of same chain gang from a distance with 3 members making escape shown while alternating between this and films opening credits, these 3 characters played by John Turturro, George Clooney, and Tim Blake Nelson
7 min close ups on faces of 3 escaped convicts
8:20 slow zoom out as Handcar moves along with convicts
8:34 dissolve edit leading to 3 convicts with desaturated colors
11:15 country music in background
14:42 3 convicts and pig enter car driven by kid after hideout set on fire with police surrounding convicts who make their escape
18:06 group of singing people dressed in all white making their way to body of water
20:35 close up on convicts inside car driving toward camera
21:16 high angle shot on literal crossroads with surrounding fields resembling shots from other Coen Brothers films on open roads, train tracks, etc.
22 min convicts pick up a hitchhiker named Tommy Johnson
25 min turns out convicts and Tommy have some musical talent
25:39 nice composition using reflection through glass and another at 25:57 only from other side
30:46 great composition with 3 convicts in foreground and men searching for them in background setting barn on fire
34:50 convicts get ride with bank robber named George Nelson
40 min montage of the 3 convicts moving through the country set to The Three Sirens – ”Go to Sleep Little Baby”
52 min painterly image with clear blue sky taking up ¾ of frame
53:24 John Goodman’s Big Dan Teague betrays gang for the reward money, consistent in Universe of Coen Brothers films where characters are often out for themselves
54:53 iris wipe to Turturro’s character being tortured by law enforcement
56:57 dissolve edits to daytime with other 2 convicts in back of pickup truck
58:08 framed filled to brim with audience listening to country music at campaigning event for Homer Stokes
1:04:00 Clooney bare knuckle boxing is a sight I never thought that I’d see
1:05:41 amazing image with convicts as silhouette in movie theatre with hazy light upon door opening
1:07:04 Turturro character, Pete, happens to be in same theatre as chain gang brought into theater
1:09:50 Pete back with the other 2 convicts
1:13:24 slow zoom in on convicts who discover that they have stumbled upon a KKK meeting
1:18:12 Big Dan turns out to be KKK member and tries to stop the 3 convicts who are themselves trying to free Tommy from being murdered
1:19:40 great blocking and zoom in on 4 faces, the 3 convicts plus Tommy
1:22:50 convicts impersonate musicians
1:30:30 an ambitious politician publicly absolves convicts who are hit of the church
1:33:27 medium shot of 3 convicts and Tommy standing next to each other
1:35:36 blues music as convicts about to be hanged as Sheriff does not care that they were pardoned
1:36:56 camera panning up to overhead shot as Clooney’s character prays to Lord as they are about to be hanged
1:38:00 their wish comes true in the way of a flood saving them from death, set to blues music
Thoughts:
The Coen Brothers take on Depression Era road film with impressive results with 107 min that really just fly by as the trio, which later becomes a quartet, moves along as they find themselves in increasingly dire circumstances
Performances are solid as usual although there is not any real standout performances in this film compared to some of the best performances from previous Coen Brothers films I’ve watched so far into the study. If forced to pick George Clooney would be my pick for best performance, I have to admit I’ve questioned Clooney’s skills in the past but over time have come to appreciate his abilities even if I don’t think he has a lot of range
Despite the subject matter the film is lighter in tone than the other 6 Coen Brothers films so far in this study other than The Big Lebowski. This is a comedy drama that is weighted more toward comedy. Speaking of which there are few (if any) auteurs who blend comedy and drama as seamlessly as The Coen Brothers. I suppose you could make a case for Bong Joon-ho, but I think he shifts mood more than blends if that makes any sense
Great soundtrack, I love blues music and have come to enjoy folk music and some country music although still not my favorite music genre
There are shots of open fields and train tracks similar to shots of open highways in other Coen Brothers films which is fitting given the Coen Brothers themes of fate and chance, there are scenes where there are literal crossroads
I’ve come to notice the Coen Brothers like those Welles style low angle shots, here we see it used in scene where Goodman’s character betrays the convicts, they also like to use overhead shots and zooms
Verdict: HR/MS
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Notes:
Starts with voiceover from Sam Elliot as camera pans over desert to Los Angeles
2:24 Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey Lebowski aka “The Dude” strolling through grocery store in bathrobe
4 min Lebowski gets beating upon entering rundown apartment by 2 men, one of whom urinates on his rug before men realize they are beating on the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski
8 min John Goodman as Walter, a hilarious aggressive Vietnam Vet, and The Dude’s best friend
Steve Buscemi as Donny as 3rd person in Bowling league team with The Dude and Walter
18 min Walter pulling gun over bowling penalty
22:10 overhead shot of rug with slow zoom in
25:25 slow motion of John Turturro’s character at bowling alley
29:50 bizarre surreal dream sequence of The Dude flying above LA at night
31:10 another overhead shot of The Dude
34 min blue and red lights in background of shot through rearview window right before chase scene
40:06 tracking shot of Walter and Dude leaving bowling alley to parking lot
44 min Julianne Moore makes every movie better
49 min The Dude drinking White Russians
58 min The Dude at bowling alley again
59:57 pan to mysterious Sam Elliot character who wasn’t shown in previous frame
1:11:00 Walter and Dude confront kid in hilarious scene
1:15:20 another bizarre scene with slow motion shots of surreal images
1:18:52 low angle shot of Jackie Treehorn
1:19:35 The Dude drugged by Jackie leading to another surreal dream sequence
1:22:11 great choreography throughout dream sequence
1:22:48 great shot using open legs as frame while Dude drifts toward bowling pins
1:24:00 dissolve edit as The Dude’s dream becomes reality as the Dude is arrested and brought to the police station
1:25:48 Dude assaulted by crooked cop
1:27:50 inverted POV shot of Julianne Moore character standing over The Dude upon waking up
1:34:43 Peter Stormare character eating pancakes as a call back to Fargo where he keeps asking Buscemi for pancakes
1:35:10 sequence of light fading in and out
1:38:10 confrontation with the other Lebowski
1:41:26 low angle shot of Dude, Walter, and Donny with orange tint in parking lot as Walter’s car burns after The Nihilists confront them demanding money
1:42:00 back and forth shots with The Dude’s crew and the 3 Nihilist fighting in bowling parking lot
1:44:20 slow fade out after parking lot brawl
1:46:48 beautiful high angle shot of Walter and Dude scattering Donny’s ashes into ocean
1:49:30 pan over bowling lane
1:50:27 pans to Sam Elliot character similar to shot from earlier in film
Thoughts:
The Coen Brothers take on The Big Sleep (1946) is a strong influence for sure, especially in regard to the convoluted plot in which I am not sure you are supposed to understand fully. The narrative never lets up as it pushes film along in an unrelenting way
The cast is just amazing; Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Elliot, John Turturro. But what really make this film work so well is not only the great performance but the way they play off each other particularly The Dude and Walter who in classic comedy form have very different personalities
This is one of the funniest and most rewatchable of films; my college buddies always quoted this movie and especially loved The Nihilists
Color and lighting play an important role in this film that I didn’t really notice before, the bowling alley sequences are bright with more saturated colors, the purple in John Turturro character, nihilists associated with black, blue tint throughout highway scenes, etc.
The use of location, in particular the bowling alley, is brilliant as a sort of home to The Dude
The bizarre and surreal dream sequences are amongst the films strongest visual scenes particular the one with Julianne Moore’s character and the shot through the open legs of women standing in bowling alley, amazing choreography, and mise-en-scene
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- Those are two big ones- keep up the good work here James
Fargo (1996)
Notes:
Starts with “based on a true story” message that actually is pure fiction while intense score playing in background
3:12 starts in low key pool bar with car salesman William H Macy as Jerry Lundegaard setting up a kidnapping of his wife with 2 low level crooks played by the great Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare
8:36 long shot of crooks on open road/highway something shown in Blood Simple and Raising Arizona
10 min I love seeing Jerry getting chewed out by customer particularly at the 11:08 mark when Jerry stares straight down at the ground with a look on his face of pure shame
16:10 Jerry in his office with curtains in the foreground that resemble bars making it look like Jerry is in a prison cell
21 min Jerry gets deal taken away by his father-in-law Wade and Wade’s business partner Stan Grossman
22:38 great overhead shot of snow filled parking lot with cars spread out, this shot which I have seen in other Coen Brother films
24:45 great fake out with Jerry calling Wade in anguish after finding wife kidnapped but it’s actually Jerry preparing his phone call to his father-in-law
25:32 one of my favorite shots in film with the Paul Bunyan Statue, which was built for this film
28:52 mounting tension in police scene resulting in shocking violence I like the use of close ups on Buscemi’s face falling the shooting of the officer
31:51 close up on red light right before 2 witnesses are murdered, like Goodfellas burial scene
33 min camera pans to Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) making first appearance
37:19 “from his footprint he looks like a big fella! “ easy to underestimate Marge who turns out to be police captain because of funny way she speaks
40 min Jerry, Wade, and Stan Grossman in diner talking about Jerry’s wife (who is Wade’s daughter) about how to deal with kidnappers in same manner as the parking lot deal
Marge interviews hookers hilarious , “yeah” “oh yeah” I found this annoying the first time I ever watched but now I think its hilarious
55 min Jerry loses his place as negotiator with the kidnappers to Wade and Stan in the same manner that he loses out on the parking lot deal
1:00:52 after 1st of 2 meetings we get Jerry POV shot of Marge walk away (looks like prison bars)
1:04:00 Mike Yanagita scene is so odd
1:07:00 Shep Proudfoot beating Buscemi with tie is brutal
1:08:32 Jerry’s anger at watch Wade walks off with money
1:11:00 to 1:12:35 includes several POV shots from Jerry perspective seeing the violence that resulted from his initial decision to put forward the kidnapping
1:23:08 “he’s fleeing the interview he’s fleeing the interview” one of my favorite quotes from Marge
1:24:15 casual admission that Jean is dead when Buscemi returns to announce he has money
1:25:52 brutal sequence resulting from not only brutality but stubbornness of criminals who can never let anything go
1:29:04 Marge shoots Peter Stormare character in same manner he shoots witness earlier in film only Marge intentionally shoots a non-fatal shot hitting on leg
Ends with good natured Marge and husband in bed talking about future
Thoughts:
Funny enough I hated this movie when I first saw it although I was a kid so maybe not that surprising
The Coen Brothers are so great at creating regional specific settings so rich in details from accents to snow filled parking lots, characters watching College Hockey, references to the Twin Cities, and the Paul Bunyan Statue which was actually built specifically for this film but nevertheless he is a legend/myth associated with Minnesota
Mise-en-scene uses color palette consisting of drab colors and shades of gray, blue, brown, and green and avoids bright and primary colors
One of the things I find interesting is how this film shows the intersection of vile low life criminals with nice, and hilariously polite good-natured people, particular when Marge arrests Peter Stormare character
Macy it might be the greatest portrayal of an inept criminal that I have ever seen. I love the way every move he makes just blows up in his face. I love the phone call scene with the fake out, its actually Jerry preparing his phone call to his father in law, there’s a similar scene in Breaking Bad with Walter White.
Truth is an essential aspect of Fargo; the opening “this is based on true story”, you have the statue of the legendary Paul Bunyan, the bizarre scene with Marge’s former classmate, Mike Yanagita.
Great formal touches; Jerry losing out ability to negotiate with kidnappers in same manner that he loses parking lot deal from Wade and Stan, Paul Bunyan Statue shown multiple times throughout, Marge shoots Stormare characters running away from camera in open snow field in same way Stormare character kills witness earlier in film, Jerry trying to escape from police in same way his wife looks to get out window when kidnappers arrive
The performances are phenomenal all the way through but if forced to rank my top 5 in order would be:
# 1a William H Macy
# 1b Frances McDormand
# 3 Steve Buscemi – perfect low life criminal
# 4 Harve Presnell – perfect as self-made man who treats Jerry than the loser he is
# 5 Peter Stormare – does more with facial expression than words
For anyone who loves this film I would strongly recommend Fargo the TV Show, I was actually shocked at not only how great they were but also in the way they feel like such an authentic addition to Fargo the movie, it really is auteur world building at its finest
This is a perfect film, for me its currently in the top 100 all time
Verdict: MP
@James – “ Mike Yanagita scene is so odd”
The common interpretation of the purpose of that scene is that’s when Gunderson picks up on Mike’s lying, she’s able to realise that Jerry is lying too and returns to the car dealership to question and out him. She loses some of her naivety.
@Harry – yes, I have read that interpretation as well. I found an interesting article with link below
https://ew.com/movies/fargo-mike-yanagita-scene-breakdown-steve-park/