Page 1 - movie poster,
Text unter Poster: polygram filmed entertainment presents in association with working title
films « FARGO » Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell,
Peter Stormare. Music by Carter Burvell. Production designer Rick Henrichs. Director of
fotography Roger A. Deakins, A.S.C. Line producer John Cameron. Executive Producers Tim
Bevan, Eric Fellner. Produced by Ethan Coen. Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.
Directed by Joel Coen. Original Screenplay published by Faber & Faber.
Weiterführende links:
 Plot
 Class
 Coen Brothers
 Cast
 links
Link Plot:
Fargo – small town, big crime, ice cold
Plot-summary
The fact based story starts off in Fargo, North Dakota, where Minneapolis car salesman Jerry
Lundegaard (William H. Macy) hires two low lifes (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) to
kidnap his wife. Jerry’s plan is to extort money from his rich father-in-law by splitting the
ransom with the kidnappers. Ambitious Jerry wants to climb the social ladder by financing a
profitable business-deal with the money. Bloodcurdling complications arise when the deviant
pair, sharp tongued Carl (Buscemi) and taciturn Gaear (Stormare), kidnap Jerry’s wife
(Kristin Rudrüd) and murder a highway patrolman and two passersby on the way to their
hideaway.
When Jerry asks his despotic father-in-law Wade Gustafson (Harve Presnell), who loves his
daughter and grandson, but despises Jerry, for the ransom, stingy Wade wants to beat down
the ransom and do the handing over himself. As a result of Wade’s stubbornness he gets killed
and Jerry doesn’t get anything. In the meantime psychopathic Gaear kills the hostage and
finally even his accomplice Carl after a pointless quarrel about a car.
It’s up to pregnant Police Chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) to solve the
homicides and the situation that connects them. When relentless Marge arrives on the first
murder scene, it only takes her a matter of minutes to figure out what went on. Finally she
solves the riddle, captures Gaear and turns out to be the heroine of the story. Keeping the gory
action in mind, the film ends with an unconventional happy ending. The last scene shows
Marge and her husband, who have retreated to their peaceful home, where they await the birth
of their baby.
Link Class:
Class in Fargo
The Coen brothers use the characters in Fargo to portray the different strata of American
society:
 conventional categories of class (unterlink 1)
 class portrayed as differences between characters (unterlink 2)
 gender roles (unterlink 3)
Unterlink 1:
Conventional categories of class
Jerry:





car salesman - middle class
ambitious - wants to impress his father in law
in desperate need of money for his „big deal“
tries to achieve his aim by committing a crime
too stupid – everything goes wrong
Jerry‘s father in law (Wade):
 self made man - filthily rich - upper middle class
 cares for his daughter and his grandson - despises Jerry
 to stingy to pay the whole fake ransom
 dies because of his greed
Gangsters (Carl and Gaear)
 jailbirds, outcasts
 violent psychopaths
 uneducated, very rude language, slang
 do anything for money
Hookers
 lower class – outcasts
 uneducated – language
Marge Gunderson:
 pregnant police chief - middle class
 very professional
 very clever
 heroine - solves the puzzle
Unterlink 2:
Class portrayed as differences between characters
In Fargo the Coen brother present the subdivisions within a vast middle class by emphasising
the differences between central characters.
An obvious example for this is the contrast between ambitious lower middle class Jerry and
his successful, prosperous, upper middle class father-in-law Wade. A crucial point is the
scene in Wade’s office when Jerry wants to borrow money from Wade for his big deal. Wade
makes clear that he is superior to Jerry by offering him a small finder’s fee instead of
borrowing him the whole sum. One big difference between Wade and Jerry can be seen in the
fact that Jerry does not even have a lawyer by his side while Wade is always accompanied by
his company lawyer. The outcome, Jerry’s idea is exploited by Wade without any benefit for
Jerry, underlines the tensions and class difference between the two.
Class differences between the characters are not only shown within the same class, as shown
above, but, of course, also between members of different classes. The example is the
relationship between Jerry and the gangsters. While naïve petite bourgois Jerry thinks that he
can deal with the gangsters, Carl and Gaear, in the same way he deals with his customers, the
gangsters put up rules of their own. Although Jerry thinks he is in control the gangsters make
clear that criminals do not play fair. Another important difference between Jerry and the
gangsters is that although both Jerry and the gangsters want to make money, the violent
behaviour of Carl and Gaear clearly distinguishes them from Jerry and puts them in an outcast
position.
Unterlink 3:
Gender roles
An important aspect of class in Fargo is the way in which gender roles are depicted. A clear
contrast can be found between Jane Lundegaard, Jerry’s wife, and Marge Gunderson, the
Police Chief. Jane is the typical housewife. She does the housework, takes care of their
teenage son and stays at home all day. She relies on Jerry’s income and her father’s support.
On the other hand, Marge stands for a very different type of woman in this rural context.
Although she is seven months pregnant she does her duty as a Police Chief. When she has to
get up very early in the morning in order to investigate the murders, her husband Norm (John
Carroll) prepares breakfast for her and sees her out. Similarly Norm brings her lunch to the
police office. In the relationship between Marge and her husband Marge seems to hold the
same rights as Norm. In brief, Marge is a courageous, clever and self-confident woman who
finally solves the case and turns out to be the heroine of the complex plot.
Link 3:
Coen Brothers
Joel Coen
screenwriter, director
born: 29. 11. 1954
birthplace St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Ethan Coen
Screenwriter, producer
Born: 21. 9. 1957
Birthplace: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Joel and Ethan Coen are America’s most successful and critically praised independent
filmmakers. Their highly idiosyncratic, stylish and exhilarating body of work, the latest
addition to which is The Man Who Wasn’t There, has won critics and public alike. With two
Oscars for their film, Fargo, the Academy and the studios are both garnishing them with
respectability. No longer are they restricted to the eclectic few who attend Cannes (where
Barton Fink gained Joel the best director award).
Link 4
Cast:
William H. Macy
- Jerry Lundegaard
Steve Buscemi
.... Carl Showalter
Peter Stormare
.... Gaear Grimsrud
Frances McDormand .... Marge Gunderson
Kristin Rudrüd
.... Jean Lundegaard
Harve Presnell
.... Wade Gustafson
Tony Denman
.... Scotty Lundegaard
Gary Houston
.... Irate Customer
Sally Wingert
.... Irate Customer's Wife
Kurt Schweickhardt .... Car Salesman
Larissa Kokernot
.... Hooker #1
Melissa Peterman
.... Hooker #2
John Carroll
…. Norm Gunderson
Link 5:
Links
Internet Movie Database: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0116282
Brainerd Homepage: www.brainerddispatch.com/fargo.html
Coen Brothers Homepage: http://www.d.umn.edu/~bjohns33/