Analysis+-+O+Brother+Where+Art+Thou


 * 1. For this assignment, think about some of the thematic, and stylistic motifs that you've seen in the four previous films by the director that you've watched. What do you notice in this film that fits in with this director's body of work?**

A Coen Brother fan would be able to identify //O Brother, Where Art Thou// as one of their film through the non diegetic narrative text and the wide panorama shots from the very beginning of the movie. There are other signature shots and typical Coen-Brother techniques throughout the movie.

The best and greatest element in almost all Coen Brother films are its dialogues. The conversations the characters have in their film are often well written, beautifully presented and reveal the teachings of the movie. Normally there is narration, to some degree, in Coen Brother's film and for this film, //O Brother, Where Art Thou,// brief narration is told by the blind black worker who operates a moving cart on the railroad. He breaks into a monologue, and concludes the act one. His typical southern accent, and almost theatrical delivery accentuates the typical Coen Brother's character.

The Coen Brothers also like to visually represent an idea. In this movie, //O Brother, Where Art Thou,// and //Fargo,// the Coen Brothers used the film technique called linear —the use of lines. In both movies the characters end up in a "crossroad" that is shown through a birds eye view. Because in most Coen Brother movies, the main characters are most often a conflicted character, who is neither good nor bad. To show the conflicted and double sided aspect of the characters, the Coen Brother used the roads to from a literal cross road to present the dilemma the characters are going through.


 * 2. What are some of the most iconic director's choices that you've seen in any of the five films you've watched? What directors choices stood out the most to you? These examples don't necessarily need to be repeated in multiple films, but have helped define the director's image. For example, Kubrick might be known for the iconic scene of Danny riding his bike in one continuous steady-cam shot, or the most famous match cut of all time in //2001: A Space Odyssey//(which we will talk about later). Both of these examples are inherently 'Kubrick' moments, even though they don't have 'echoes' in his other films.**

//Please list 2-3 examples for each film. This can be a bulleted list but should incorporate complete sentences and explanations of what the choices were and why they were so effective. Screenshots would be appropriate but not required.//

The antagonists of the three movies. All of them are a "hunter" of some sort, trying to follow their way to get to the protagonist. In //Raising Arizona//, the Biker was tracking the baby for his own good, he wants to get money. In //No Country For Old Men//, Anton is tracking the money. In //O Brother Where Art Thou//, the police is tracking the fugitives.
 * Columns: movies; Rows = same technique seen in different films***
 * Raising Arizona || No CountryForOldMen || O Brother Where Art Thou ||
 * [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.33.38 PM.jpg width="479" height="262"]]
 * [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.33.38 PM.jpg width="479" height="262"]]

Coen Brothers choose to employ antagonists who are always tracking and following the main character to increase the tension of the movie. If there are people following them constantly, the audiences will have their guards up, and expect the final "show down" when the antagonists finally gets to the protagonists. ||

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 * [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.31.55 PM.jpg width="478" height="278"]] || In both //Raising Arizona// and //O Brother Where Art Thou//, there are people who scream for a really long time. It happened multiple times both movies. This is a comic relief technique that Coen Brothers like to insert during relatively intense moments. The unreasonably long and dramatic scream both increases tension and discomfort for the audience, but at the same time make the scene seem over-the-top and thus humorous.

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 * [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.31.18 PM.jpg width="495" height="268"]] || [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.51.09 PM.jpg width="560" height="219"]] || In both //Raising Arizona// and //No Country For Old Men// there are scenes which the protagonist is being chased by a dog. The match cuts between Hi or Llewelyn and the dog makes it seem like the dog is about to hit the person. In both movies, the dogs jump in the air and towards the characters, but fails to within a few inches. This is typical of Coen Brother's "playing with audiences expectation." They would often create tension and act like something is about to happen through editing and timing, but destroy the audience's expectations by altering the actual plot. ||
 * [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.31.01 PM.jpg width="474" height="263"]] ||  || [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.42.56 PM.jpg width="752" height="271"]] ||
 * [[image:Screen shot 2013-04-22 at 8.29.46 PM.jpg width="474" height="271"]] ||  ||   ||