O Family, Where Art Thou? is a classic Coen sisters movie that was released in 2000 and snappily gained cult status. Written,
produced,co-edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the movie stars George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, with Chris Thomas King, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning in supporting places. This blog post will explore the timber of O Family, Where Art Thou?, from its generality to its release. The Making of O Family, Where Art Thou?
Table of Contents
The Idea
The Coen sisters used their hand dark comedy to draw on the same themes that Homer had included in his work, similar as fidelity, immolation, and courage. Through this approach, the sisters were suitable to produce a fresh take on an old classic while staying true to the original narrative structure. The Coens were also told by flicks like Sullivan’s peregrination( 1941) and It happed One Night( 1934). These flicks helped inform the uproarious rudiments in O Family, Where Art Thou? and produce an overall unconcerned atmosphere.
The combination of these rudiments combined with the setting of the deep south gave the Coen sisters a unique occasion to explore different motifs within the film. As similar, they could use the film to explore themes of religion, race, class, politics, and more.
Eventually, this admixture of ideas made O Family, Where Art Thou? one of the most cherished flicks of all time. Casting
When it came time to cast for O Family, Where Art Thou?, Joel and Ethan Coen knew exactly who they wanted. George Clooney was the perfect choice to play the supereminent part of Ulysses Everett McGill due to his uproarious bents and charm. To complete the main cast, the Coens chose John Turturro to play Pete, Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar, and Chris Thomas King as Tommy Johnson.
The supporting cast included some of the biggest names in Hollywood, similar as John Goodman as Big Dan Teague, Holly Hunter as Penny Wharvey McGill, Charles Durning as PappyO’Daniel, and Michael Badalucco as George Nelson. The Coens also decided to incorporate a variety of bluegrass music stars into the cast, including Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, and others.
Filming
The Coen Sisters began rephotographing O Family, Where Art Thou? in Mississippi in the summer of 1999. The product platoon had to work hard to recreate the look and sense of the 1930s, taking great pains to make sure that everything was as period accurate as
possible. locales included pastoral areas outside of Jackson, Mississippi and indeed corridor of Florence, Alabama.
The cast and crew spent important of their time on position firing in sweltering heat and moisture. George Clooney remarked that, “ it was like shooting a movie in a sauna ”. still, despite the grueling conditions, the Coens managed to capture a stunning sense of literalism and atmosphere for the film.
The movie features a number of memorable scenes, including an extended chase through a cotton field and a investment sequence in a swash. The chase scene was mugged in a cotton field near Florence and the investment scene was shot in the Hatchie River near Grand Junction, Tennessee.
The Coens also took advantage of some of the original color and air when shooting in certain locales. For case, one of the closing scenes was mugged in a real juke joint where guests can be seen dancing along to traditional blues music.
Despite some of the challenges faced during filming, O Family, Where Art Thou? is considered by numerous critics to be a masterful cinematic accomplishment. The movie went on to come one of the Coen Sisters ’ most successful flicks, earning both critical praise and marketable success.
Editing
The editing process for O Family, Where Art Thou? was handled by the film’sco-director andco-producer, Joel Coen. The Coens have always been known for their unique editing style, and this film was no exception. The editing process was fairly lengthy, and involved the selection of individual shots from the numerous takes that were mugged. The
editing platoon had to decide which moments were the most dramatic and effective in conveying the story to the followership. The Coens also worked to produce an overall meter for the film that would keep observers engaged throughout.
The editing platoon also had to make sure the transitions between scenes were smooth and worked to set up the coming scene as stylish as possible. In addition, the Coens used specific shots to make sure certain illustrations were present throughout the entire film, similar as the recreating motif of a single white dove soaring across a blue sky.
Overall, the Coens’ unique style of editing was crucial to creating the final product of O Family, Where Art Thou?, making it one of the most popular slapsticks of all time.
event
O Family, Where Art Thou? was released to critical and marketable sun. The film was a box office success, grossing$ 45 million in the US and another$ 37 million internationally. It also entered considerable praise from critics, earning a 78 standing on Rotten Tomatoes grounded on 163 reviews.
The film’s soundtrack, conforming substantially of bluegrass, philosophy, blues, and traditional country music, also came an unanticipated success, dealing 8 million clones in the United States and getting the best- dealing soundtrack of all time.
At the 73rd Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Stylish Acclimated script, Stylish Cinematography, and Stylish CostumeDesign. It won for Stylish Acclimated script and was named for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being” culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
