O Brother, Where Art Thou is an American film written by the Ethan and Joel Coen as a tribute to the Odyssey by Homer. While largely based on the work of Homer the Coen brothers took liberties to fit American audience with American values. In short, the Coen brothers created an American Odyssey filled with the highlights of the core values to American Culture, while paying tribute to the original source by rewriting some of the core obstacles from the Odyssey so, they would fit into the story of
Great pieces of artwork sometimes reflect ideologies of other works in a unique manner. For this reason, this paper looks at the similarities that are apparent in the Coen brothers’ film, O Brother Where Art Thou? and the epic Greek poem, The Odyssey, by Homer. In particular, special reference is given to the protagonists Ulysses in the movie and Odysseus in the poem. Without doubt, one is forced to associate the concept of the movie made in 2000 to that of the great epic poem, which is a work written
The Odyssey and “O Brother Where Art Thou” In The Odyssey, Odysseus the main character leaves his family to go on a quest. Getting back home was the hardest part of Odysseus's journey. It had taken a decade trying to return home. Along the way, he had to overcome hardships and battle various creatures. While Odysseus was away from home for a decade his wife Penelope had to overcome some hardships of her own including resisting suitors who were attempting to take Odysseus’s place. Also, Odysseus’s
April 12, 2008 Film Analysis “O Brother Where Art Thou” This old time musical theatrical movie clip was an insightful blast from the past that made you cherish those days where it was inconceivable to not be a gentlemen, and it was a down right shame to be anything less then an honest women. This old time movie with a new age attitude definitely strikes the funny bone of any modern day movie watcher. “The opening titles inform us that the Coen Brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou" is based on Homer's
There are 26,407 high schools in the US and of that about 1.8 million freshman read the Odyssey each year. O Brother Where Art Thou is a movie based on the Odyssey that has generated 71 million dollars and has been nominated for 2 oscars. There are many similarities and differences between Homer’s “Odyssey” and the Coen brothers movie “O Brother Where Art Thou”. These similarities and differences can be found in the Cyclopes, Sirens and Teiresias. There are three similarities between the Cyclops
O Brother Where Art Thou is most definitely similar to The Odyssey, displaying similar scenarios and characters throughout both the film and the book. While it is not identical, there are many common themes found in The Odyssey that are also found in O Brother Where Art Thou, creating a cinematic experience that accurately depicts the original tale. One comparison in O Brother Where Art Thou is when Ulysses and the rest of his crew infiltrate a Klu Klux Klan rally. This is similar to when Odysseus
opportunity for another man to gain over. In order for man to remain in his head position, he will face a variety of obstacles. Both Everett in O’ Brother Where Art Thou? and Odysseus in The Odyssey faces various obstacles in their journey home in order to protect their paterfamilias and oikos, respectively. In the film, O ' Brother Where Art Thou? by the Coen Brothers, Everett’s primary mission is to protect his paterfamilias. Paterfamilias refers to the male head of a family or household. (Merriam Webster’s
-O’ Brother, Where Art Thou quote: movie was centered around flooding of the valley by TVA dam (Coen & Coen, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, 2000) -Created by the TVA Act in 1933 election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). -New Deal which was a series of programs, ‘alphabet soup,’ established during the Great Depression, restoring dignity back to the American people. (History.com Staff, 2009)-Energy, environment, jobs, economy (Our History, n.d.) It did this through power production, flood control
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a Coen brothers film that was based on Homer’s epic, “The Odyssey.” The setting of the movie was during the depression era in Mississippi. The movie’s tone, characters, story, and settings reflect how barren and poor the general populous was after the stock market crash of 1929. This movie had many themes that warrant analysis. The theme of inequality between the white and black races was prevalent throughout the movie. Inequality and unfairness within the human
Some movies have strong connections to famous books, epics, or myths. Often times, there will be many strong allusions to different epics, but there will be few weak allusions. In Joel and Ethan Coen's O’Brother Where Art Thou, The movie has strong allusion with the plot, hero qualities, and the minor characters of The Odyssey, O’brother Where Art Thou has strong allusion with the minor characters of the Odyssey. For example, in the movie, Everett and his men meet a blind traveler who tells them