Notes on O Brother, Where Art Thou?
(2000)
Directed by: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
About the film

Considered an _________________________ film

Set in rural _________________________ in 1937 during the
_______________________________________.

__________ is in reference to the 1941 film ______________________________, in
which the protagonist wants to film a story (called “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) that
would capture the _________________________________ and the “problems that
confront the average man.”

Considered a ________________________ of Homer’s epic poem, the
__________________. The film _________________ from the __________ of the
Odyssey to move the story forward, and the Coen Brothers use _________________,
_______________, and ridicule to ____________________ the deep South in the 1930s.

Both the Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou depict a protagonist’s
__________________________________, during which he faces trickery and obstacles
in the form of a __________________, sirens, and more.

O Brother Where Art Thou is considered a hit both critically and commercially due to its
cinematography, _______________ humor, and unique _________________________.
Music and color

________________________ music dominates the film. We hear Virginia Bluegrass,
traditional African American Gospel, and even ________________________.

The music is supposed to be a major component of the film. It can almost be seen as a
______________________, and should not be considered merely “background music.”

The music _______________________ that the movie is about the things in life which
bring people real laughter, joy, and _____________.

The movie was _________________________________ to extensively use
____________________________________________. This creates a sepia-tinted,
autumnal appearance. The Coen Brothers wanted the scenes to look like “old, handtinted ____________________,” and they achieved this effect.
About the Coen Brothers

The Coen Brothers have written, ___________________, and directed more than 15
films together and are often said to be “__________________________.” They have
covered comedy, crime, Westerns, horror, neo-noir, romance, and more.

Their other films include Raising Arizona, Fargo, ________________________, No
Country for Old Men, True Grit, and Hail, Caesar!

The brothers grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. As kids, they saved up the money
they made mowing lawns to buy a small camera and began
__________________________________________________________________.

Joel attended New York University and studied __________, while Ethan studied
________________________ at Princeton.

__________________________, the first commercial film they wrote and directed
together, was released in 1984.

Although O Brother Where Art Thou draws influence from the Odyssey and Ethan Coen
described the ___________ as one of his “favorite _________________________
______________,” neither Ethan nor Joel had actually __________ the Odyssey when
they began filming.
Things to consider

Many critics and fans comment on the Coen brothers’ use of _______________ and
______________. They assert that a “flavor of language” can give a person a specific
_______________________________ placement. How does the ___________________
of dialect in O Brother shape our understanding of the characters’ identities?

Although some ____________________ the Coen brothers for creating characters that
“mock” different minorities, others disagree, pointing out that everybody gets
exaggerated in a Coen film--even the ________, even the_________________. What do
you think? How might this “mockery” relate to the satire and ______________________
commentary in O Brother?

Keep in mind that this film is supposed to be a little __________________. How can we
still find hope and ______________ in sometimes painfully ________________, overthe-top characters?

Remember: the _____________ is a __________________________! How does it serve
as a constant, participatory ________________ in the story?