O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

[maikuu]

[Junyilyu]

Hi Mike!

To be honest, O Brother is baffling to me in the beginning. I did not know why three brothers wanted to escape from the prison and how could they record their song easily and became famous. Everything seems to be against nature. However, as the story developing, the adventure of three brothers started to make sense to me. This movie paints a great picture of the life in southern America in Great Depression era, reflecting people's spirit at that time. I think it is a road movie and a recent Chinese movie named The Continent may borrowed some inspiration from it.

Compared with the hypocritical governors who think about nothing but power all day, three brothers--though they were prisoners--were kind, loyal and brave. Everette was the leader of this outfit, although Pete did not want to admit it. Everette valued his family very much. To stop his wife from marrying another guy, he made up a lie about treasure and persuaded two friends of him to escape with him. Originally, Everette was kind of vain, clinging to his hair and the brand of hair cream. But in the end, when he was going to die, he prayed to the God to see his family one last time, showing his shinning heart inside.

Delmar was innocent, sympathetic and warm-hearted. He cried and cried and held the frog tightly because he thought the frog was his friend Pete. After the frog was killed, Delmar's sorrow and regret became worse. Pete was also a loyal friend, companied the other two brothers during the journey. Three brothers never failed but helped and saved each other when meeting troubles.

To people who were good to them, three brothers could risk their lives to pay them pack.There was a blind old man in the movie, predicting the future of three brothers. I think the blind old man was the embodiment of the truth of life, telling us that the good will be well rewarded and the bad will be punished. Three brothers got popularity and peaceful lives in the end, but the governor lost people's support and the guards were flooded to nowhere.

The music of this movie is amazing. The country music and Gospel represent the southern America very well. I especially love You Are My Sunshine. A teacher coming from Boston taught me the song when I was in primary school. It is good to hear it again in the movie.

Junyi Lyu (Lyra)

Teacher's note: Thanks for such an observant first post. Well, I almost cried when I read how you describe your observation of the three "brothers". It seems that you really have feelings for them, like old friends. Maybe not, but I kind of feel this way. They seem so bright and full of life, yet cast into a scenario (The Great Depression) that offers few opportunities for them to live the kind of lives we take for granted. I'm always struck by that moment when the brothers steal a home-baked pie from a window sill and leave some money under a rock. Later they enjoy a rare moment of pleasure while sharing the pie. So touching. Thanks.

--mike http://www.moviesgrowenglish.com

[xueting]

This movie draws a panorama of the mid-west part of the US in the 1930s, giving the audiences an intense feeling about how was it like in America during that time, which makes this film valuable in some way. However, what impress me most is the method the movie uses to describe the negative part of west American society rather than society’s drawbacks themselves, that is: treating and dealing with evil and violence with relaxation and humor.

I can see the unreasonable secret in the process of governors’ campaign, Ku-Klux-Klan’s unknown ceremony, the cruel torture that the prisoners suffered and so on, which are things that always make the audiences feel sad. However, the humorous way the characters behave in, the wild and sunny countryside music, as well as the sweet shots of beautiful countryside scenery together pacify audiences’ miserable feelings but instead create a warm, optimistic atmosphere. This brings the audiences hope and expectations.

Furthermore, ironically, this film puts redemption of the main characters themselves as well as others into a story of going over the wall, which is a really interesting way to cast doubt on whether the organization of the society at that time was rational. During the time out of jail, the main characters not only become more authentic to either friends or their own emotions, but also contribute to equity though by accident. Finally, their souls are redeemed which makes them become like newborn babies. Despite the society environment, they obtain a chance to lead a new life. This story extremely powers me!

[Jessica]

The characters' accent in this movie is typical southern accent. In spite of that, Coen's brothers used a lot of southern country music in the movie. Ku Klux Klan was also depicted in the movie, which is very flourished in the Southern United States. Therefore the audience could recognize this movie is happened in Southern United States.

The movie O Brother, Where Are Thou? is a road trip movie. Like Wizard of Oz, the main characters is on their way to find their fortune. All of them got fortunes in different forms and have happy endings. The story is based on Odyssey, so the audience can see a lot of implications from that book, such as the singing witch along the riverbank, the one-eyed giant. These three stories are similar and different ways. O Brother, Where Are Thou? adapted the story line of Odyssey and the form of The Wizard of Oz.

They started their journey with the goal of gold under the river. However, Everett was the only one who know the truth, and he was trying to get his wife back. On their way, Pete found his salvation and got his sin washed away. Through the journey, they encountered various kind of people, the African American who sold his soul to the devil for his guitar, the mysterious KKK party, the governor's campaign, etc. They had even become a popular singing group. They escaped from the police chief and got their happy ending after all.

O Brother, Where Are Thou? is a typical Coen's brothers movie, with all the dark humor, intricate implications, and bizarre story line, they presented this movie in 2000. The movie started with a prophet from a blind man, "you will find a fortune, though it will not be the fortune you seek. you will see a road fraught with peril, you shall see things wonderful to tell, fear not the obstacles in your path, for fate has vouchsafed your reward." The audience will know that they will have a tough journey. Afterwards, they had been through a series weird adventures which derived from Odyssey, they escaped from their fate of death by a flood, become a big hit for their singing group. Everett has his wife back, and other guys also got good resolution.

[Huanlin]

How does this story represent the South?
First, aside from the story, I found that all songs that were played throughout the movie are country movie. South has always been considered as a country, rural area, thus the music really helps me blend into the story. Second, the story took place within the context of the Great Depression. In the history, South was severely affected by the Great Depression due to the low wages and crop prices. Through out the story, we can find how people struggled from this event. For example, Delmar was trying really hard to buy his family farm back. During the Great Depression, many people lost their properties and need to beg or commit crimes to make a living. Third, people believe that South is a more conservative area. In fact, a Ku Klux Klan protest just took place in South Carolina last week. The Ku Klux Klan in the story connected not only with the social custom of the South during the 1930s, but also part of the social status nowadays.

How does this story compare with the Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz?
I didn’t really know the Odyssey story before, so I read the story for this assignment, but my understanding may still be inadequate. I found out that both “Odyssey” and “O brother where art thou” are about “going home”. Odyssey and Everett are all trying to get home to get their wives back, meanwhile facing all kinds of mysterious challenges. The characters in “O brother where are thou” origin from “Odyssey”.

Everett, the lead role, represents as Odyssey, the man who was desperate to win his wife back and thus goes on a journey. Penny, Everett’s wife, represented Penelope, Odyssey’s wife. They were both about to get married to another man. The mysterious blind man at the beginning stands for Tiresias, who is a blind prophet, they all predicted the lead roles journey precisely. “Big Dan” Teague was tall, big, and has a blind eye, just like giant Polyphemus in Odyssey. They were both really harmful. Polyphemus killed innocent soldiers, while Big Dan robbed innocent people(such as Everett and his accompanies), bullied others through Ku Klux Klan and so on. The three women by the lake were sirens. They tricked human with their voice and beautiful songs. Pappy O’ Daniel is the governor of Mississippi, who represented Menelaus, the king of Mycenae. Odyssey used to fight for Menelaus during Trojan war, Everett fought for Pappy O’ Daniel during the campaign by performing popular songs on stage. Both the lead roles of these two stories work with the governor of the city. The Sheriff stands for Poseidon. Both of them were trying to capture and punish the lead roles along the journey. Last, the radio station manager stands for Homer. They are both “story tellers”. Homer wrote the story of Odyssey, while the radio manager spread Everett’s music and stories through radio.

As for the comparison between “O brother where art thou” and “The Wizard of Oz”, they are also both journeys for “finding ways home” and “becoming better people”. Everett was trying to get home to be with his wife while Dorothy was trying to get back to her aunt. The friendships between the fellows were strengthened in both movies, though friendships weren’t what they were seeking at the beginning, it still became one of the most treasure they gained from the journeys. There are also some scenes from “O brother where art thou” which are related to “The Wizard of Oz”. For example, when Everett and his fellows were secretly looking at the Ku Klux Klan, it was similar to the scene that Scarecrow, Tin man and Lion were looking at the witch’s soldiers. The Ku Klux Klan and soldiers were all singing in a deep pitch and marching.

How do Everett, Pete, and Delmar change during the course of the journey?
At first, they were chained together, but not having deep feelings with each other. However at the end, they were chained by the feelings they had upon each other. Everett tricked Pete and Delmar into escaping with him, not considering their situations and the troubles that they’ll have. One of them were only 2 weeks away from freedom, but the escape would extend the sentence period. However later, when Pete got arrested, Everett and Delmar risked their own safety to save him. They also risked their lives to save Tommy. If what they care about was only the treasure or Everett’s wife, they wouldn’t have sacrificed for Tommy.

Write a setup/opinion of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I think the movie was satirizing the dark side of the society, including racism, politics, blind religious followers and so on. Through these scenes, we can also find that “criminals” may not be the truly evil ones. Everett, Delmar and Pete cared about their family, fellows, and their African American friends. However, the politicians only cared about the campaign, the authority was actually part of Ku Klux Klan and tried to kill innocent people, Penny were two-faced and only cared about a man’s prestige. This is really ironic but worth pondering.

Huan

[chenyuer1118]

Hello! My name is YUER CHEN. Actually this is the first time for me watching this movie and I do think there is some difficulty for me to understand the whole idea of it. But it doesn't stop me from enjoying watching this film. I do like the music in this film very much and I think this is one of the most representative parts of the Southern in this film.

I do believe that from certain aspects, this film can be said to be kind of "dark". The reason for it is porbably the different aspects of social issues covered in the film such as politics, religion, etc. I think that this film shares some similarities with The Wizard of Oz because they both describe a journey, a journey of growing up and changing. However, there are also differences. The journey described in The Wizard of Oz is quite ideal while the one in O Brother, Where Art Thou is humorous and thought-provoking and more importantly, darker.

As I mentioned earlier that the film is quite dark to a certain extent because of the issues covered in it such as the 3K party, religion issue, and election. However, the story and characters are all quite simple. And I do believe that it is this simpleness that has made every danger the three borthers encountered to be solved peacefully. And the music in the film largely ease the "darkness" aspect of this film. From my own perspective, this is the typical South. Although things can be difficult and tough and even dangerous, it can be treated breezily. Just like the bluegrass music in this film, the rythm and lyrics are all simple but the meaning embedded in it is profound.

[xyweng]

Hi, this is Sylvie (Xiaoyu Weng). This movie may seem like a typical American road movie where the characters went on an adventure and search for what they want. As the story was put in the South, it showed a complicated image of a time of turbulence. There were chain gangs, Ku Klux Klan and the discrimination towards colored race. It even satirized politics when the three characters saved the governor’s election by singing. However, what impressed me is the role of myth and religion that went through the whole movie.

At the very beginning of their journey, they met a blind man on the railway, who said some mysterious prophecy that confused three characters as well as the audience. But through their adventure, we found that every word in that prophecy turned out to be true. As the blind man said, their trip was no wonder a long and difficult road, encountering different people such as the one-eyed giant and the sirens that were prototypes from the Odyssey. By accidentally attached to the election, they were pardoned by the governor and received their freedom, which exactly corresponded to the prophecy that they would find a fortune, but not the one they seek. They even saw a cow on the roof just like the blind man said which might be the most ridiculous scene in the movie. At the last minute when they were to be put to death, Ulysses prayed to the God and the flood arrived on time to save their lives. Rebellious or even atheistic as they were, they still got their salvation from religion, giving the movie an ironic but inspiring theme.

Therefore, this coexistence of reality and religion gave the movie a poignant motif about the world. As an antitheist, it was quite difficult for me to understand what exactly did the directors want to discuss about religion. But after all, I’ve added quite a few great music to my playlist.

[zhang]

The exuberant and brisk country music is enough to impress me with the vitality of the South, letting alone the vast fields, wandering cows, and frequent gunfire depicted in this movie. During the special period, the great depression, the South revealed a bleak and stark appeal, which adds to the adventure of the three brothers a certain crude chivalrousness and boldness.

Destiny is the eternal topic of Greek plays including the Odyssey. Destiny also has an important role in the O Brother, Where Art Thou. At the beginning, an old blind man tells Everette, Delmar, and Pete that they will finally find their fortunes that, however, are not as expected. It is actually a prophecy of their fate. What surprises me most in his prediction is the cow on the roof, which sounds quite ridiculous and impossible, but it does happen in the as theatrical flood. I felt like being struck by the power of destiny when I saw this scene. Besides, Greek plays also interest in exploring the relationship between people and gods. Whether it is Delmar and Pete’s baptism in the river to wash away their sins or Everette’s indifference to such ritual, whether it is Tommy’s deal with devil or his crisis of Ku-Klux-Klan stake, all describe the connections among mortals and gods. Especially when Everette kneels down in the face of the hanging ropes to beg for the God’s help, I almost feel the intangible gaze from heaven.

To more focus on the similarity with the Odyssey, the O Brother, Where Art Thou borrowed many inspirations from the Odyssey such as the plot of Siren and Cyclops. And they are both about the mysterious and dangerous journey back home, which is overlapped with the theme of The Wizard of Oz. The three brothers are looking for their big fortune while Dorothy is wishing for some place full of love and peace. And eventually either the fortune or the wonderland turns out to be the home, the destination of all adventures. To some degree, it is the time spent on the way that reminds us of the days we enjoy at home. Another common point between this movie and The Wizard of Oz is the beautiful music. They have implied the motif of the films and facilitated the development of the plot. However, the differences in the music create the nuances in the ambiance. For the Wizard of Oz, the music immerses us in the magical dreamlike world and in the O Brother, Where Art Thou, I am more touched by the daily and realistic life disclosed by the songs.

Films can bridge the world of reality and dream, of people and gods, always enlightening me with the unknown and exciting me with the sensible.

[wenhuizhu]

Hi Mike,

Because I am not very familiar with the history of US, I cannot understand many symbols in this film. But I will try my best to decode these symbols.

In this film, we can see a lot of reflection of Odyssey. Firstly, at the beginning of the film, Everett, Pete, and Delmar met an old, blind and black man without name, who told them they would find a fortune and predicted their future journey. Obviously, he is the correspondence of Homer in Odyssey. In this way, the film is endowed with mystery so that anything which seems unreal and ridiculous in this film is become reasonable and possible. Secondly, we can also correspond every character to the character in Odyssey.
For example, Penny reflects Odyssey’s wife; the sirens represent the three enchantresses; Big Dan Teague corresponds to one-eyed Polypheme, who was killed by Odyssey. Most importantly, the two stories both tells the main characters recaptured their wives with strategies.

However, the film doesn’t tell a story which has a happy ending. From my perspective, I think the director wants to tell a story of ridicule and black humor. Everett is not the hero like Odyssey but a man cursed by his wife. It seems that Everett is a man of cynicism and bohemianism. But actually, he is tricked by life and realism. He, Pete and Delmar are immersed in the dream Everett created. His wife, who is attracted by money and power. Even if Penny comes back to Everett, such a marriage is a bubble, easy to burst.

In this film, except the three brothers, Babyface and the old woman in the bank, most people are sanctimonious. To be more specific, the devil, Big Dan Teague, sells bibles. The candidate who is eager to power is the servant who caters to voters’ flavor. In this way, kindness isn’t the original appearance.

wenhui

[Gus]

How does this story represent the South?
The story represents the south USA in the past. This can be seen by the accent of the characters, some people who are fanatic by God, there is the group named Ku Klux Klan which was a group against black people. And of course the soundtrack of the movie based on country music which is really good in my opinion.

How does this story compare with the Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz?
Some elements of these movies can be seen in this film, about the wizard of Oz in both stories the characters have their main goals, in both films are developed a friendship between the characters even if it wasn't their goals. Some scenes also are inspired in wizard of Oz like when the three guys try to rescue the guy in the Ku Klux Klan group is similar in a wizard of Oz scene as well. And in both films they pass through a lot of adventure to reach their goals.

To be honest I'm not familiar with Odyssey, but what I research is that there are some similarities in terms of story like for example the three women in the lake acting like sirens, the guy with one eye.

How do Everett, Pete, and Delmar change during the course of the journey?
In the first moment they aren't really much so friends, because their goal was to escape the prison for a treasure which was a trap by Everett, his goal actually was to bring his wife back to him and he wanted Delmar and Pete help. But during the movie they really begin to turn friends since Everett and Delmar tried to find Pete and then the three guys tried to rescue Tommy from Ku Klux Klan group.

Write a setup/opinion of O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
I liked the soundtrack of the movie, I thought was really good country music, the movie tries to bring back the past south USA really well, but for me the weakest point was the story, sometimes i felt really confusing with what was going on with the story, especially in the beginning, but I really think that the ending was better.