::''For the Simpsons episode, see
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? .''
'' is a
Musical Comedy Film written and directed by
Joel And Ethan Coen , set in
Mississippi during the
Great Depression (specifically,
1937 ). It was released in
2000 .
The film stars
George Clooney ,
John Turturro ,
Tim Blake Nelson ,
John Goodman , and
Holly Hunter . The Coen brothers claim to have based the movie on ''
The Odyssey '' by
Homer , but admit to not having read the epic. The film's
American Roots Music Soundtrack became a surprise hit, and won a
Grammy for Album of the Year. (See ''
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (soundtrack) ''.)
The hero of the film is a dapper, smooth-talking
Con Man called Ulysses Everett McGill. Ulysses escapes from a
Chain Gang and brings along the two fellow prisoners chained to him with the promise of recovering buried
Treasure from a
Heist . In truth, he only wants to get back to his wife before she marries someone else.
The first joke of the film is a title that reads, "Based on The Odyssey by Homer." In interviews, the Coen brothers have been quick to point out that they never actually read the Odyssey, but the film patterns many of its characters and situations, very loosely, upon that ancient work.
Episodes in the film somewhat resemble ''
The Odyssey ''. Everett tends to come off much worse than his mythical counterpart Odysseus. A viewer familiar with ''The Odyssey'' may often expect the hero to triumph. Typically, this does not happen, although things turn out all right later, partly because the hero is so irrepressible, partly by sheer luck.
Among the similarities:
- "Sing to me of the man, Muse... ", the line at the beginning of the film, is the first line of the Odyssey.
- Ulysses is the Roman name of Odysseus .
- A Blind Prophet - possibly a Tiresias figure - who Foreshadows that "the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find."
- A merciless Sheriff wanting to lynch him, perhaps analogous to Poseidon in the story of ''The Odyssey'', but also alluded to as Satan throughout the film. Perhaps in relation to this, he also bears an uncanny resemblance to Boss Godfrey . All of the sheriff's paralleled characters embody an antagonist in possession of some degree of supernatural characteristics.
- John Turturro's character Pete could be a reference to Eurylokhos who like Pete, is a disgruntled member of Odysseus's crew who constantly clashes with his authority.
- A trance-like progression of worshippers seeking to be baptised. Their glassy eyed placidity draws a parallel with the Lotus-Eaters of ''The Odyssey''.
- Siren s, who lure the hero with their singing, and treat him to Corn Liquor until he passes out. The sirens also have an element of Circe by appearing to transform one of his companions into an animal.
- A Cyclops in the form of a one-eyed Bible salesman but who was really a con man, "Big Dan" Teague. Although in the original story Odysseus outwits the Cyclops, in the movie it is Teague who outwits Everett. Later, at one point it seems that he is about to be blinded by a pole (as in ''The Odyssey''), but he catches it just in time. However, moments later, he is struck by a burning cross which the heroes topple upon him, possibly a reference to the burning, red-hot stake that was used against him in the Odyssey.
- As Odysseus visits Aeolus on the floating island of Aeolia, Everett visits the radio station WEZY. He and his friends scam the blind proprietor of radio station, and record what will become their hit song. The radio is the modern form of weather (wind), and the station is the island of the wind, just as as was the printing press is the analog for the wind in the Aeolus episode in James Joyce's ''Ulysses''.
- A rival for his wife Penelope (Penny). Penelope does not believe it really is Odysseus when she first sees him after he has returned to Ithaca in the Odyssey. She tests him by asking him a question only he would know. The movie parallels this; when Ulysses returns home, he finds his wife, Penny, has gotten engaged in his absence and declared him dead. However, where Odysseus slew the other suitors, Everett challenges Penny's new fiance to a round of fisticuffs and is beaten soundly, then thrown out of the Woolworth's .
- Ulysses is driven by bad luck ultimately caused by Pride . Everett's obsession with his Dapper Dan "hair treatment," and his insistence on its use, allows the Sheriff's bloodhound to track him by the scent. In ''The Odyssey,'' Odysseus had provoked Poseidon's wrath with his Hubris when he boastfully shouted his name to the Cyclops, Poseidon's son, after injuring him, and it was Poseidon's wrath that drove Odysseus from misfortune to misfortune.
- As Odysseus was king of Ithaca , his hair Pomade may also be a reference to the Greek practice of anointing kings by pouring olive oil over their hair.
- Pappy O'Daniel's first name, Menelaus , is the name of the king of Sparta who fought alongside Odysseus.
- The scene in the theater, When Pete tries to warn Ulysses and Delmar, parallels Odysseus' descent into the underworld. Delmar, believing that Pete had died, mistakes him (and thus also the other people in the theater) for a ghost. In this scene Pete parallels Tiresias in the underworld.
- The scene of the KKK lynch mob is a reference to Odysseus as a prisoner of the Cyclops. The KKK are preparing to lynch a black man (The Cyclops preparing his dinner). Ulysses, Delmar and Pete don Klan robes as a disguise, in order to save him, as Odysseus dressed his men in sheepskins to fool the Cyclops. "Big Dan" Teague is also here among the Klansmen (another Cyclops), and almost gets blinded by a thrown flagpole '' supra ''. Their discovery by the Klansmen is pointed out by the local group leader - a position in the KKK known as the Exalted Cyclops - yet although they are discovered as imposters, they are still mistaken for other people, as when the Cyclops discovered the escape of Odysseus and his men, but still didn't know his identity.
- The challenger in the governor's race is named ''Homer'' Stokes (his first name the same as the author of the ''Odyssey'').
- In the original story Odysseus regains entrance to his household by disguising as an old man. In the film Ulysses and his gang sneak into a political rally by dressing up as a Bluegrass band with long grey beards.
- At one point George Nelson shoots at a herd of cattle. This may be a reference to a scene in the book where Odysseus and his fellow travelers slaughter the cows of the sun god Helios. As Ulysses warns his men against killing the sacred oxen of the sun for food, Delmar warns Nelson, "O George, not the livestock!" In addition to this, in the Odyssey, Ulysses' ship is struck by a thunderbolt--killing all but our hero. In O Brother, George is executed in the electric chair, and during the parade to the execution, someone yells, "Cow killer!!"
- In the movie, Ulysses floats on a raft after the area his home was in is flooded. In the original Odyssey, Odysseus sails on a raft for 17 days before it is destroyed by Poseidon.
- In the movie, Ulysses meets an old and blind prophet. In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes to the underworld to seek the advice of Tiresias, an old and blind prophet, who also tells him that his travels will not be over until he takes an oar and walks so far inland that someone asks him why he carries a winnowing-fan (the point of doing this is to bring knowledge of the sea to people who did not previously know Poseidon, thereby "making up" for his mistakes). Upon doing this, he is also to make a sacrifice to Poseidon. This is possibly mirrored in the movie by Ulysses' being given an equally seemingly impossible task -- to find one ring at the bottom of a lake.
- The name ''Odysseus'' roughly translates to "man of constant sorrow", which is the title of the "hit single" that the Soggy Bottom Boys perform.
- When we see Pappy O'Daniel discussing the upcoming campaign in the restaurant, over his shoulder you can see a bust of Homer.
Other notable episodes in the film include the trio encountering:
Apart from ''The Odyssey'', another theme of the film is the connection between
Old-timey Music and political campaigning in the southern U.S.
The character of "Pappy" O'Daniel, the ,
Governor Of Louisiana -- "
You Are My Sunshine ".
The title of the film is a reference to a plot element in a
Satirical 1941 film, directed by
Preston Sturges , called ''
Sullivan's Travels '', where the protagonist (a director) wants to direct a film on the
Great Depression called ''Brother, Where Art Thou?'' that will be "...a commentary on modern conditions, stark realism, the problems that confront the average man... with a little sex in it." Lacking any real experience as an average man, the director sets out on a journey to experience the human suffering of the average man but is constantly returned to his rich Hollywood environment. The director's experience and intent in ''
Sullivan's Travels '' are the opposite of the disadvantaged heros in ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' who wish to return home and are constantly being diverted from it.
''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' contains references to many other films including ''
The Wizard Of Oz '' and ''
Cool Hand Luke ''.
The "Everett McGill" in the name of Clooney's character may be a reference to actor
Everett McGill , an actor who appeared in the film
Quest For Fire . McGill portrayed the leader of a group of three early humans on a journey to find fire and bring it back to their tribe. The name "Ulysses Everett McGill" may refer to Clooney's character's leadership of a similarly dim-witted trio on a quest.
The Soggy Bottom Boys are the fictitious
Depression era "
Old-timey Music " trio and accompaniment from the movie ''
O Brother, Where Art Thou? ''. Their hit single is ''Man of Constant Sorrow'', which also became a surprise hit single in real life. The Soggy Bottom Boys eventually became so popular that the actual talents behind the music (who were dubbed into the movie)
Alison Krauss ,
Emmylou Harris ,
Gillian Welch and
Dan Tyminski planned and performed music from ''
O Brother, Where Art Thou? '' in a concert tour.
The voices behind the Soggy Bottom Boys themselves were
Dan Tyminski (lead on ''Man of Constant Sorrow''),
Harley Allen , and
Pat Enright , the three winning a
CMA Award for Single of the Year and a
Grammy Award for
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals , both for the song ''Man of Constant Sorrow''.
Tim Blake Nelson , playing Delmar O'Donnell in the movie (one of the Soggy Bottom Boys) sang the lead vocal himself for the song ''In the Jailhouse Now''.
In
2003 musicians
Skeewiff remixed ''Man Of Constant Sorrow''. The song was so popular in
Australia that it featured at number 96 in the
Triple J's Hottest 100 Songs Of 2003 .
