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| Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? | |
|---|---|
| Name | Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? |
| Director | Joel Coen and Ethan Coen |
| Producers | Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin |
| Based on | The Odyssey by Homer |
| Starring | George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson |
| Music | Carter Burwell, various artists |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Editing | Roderick Jaynes |
| Studio | Working Title Films, Scott Rudin Productions |
| Distributor | Universal Pictures |
| Released | 2000 |
| Runtime | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 American comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. The film transposes elements of Homer's The Odyssey to a Depression-era journey through rural Mississippi and Tennessee, blending American folklore, Blues music, and Southern Gothic aesthetics. Featuring a cast led by George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, the film earned critical acclaim and multiple award nominations.
The narrative follows Ulysses Everett McGill, a loquacious ex-convict who escapes a chain gang in order to retrieve a hidden fortune and return to his wife, paralleling episodes from Homeric Hymns and Homeric scholarship. Alongside his companions Pete and Delmar, Everett encounters figures echoing avatars from Greek mythology, such as a blind prophet, an obstinate lawman, and seductive sirens, while traveling past landmarks like the Tennessee River and small towns reminiscent of Clarksdale, Mississippi and Jackson, Mississippi. The trio's odyssey intersects with historical touchstones including the Great Depression, sharecropping communities, Ku Klux Klan imagery tied to white supremacy organizations, and a populist gubernatorial campaign that mirrors the 1930s political landscape of figures like Huey Long and James V. Allred.
The principal cast includes George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill, John Turturro as Pete Hogwallop, and Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar O'Donnell, each actor bringing references from previous collaborations with Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Supporting performances feature John Goodman as Big Dan Teague, Holly Hunter as Penny, Chris Thomas King as Tommy Johnson, and Daniel von Bargen as Sheriff Cooley, connecting to acting lineages that include Marlon Brando and Humphrey Bogart in evocations of classic film archetypes. Cameos and smaller roles include appearances by performers associated with American roots music scenes and character actors with ties to Off-Broadway and regional theater companies.
The film was developed by the Coen brothers with production by Scott Rudin and financing through Universal Pictures and Working Title Films. Principal photography was led by cinematographer Roger Deakins using techniques that referenced the visual palettes of Technicolor and black-and-white Southern photography from practitioners like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange. The screenplay adapted motifs from Homer while integrating period research from archives such as the Library of Congress and oral histories compiled by the Federal Writers' Project. Locations included on-site shoots in Mississippi and Tennessee, with set design evoking textile mills, chain gangs, and riverboats similar to artifacts preserved at the Smithsonian Institution and regional museums. Post-production involved editing credited to the Coen brothers' pseudonym Roderick Jaynes and sound mixing that incorporated field recordings from Delta blues musicians.
The film interweaves themes from The Odyssey with American mythologies like the Southern Gothic tradition found in works by William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor, and musical lineages from Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, and Muddy Waters. It engages with Depression-era socioeconomics through imagery connected to the Works Progress Administration and commentary resonant with populist politics typified by Huey Long and the rhetoric of Sharecropping debates. Cinematic influences include homages to directors John Ford, Frank Capra, and Preston Sturges, while musical direction nods to producers and collectors such as Alan Lomax. The film also dialogues with literary modernists like T.S. Eliot through its mythic recycling and intertextuality.
Upon release the film received praise from critics at outlets like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, with particular acclaim for its screenplay, performances, and soundtrack; notable critics such as Roger Ebert and A.O. Scott highlighted its inventive adaptation. It garnered awards recognition including nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and wins at festivals and guild ceremonies connected to BAFTA and the Golden Globe Awards. Box office performance was solid domestically and internationally, drawing audiences interested in period pieces following successes like Titanic and Forrest Gump. Scholarly critique has debated its handling of race and representation in comparison to historical studies from Henry Louis Gates Jr. and commentary in journals such as American Quarterly.
The soundtrack, supervised by music curator T Bone Burnett, features recordings by Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley, Hank Williams-era stylings, and interpretations of traditional gospel and bluegrass repertoire, with original scoring by Carter Burwell. It includes a credited track by Chris Thomas King as a fictionalized Robert Johnson figure and songs that evoke archives collected by Alan Lomax and recordings distributed by RCA Victor and Columbia Records. The album won industry accolades and influenced a revival of interest in Americana and Roots music compilations circulated by labels such as Nonesuch Records.
The film has maintained cultural presence through retrospectives at institutions like the British Film Institute and programming at the Cannes Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival. Its blending of myth and Americana influenced filmmakers including Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and David Lowery, and inspired musical revivals spotlighted at venues like the Grand Ole Opry and festivals such as Newport Folk Festival. Academic courses in film studies and American studies reference the film alongside texts by Homer, William Faulkner, and scholarship from the Modern Language Association. The film's iconography and soundtrack continue to appear in museum exhibits and curated playlists by institutions including the Smithsonian Folkways and the Library of Congress.
Category:2000 films Category:Films directed by the Coen brothers