My roomie was insisting that I should the movie 'O Brother Where Art Thou'. Just like anything else, I put this task too for a later time. A few days back I happened to lay my hands on a movie 'The Big Lebowski' by the Coen Brothers. I had seen their movies 'Blood Simple', 'No Country For Old Men' and 'Barton Fink' and was beginning to sprout a likeness for their movies. TBL helped me strengthen my belief in the brothers artistic skills and I planned to watch all of Coen's work. I researched a bit on their work and finally realized that there is one movie OBWAT that is gathering gossamer in my archives. So I pulled out the disc and started this wonderful journey together with the protagonists escaping a chained gang in search of a treasure and their destiny.
This movie was inspired by Homer's Odyssey as the Brother's put it in the titles. True to it the main protagonists first name is Ulysses, then there is the oracle who predicts their destiny, the seducing washing women for the sirens of Homer, and a few more metaphors. They escape the chain gang so that Ulysses can recover some treasure that he has hidden in a valley which is about to be drowned by a dam. On their way they encounter some wonderful sights and perilous perils, a black American boy who has sold his soul to the devil to become an ace guitarist, sings a song for a few dollars (the song immediately becomes a huge hit), a group of singing washer women (reminiscent of the sirens), a rogue Bible sales man, the KKK, the incumbent governor and his adversary and so on and on...I wont divulge into the plot details so that you too are eager to see this movie without any spoilers.
But the most stunning ingredient of the movie is the innocence and the simplicity of its characters, a bunch of plain ol' southerners roaming the country side. The pack is led by Ulysses with Pete and Delmar following him to the treasure before the dam fills the valley. The picturization is immensely beautiful and the most vital ingredient of this movie is its soundtrack. Wonderful country and folk songs indulge the viewers over the entire length of this beautiful odyssey.
This is one of the few movies that have made me weep out of happiness (the other being Amelie). This wonderful journey of the three simpletons embarking upon various adventures and hazards and dangers and finally finding greater happiness at the end provides a reveling depiction of hope, togetherness and happiness. Very few movies can elicit this kind if feeling in the minds of the movie goers.
A must see for all the movie goes out there. The music is one which you must have to ease the strides in your life's way.
This movie was inspired by Homer's Odyssey as the Brother's put it in the titles. True to it the main protagonists first name is Ulysses, then there is the oracle who predicts their destiny, the seducing washing women for the sirens of Homer, and a few more metaphors. They escape the chain gang so that Ulysses can recover some treasure that he has hidden in a valley which is about to be drowned by a dam. On their way they encounter some wonderful sights and perilous perils, a black American boy who has sold his soul to the devil to become an ace guitarist, sings a song for a few dollars (the song immediately becomes a huge hit), a group of singing washer women (reminiscent of the sirens), a rogue Bible sales man, the KKK, the incumbent governor and his adversary and so on and on...I wont divulge into the plot details so that you too are eager to see this movie without any spoilers.
But the most stunning ingredient of the movie is the innocence and the simplicity of its characters, a bunch of plain ol' southerners roaming the country side. The pack is led by Ulysses with Pete and Delmar following him to the treasure before the dam fills the valley. The picturization is immensely beautiful and the most vital ingredient of this movie is its soundtrack. Wonderful country and folk songs indulge the viewers over the entire length of this beautiful odyssey.
This is one of the few movies that have made me weep out of happiness (the other being Amelie). This wonderful journey of the three simpletons embarking upon various adventures and hazards and dangers and finally finding greater happiness at the end provides a reveling depiction of hope, togetherness and happiness. Very few movies can elicit this kind if feeling in the minds of the movie goers.
A must see for all the movie goes out there. The music is one which you must have to ease the strides in your life's way.
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