July 13 - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Today’s movie with a scene that happens on July 13 is a drama. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.  

O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?           

Ulysses Everett McGill, Delmar O'Donnell and Pete Hogwallop escape from prison in order to retrieve the million dollar proceeds of an armored car robbery that Everett says he hid in an area that is soon to be flooded for hydroelectric development. The get a ride on a railroad handcart with a blind African-American who predicts that they will find a fortune, just not they one they’re looking for and will see “a cow on the roof of a cotton house”. Pete’s cousin Wash cuts off their chains, but secretly informs Sheriff Cooley because he needs the reward. The Sheriff tries to burn the barn they’re sleeping in, but Wash’s son helps them escape. Pete and Delmar are baptized during a revival service. They meet a young African-American guitar player, Tommy who says he sold his soul to the devil (who looks just like Sheriff Cooley) in return for the ability to play. The four go to a local radio station and as ‘The Soggy Bottom Boys’ record a song “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow”.  Tommy leaves and they meet “Baby Face” Nelson and help him rob a bank, before parting ways. On July 13, 1937 [37:37 to 40:47] a record producer is looking for the Soggy Bottom Boys so he can sign them to a recording contract, since their song has become a big hit. They encounter three women who drug them and when they awake Pete is gone. Everett and Delmar meet a one-eyed Bible salesman named ‘Big Dan’ Teague, but he mugs them and steals their car. Pete is tortured by the sheriff for info on Everett and Delmar’s current location. During the course of the film we see scenes involving the governor’s race between the incumbent  Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel and Homer Stokes, who paints himself as the reform candidate. At a Stokes campaign rally Everet sees his young daughters singing and meets his ex-wife, Penny who has told them he is dead. He meets her ‘bona fide’ new suitor who bests Everett in a fistfight. Everett and Delmar help bust Pete out of jail. He tells them he had to tell about the treasure. Everett says there is no treasure. He escaped to prevent his ex-wife’s wedding.  The trio chance upon a KKK rally, where Tommy is about to be strung up. The trio take the place of the color guard in order to free him, but ‘Big Dan’ Teague recognizes them and exposes them to the leader, who turns out to be Stokes. However, the trio escape with Tommy. Disguised as ‘The Soggy Bottom Boys’ the trio sneak into a Stokes campaign rally that Penny is attending. Stokes recognizes them as the ones who busted up the rally and denounces them, but the crowd runs him out of town. The Governor scores points with the crowd by pardoning the trio. Penny agrees to marry Everett again if he gets their original wedding band from their house. The trio travel to the house which is in the valley that is to be flooded. Sheriff Cooley arrests them and starts to hang them, but the floodwaters arrive and save them. While floating they see a “cow on the roof of a cotton house” and Everett finds a wedding band. However Penny says it is not the correct ring, and the movie ends with Everett protesting the  futility of trying to find the ring at the lake bottom.

       

A very funny and surreal kind of movie. It is said to be based on “The Odyssey” by Homer. The storyline of a wanderer trying to return to his wife with adventures along the way is similar. The dialogue is funny, the characters interesting and the music is good.

Date given in film at 40:34 on newspaper

Producer - Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Director - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Screenplay - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Awards – The movie was nominated for the Best Cinematography and Best Adapted

                 Screenplay Oscars at the 73^rd Academy Awards.

Runtime – 1 hour 48 minutes

Released – December 12 , 2000

Starring –

George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill

Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar O'Donnell

John Turturro as Pete Hogwallop

Chris Thomas King as Tommy Johnson

John Goodman as Daniel "Big Dan" Teague

Holly Hunter as Penny McGill (''née'' Wharvey)

Charles Durning as Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel

Daniel von Bargen as Sheriff Cooley

Wayne Duvall as Homer Stokes

Ray McKinnon as Vernon T. Waldrip

Michael Badalucco as Baby Face Nelson

Stephen Root as Mr. Lund

Lee Weaver as the Blind Seer

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.