The film “O Brother, Where Art Thou”, directed by Joel Coen and written by Ethan Coen, was based on the epic poem “The Odyssey”. Many similarities to the poem are found throughout the film, such as the name of the governor in “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” and the king in “The Odyssey” is the same, Menalaius. Also, you will notice similar scenes, for example the scene where the convicts in the film meet three tempting ladies washing clothes in the river, singing and luring the men to a trap similar to the one set by the sirens in “The Odyssey”. However, the main similarities are found within the role of the main character in both stories; both were taken from their wives and both undertake an incredible journey to get back to her. Both main characters in “The Odyssey” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou” were required to be disguised to keep from being discovered, and both had to deal with suitors pursuing their wives, causing even more problems for the characters. The Coen brothers used an interesting approach to this film by setting it in the 1930’s whereas the poem dates back to approximately the 8th century BC.
- Walsh, D. (n.d.). Whither the Coen Brothers?. World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/feb2001/obro-f10.shtml
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - IMDb. (n.d.). The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/
Fagles, R. (1997). The Odyssey. New York: Penguin Books.
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of any of this. You have done a great job researching the origin of this film and citing your references once completed. I don't know how they would have played this movie out to what it is today if they would have used the 8th BC. as the timeframe for the plot.