O Brother Where Art Thou Blu Ray Review
Disney / Buena Vista | 2000 | 107 min | Rated PG-thirteen | Sep xiii, 2011
| Overview | Blu-ray review | Screenshots | (26) | Packaging | User reviews | (9) | Region coding | News | Forum | |
O Brother, Where Fine art One thousand?
(2000)
Homer'south ballsy poem "The Odyssey", set in the deep s during the 1930's. In it, 3 escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.
For more than about O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the O Brother, Where Art K? Blu-ray release, encounter O Brother, Where Art M? Blu-ray Review published by Michael Reuben on September 14, 2011 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.five out of v.
Directors: Joel Coen
, Ethan Coen
Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Chris Thomas King
Producers: Ethan Coen, Tim Bevan, John Cameron, Eric Fellner, Joel Coen
» Come across full cast & crew
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Blu-ray Review
"The Lawrence of Arabia of Hayseed Movies"
Reviewed by Michael Reuben, September xiv, 2011
When Joel and Ethan Coen accustomed their Oscar for adapting Cormac McCarthy's No Country for One-time Men to the screen, Ethan noted that they'd succeeded by only adapting the all-time: Cormac McCarthy and Homer. The latter referred to O Blood brother, Where Are Grand?, which prominently features a credit to the legendary Greek poet and storyteller. It'due south noteworthy, then, that amid the inspirations mentioned by both brothers in the "Making Of" featurette on the pic'southward DVD and Blu-ray -- a list that includes the Iii Stooges, Ma and Pa Kettle and Lawrence of Arabia -- Homer does not announced. The film does include obvious references to the Odyssey, but it'south besides brimming with references to musical lore, allusions to American history and politics, and trademark Coen word play (would anyone else plough the phrase "bona fide" into a running joke?). Then, of class, there are the usual Coen allusions to other movies, starting with the title, which is from Sullivan's Travels.
If Homer were still alive, he'd exist i of those authors lament that Hollywood ruined his book (while suing for royalties). But I've had my doubts nigh the Homer credit ever since I outset saw it when the film was released. It felt like 1 of those strategically placed booby traps that the Coens beloved to deploy confronting anyone tempted to go (to quote i of their titles) a serious man, studying their films like some dry academic subject. The ultimate instance was the mock commentary by "Kenneth Loring" on the DVD and Blu-ray of Blood Simple, but in that location are many others, including the elaborate (and false) assertion that Fargo is based on a true story. (It was equally if they were daring scholars to research it.)
Allow's forget the source fabric. O Brother is a comic road movie, one of the all-time ever made. It may be stuffed with references both obscure and obvious, because, well, that'south what Joel and Ethan Coen do. But if you lot never get fifty-fifty one allusion, the film is still hilarious. Like every Coen Bros. film, information technology creates its own niggling world with its own bizarre internal logic, and information technology'due south a not bad identify to spend a few hours.
The picture recounts the picaresque adventures of three escapees from a chain gang in Mississippi of the 1930s: Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), Delmar O'Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro). Everett is the self-apppointed leader -- though Pete routinely challenges him for the position -- because the escape was his thought. He claims to accept cached a "treasure" from the armored machine robbery that sent him to prison, and the clock is ticking, considering the Tennessee Valley Authorization is nearly to dam up a river and flood the locale where the treasure is buried. If they don't attain it in iv days, the treasure will be at the bottom of a newly formed lake.
Hot on their trail is an implacable constable, Sheriff Cooley (Daniel von Bargen), who wears mirrored sunglasses even at night and is always accompanied by a bloodhound that shows more than expression than he does. The sheriff is fond of setting things on burn, and in a moving picture rife with Christian rhetoric and imagery (some satirical, some sincere and some both), there are potent suggestions that Cooley is either the devil or, at the very to the lowest degree, an earthly metaphor for the fallen angel. (And that'south something else you lot won't find in Homer.) On a more than practical level, the three escapees are constantly at take chances from people they run into who attempt to betray them to Cooley for a reward. Even family unit members can't be trusted, because times are hard and people are desparate for any source of income.
The Depression-era Southward through which Sheriff Cooley pursues Everett, Delmar and Pete is neither realistic nor historically accurate. It's a place of legends, myths, whoppers and tall tales, and much of the moving-picture show'southward pleasure comes from hearing the stories told past the parade of eccentrics with whom the convicts cross paths. One of the first persons they meet is an elderly black man (Lee Weaver) on a manually powered rails car. He gives them a ride and tells their futures, including that they won't find the "fortune" they're seeking (which should be a tipoff right there). The man happens to be blind, which has led many commentators to identify him with Tiresias, the blind seer described by Homer. But in the Odyssey, Ulysses had to undertake a perilous journey to the underworld to consult Tiresias, whereas the blind homo in O Brother wheels correct up out of nowhere to the iii fugitives, every bit if he'd been sent to evangelize a message. Is he Tiresias, or just one of those figures possessed of "the gift" that recur throughout Southern sociology and have been used past writers as various as Mark Twain and August Wilson? Does it actually affair?
Throughout O Brother the suggestion recurs that the real "treasure" for which the iii men are searching is their own salvation. Information technology'due south there in the about ghostly scene where Delmar and Pete are baptized and saved, renouncing evil and confessing their past sins. Everett, the sceptic and man of reason, resists, merely belatedly in the film when his circumstances are dire, he falls to his knees and begs God for help -- and, depending on 1'due south interpretation, God answers. The notion of O Brother as a quest for salvation gets a boost when the fugitives pick upward a young guitarist named Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) at a deserted crossroad. He says he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for musical power, thereby repeating a famous American legend, and his description of the devil is the very paradigm of Sheriff Cooley. (Afterward, when the travelers are seduced by siren-like women washing apparel in the river, information technology'south so that they tin can be turned over to the sheriff for the reward -- animalism leading to damnation.)
Accompanied by their new traveling companion, Everett, Delmar and Pete cutting a recording at a local radio station under the name The Soggy Lesser Boys, because the station owner (Stephen Root) will pay cash for a performance he likes. The vocal they record is "A Man of Constant Sorrow", a Chore-like title if always there was one. Little do they know that, when the station owner -- who, like the fortune teller they encountered earlier, is blind (incomprehension over again!) -- buys their work, it will eventually modify their lives.
As their travels progress, the three fugitives go on narrowly missing the embattled Governor Pappy O'Daniel (Charles Durning), who is criss-crossing the land, because he's trailing in his reelection bid against a reform candidate, Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall). Stokes's campaign rhetoric and iconography make masterful apply of a new broom to sweep clean and a piddling person (Ed Gale) symbolizing the Little Human that Stokes volition fight for. The election acquires a personal dimension for Everett when he discovers that the wife, Penny (Holly Hunter), who divorced him when he went to prison, is about to ally Stokes's entrada manager, Vernon T. Waldrip (Ray McKinnon). According to Penny, Waldrip is "bona fide", which Everett is not. To make matters worse, she's told their daughters that Everett is dead.
The resolution to all this involves . . . well, what doesn't it involve? A political rally, a country music concert, a flood, a wedding ceremony band, a Klan gathering that looks a lot similar a Broadway production number -- and I haven't even mentioned the famous bank robber named George "Don't Call Him 'Infant Face'" Nelson (Michael Badalucco) or the loquacious Bible salesman with an center patch called Large Dan Teague (John Goodman). And let's not forget the Dapper Dan pilus pomade. Everett is useless without it.
It'south a world unto itself.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Blu-ray, Video Quality
Aside from its intrinsic merits, O Brother, Where Art Chiliad? is notable for beingness the first American moving-picture show to be finished entirely on a digital intermediate. The Coens and their cinematographer, Roger Deakins, felt that digital tools had progressed sufficiently to exercise the job, and Kodak was edifice the kickoff DI suite at its Cinesite facility. In improver, Deakins had concluded that photochemical processing would not provide him sufficient control to achieve the "dustbowl" look the Coens wanted, especially since their shooting schedule called for chief photography during the summer, when the outdoor locations would be lushly green.
In Apr 2010, Deakins noted on his website that "I recently supervised a new transfer of 'O Blood brother Where Art Thou', which looks far superior to the original release to my middle." Deakins provided no further information, merely the transfer to which he referred is presumably the version on this Blu-ray, which is 1080p and encoded with the VC-1 codec.
The Blu-ray image is gorgeously detailed with excellent black levels and precise contrasts that bring out infinitesimal picture elements without blowing out the whites. Consistent with the intended storybook, one-time-postcard look (as signaled by, among other things, the opening fade-in from, and closing fade-out to, black and white), the image is soft, simply softness is not automatically a flaw in a picture show image. It can comfortably coexist with finely resolved detail, and that is the case here. I viewed the epitome on a 72" screen from about ten anxiety abroad, and at that place was no mistaking the quality of the image.
The colour pallette is generally desaturated, except for very specific effects, such as yellow-orange flames or the red of the KKK Grand Wizard's uniform. The specific tints in individual scenes -- bister hither, brown there -- have already acquired controversy, either because they don't match up with what some viewers say they recall from the theater or because they vary from the DVD. Even if we leave bated the likelihood that the movie'due south cinematographer supervised this transfer, using digital tools substantially advanced from those bachelor to him during the film's production, and found it "superior to the original release to my eye", I don't consider either of these comparisons valid. Memory is notoriously unreliable (my ain included), and it's been over 10 years since the motion picture was in theaters. As for the DVD, I volition never understand the want of some viewers to pinion Blu-ray to an earlier format with a fraction of Blu-ray'south resolution and a much shallower color space. If a low-resolution, limited-pallette format is going to set the outer boundaries of how one judges a film's reproduction on video, then why bother with Blu-ray at all? Watch your DVDs, save money and be content.
But in the rarest of instances will whatever of us accept admission to an authoritative source -- an answer print, original digital files, or peradventure an exhibition print struck from an interpositive -- against which a Blu-ray can be evaluated. Defective such an objective basis for comparison, outcries based on memory, intuition, DVDs produced with outdated engineering science, rumors or general hostility toward studios are not a relevant basis for evaluating a Blu-ray. One should sentry the disc and evaluate the quality of the image presented, noting such viewable things as blackness levels, colour saturation, grain patterns, compression artifacts (if whatever), print impairment (if whatever), etc. The Blu-ray image of O Brother has cypher in the "con" cavalcade and everything in the "pro" column. Highest marks.
O Brother, Where Art Thousand? Blu-ray, Audio Quality
The audio quality of O Brother, Where Art Thou? is particularly crucial, considering the soundtrack was even more successful than the motion-picture show, winning multiple awards, selling millions of copies and inspiring concert tours and follow-up albums. Fortunately, the DTS lossless v.1 track delivers everything that a fan could promise for, carrying the songs with presence, strength and musicality, whether they are accompanying the action or being performed past the characters. "A Man of Abiding Sorrow", which is heard twice in the film, has never sounded better. As for the non-musical elements of the track, the Coens have always been precise and imaginative in their utilize of sound, but they are sparing in the placement of elements in the surrounds. They prefer to keep the viewer's attention facing forrard. There are moments when the soundfield expands to envelop the viewer (an example would be the revivalist meeting, sometimes referred to as "The Lotus Eaters", where a large group in white robes pass Everett, Delmar and Pete in the forest on their way to a mass baptism), simply such effects are brief and rarely used.
The dialogue remains clear, even though it's frequently delivered in thick, overdone accents that are the Mississippi equivalent of the extreme Minnesota accents in Fargo.
O Blood brother, Where Fine art Thou? Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras
- The Making of O Brother, Where Art One thousand? (SD; one.33:1; 8:39): This is essentially an EPK containing interviews with Joel and Ethan Coen, Roger Deakins and the principal cast members. It'due south informative but too brief.
- Storyboard to Scene Comparisons (SD; 1.33:1): 2 sequences are covered: The Overflowing (6:53), and The Klan (vi:19). For each, the viewer can alternating between a sequence from the film and the relevant storyboards, or identify the two next to each other.
- Music Video: "I Am a Human being of Constant Sorrow" (SD; 2.35:1, not-enhanced; 3:28): The video is composed entirely of scenes from the moving picture.
- Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2.35:1, not-enhanced; 2:32): As with most Coen films, the trailer barely scratches the surface of the motion-picture show's oddness.
- Boosted Trailers: At startup the disc plays trailers in hi-def for Real Steel (ii.35:1) and ABC Television receiver on video (ane.78:1). These can be skipped with the "top menu" push and are not otherwise available one time the disc loads.
O Brother, Where Fine art G? Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation
The only real criticism of this disc is the lack of meaningful extras. The presentation of the film itself is above reproach. I have enjoyed almost every film the Coens take made, which makes me an easy sell, but O Brother, Where Fine art Thousand? is notable for its entreatment even to viewers who aren't normally Coen fans. Highly recommended.
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | Sweet and Lowdown | | |
Prove more titles »« Show less titles
Similar titles suggested by members
| | | | | | | | |
O Brother, Where Art M? Blu-ray, News and Updates
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? Blu-ray
- June 17, 2011
Disney will bring the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Fine art Thou? to Blu-ray. Fix during Great Depression, this musical reworking of Homer'southward The Odyssey stars George Clooney (Syriana), John Turturro (Rounders), and Tim Blake Nelson (The Incredible Hulk) as iii ...
Get Daily Blu-ray Deals |
| Evidence new deals » |
Trending Blu-ray Movies
| one. | Spider-Man: No Way Home 4K |
| two. | Spider-Human being: No Way Home 4K |
| iii. | RoboCop 4K |
| 4. | Spider-Man: No Way Home |
| 5. | Spider-Man: No Manner Home 4K |
| 6. | Spider-Human: No Style Home 4K |
| seven. | RoboCop 4K |
| 8. | The Batman 4K |
| 9. | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 4K |
| x. | Chucky: Season One |
| 11. | The Batman 4K |
| 12. | C'monday C'monday |
| 13. | Men in Black 4K |
| 14. | Scream 4K |
| xv. | Scream 4K |
Trending in Theaters
| i. | Expiry on the Nile |
| 2. | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
| three. | The Batman |
| 4. | Everything Everywhere All at In one case |
| 5. | Ambulance |
| 6. | Morbius |
| seven. | X |
| 8. | Turning Cerise |
| 9. | The Lost City |
| 10. | Moonfall |
| 11. | The Contractor |
| 12. | The Adam Project |
| 13. | Dog |
| 14. | All the Sometime Knives |
| 15. | The Outfit |
| 16. | The Worst Person in the Globe |
| 17. | Last Looks |
| 18. | Jackass Forever |
| 19. | The Requin |
| 20. | Marry Me |
| 21. | Infinite Storm |
| 22. | Amanuensis Game |
| 23. | RRR |
| 24. | Blacklight |
| 25. | Gold |
| 26. | The Long Night |
| 27. | The Cursed |
| 28. | Uncharted |
| 29. | WarHunt |
| 30. | Studio 666 |
| 31. | Ted 1000 |
| 32. | Aline |
| 33. | Gagarine |
| 34. | Chief |
| 35. | Barbarians |
| 36. | After Yang |
| 37. | Panama |
| 38. | Umma |
| one. | Spider-Homo: No Mode Home |
| 2. | Spider-Man: No Way Home 4K |
| 3. | The Batman 4K |
| four. | Harry Potter: 8-Flick Drove 4K |
| 5. | The Batman |
| vi. | Sing two |
| 7. | Spider-Man: Homecoming / Far From H... |
| 8. | Jackass Forever |
| ix. | Venom: Let There Be Carnage |
| 10. | Uncharted |
| » Come across more meridian sellers | |
| ane. | The Batman 4K |
| two. | The Batman |
| 3. | Jackass Forever |
| 4. | Uncharted |
| v. | Moonfall 4K |
| 6. | Uncharted 4K |
| vii. | Sonic the Hedgehog two 4K |
| 8. | 10 |
| 9. | Heavy Metal 4K |
| 10. | The Lost Metropolis |
| » Come across more pre-orders | |
| 1. | Venom: Allow There Be Carnage $18.48, Relieve 53% |
| ii. | Ghostbusters: Afterlife $19.34, Relieve l% |
| 3. | Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind 4K $13.33, Save 57% |
| 4. | Spider-Human: Far from Home $ix.45, Save 64% |
| 5. | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gri... $ix.99, Relieve 47% |
| half dozen. | Harry Potter: Consummate 8-Film Colle... $42.99, Save 57% |
| seven. | Moonfall $19.96, Relieve 50% |
| 8. | Spider-Homo: Into the Spider-Verse $9.99, Save 62% |
| 9. | Spider-Homo: Far From Home 4K $14.99, Save 52% |
| ten. | Spider-Man: Homecoming $9.99, Save 50% |
| » See more deals | |
Source: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/O-Brother-Where-Art-Thou-Blu-ray/20917/
0 Response to "O Brother Where Art Thou Blu Ray Review"
Post a Comment