O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001)

Taglines: They have a plan, but not a clue.

Loosely based on Homer’s “Odyssey,” O Brother, Where Art Thou? deals with the picaresque adventures of Ulysses Everett McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete in 1930s Mississipi. Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everett’s home to recover the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange characters–among them sirens, a cyclops, bank robber George “Baby Face” Nelson (very annoyed by that nickname), a campaigning governor and his opponent, a KKK lynch mob, and a blind prophet who warns the trio that “the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find.”

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000 adventure film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, with John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning in supporting roles.

Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film’s story is a modern satire loosely based on Homer’s epic poem, Odyssey. The title of the film is a reference to the 1941 film Sullivan’s Travels, in which the protagonist (a director) wants to film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a fictional book about the Great Depression.

The film was selected into the main competition of the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. The film also received two Academy Award nominations at the 73rd Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Cinematographer Roger Deakins was recognized with both Academy Award and ASC Outstanding Achievement Award nominations for his work on the film.

For his portrayal of Ulysses Everett McGill, George Clooney received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Movie Poster (2001)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001)

Directed by: Joel Coen
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Charles Durning, Michael Badalucco, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Daniel von Bargen, Ray McKinnon
Screenplay by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Production Design by: Dennis Gassner
Cinematography by: Roger Deakins
Film Editing by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Tricia Cooke
Costume Design by: Mary Zophres
Set Decoration by: Nancy Haigh
Art Direction by: Richard L. Johnson
Music by: T Bone Burnett
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence and language.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: February 2, 2001

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