|
 Late
December / early January brought with it one of the most eagerly
anticipated events affecting the bluegrass and old-time country
music world in quite some time, the general release of the
new Coen brothers movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The "buzz" about this movie among the insiders
in the bluegrass scene has been going on for some time now,
and getting stronger and more widespread as the release date
approached. What the fuss is all about is this: not since
"Bonnie & Clyde" or "Deliverance"
has bluegrass music been closely associated with such a mass-media
event. In many ways, this is even more exciting. In the previous
movies, the tie-in was for a single bluegrass song used in
the movie. In the case of "O Brother", in many ways,
bluegrass and old-time country music IS the movie. The whole
plot is tied to the music, and there are so many whole complete
songs used in the movie that it is almost a musical.
"O Brother" is the story of Ulysses Everett McGill,
a slick-talking, ne'er-do-well refugee from a 1937 Mississippi
chain gang, and his dim-witted compatriots. Based loosely
on Homer's Odyssey, the story covers their quest to acquire
a fabulous treasure and to restore some sense of order to
their misdirected lives. Along the way, they are set upon
by the Sirens, the Cyclops, and the KKK. The movie features
George Clooney in the starring role, John Turturro and Tim
Blake Nelson as the woebegone sidekicks, and a host of great
supporting characters, including John Goodman, Holly Hunter,
and Charles Durning. More important to the readers of this
article are all the appearances of various and assorted bluegrass
and related music figures throughout the course of the movie.
The Cox Family, The Whites, Gillian Welch, Dan Tyminski, Ron
Block, David Holt, Ed Snodderly, and a bunch of others all
make on-screen appearances at some point in the film.
The music really does permeate the basic structure of the
movie, though. It's my understanding that all the music for
the movie was actually recorded and finished before a single
frame of film was shot; then the movie was put together around
the music. And the music is really GOOD. On screen George
Clooney lip-syncs to Dan Tyminski doing two killer versions
of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow", one with just
Dan's guitar, and another with a full band featuring Ron Block,
Barry Bailes, Stuart Duncan, and Mike Compton. Alison Krauss,
with all-star back up vocals, does a version of "Down
to the River to Pray" that is central to the movie and
just gorgeous. Alison again, along with Emmylou Harris and
Gilliam Welch, do a stunning bluesy trio number "Didn't
Leave Nothing But the Baby", which provides the musical
score to the Siren "attack". The Whites perform
the best version of "Keep On the Sunny Side" that
I've heard since the Carter Family, aided by some wonderfully
low-key dobro from Jerry Douglas, and Ralph Stanley's "O
Death" is the theme to the most bizarre moment of the
whole movie, with a choreographed Klan rally and lynching
the includes a not-so-subtle cinematic quote from "The
Wizard of Oz".
The Coen Brothers are masters of satire and send-up. While
I am sure that in today's politically correct feeding frenzy
there will be people who will find something in this movie
to be offended by, I found nothing serious or mean-spirited
at all. The film is full of Southern stereotypes, so much
so that at times it is almost a cartoon, but there is nothing
vicious or hurtful that I could see. I found the movie to
be funny on several different levels, from slapstick to arcane
literary references, and I suspect that it is one of those
movies in which repeated viewings will turn up stuff I missed
the first time through. I felt that George Clooney pretty
much put on his character and wore it like a well-tailored
suit, and that Nelson and Turturro turned what could have
been just "character" parts into some of the best
moments of the film.
In addition to the stunning soundtrack, I also found the
film to be visually quite beautiful. Although modern and in
color, somehow it still looks "period". There is
a hot, dry look to some of the exteriors that you can almost
feel, and there is a golden, pastel effect to the color that
almost makes the whole movie look like a 50 year old drugstore
window display.
The soundtrack CD features all the cuts I mention above,
plus complete recordings of lots of things that were used
as incidental music in the movie, including some great singing
and guitar work from Norman Blake, and a couple of "period"
recordings, "Mac" McClintock's recording of "The
Big Rock Candy Mountain" and a Stanley Brothers recording
of "Angel Band". Additionally there is gut-level,
soul stirring black gospel from the Fairfield Four and James
Carter and the Prisoners. There's also a nice "data"
section on the CD, including an "O Brother" screensaver,
web links, and a track player for the audio tracks. The packaging
is great and there is a really nice four color booklet with
very complete credits and even a promotional blurb for the
other recordings of all the artists on the soundtrack.
Overall, the soundtrack has a simple beauty to it that is
hard to explain. A lot of the tunes are old and well worn,
and the performances aren't flashy or "in your face",
but there is a basic elegance to the music that makes you
want leave it in the CD player. As the foundation for the
movie, the music alone will probably draw me back to see it
again, or at least be the first in line to buy the video or
DVD when it comes out.
|
