Cinematic Analysis- O Brother, Where Art Thou? By Fiona MacNairn The film O brother, Where Art Thou?

(2001 ) takes place in 1937 Mississippi and tells the story of three prison escapees who set out to find a treasure of 1.2 million dollars but end up realizing that their friendship and the rewards that come from working together have a much higher value. Three men, Everett, Delmar, and Pete escape from prison for a promised 1.2 million dollars that Everett claims to have buried. They set out to find the treasure before the valley, where it is buried, floods in four days for hydro electric purposes. Throughout the next four days they go through a wild adventure where they accompany a notorious robber, get mugged, become seduced by sirens who want money as reward for catching them, and save their black guitarist friend from a KKK lynching. As they trek to the treasure, they are unaware of their fame from a radio performance they did to earn a couple bucks as the Soggy Bottom Boys. Later, it is revealed that Everett lied to Pete and Delmar because there was never any treasure. He just told them there was because they were attached by chains, so he had to convince them with the treasure and Everett just wanted to win back his ex wife back before she married her new beau. In the end, they perform at a political function where the crowd goes wild because they recognize them as the Soggy Bottom Boys. The governor, realizing their popularity with the public decides to pardon them from their prison sentences and offer his support. Everett and his wife remarry. Themes portrayed in O brother, Where Art Thou? are whether one can be saved by God or if certain miracles/ experiences are merely coincidences (faith in God vs. miracles being coincidences) . For example, towards the end, Pete, Everett, and Delmar encounter the sheriff who is waiting to hang them. Everett is on his knees begging God to save them right before they are about to be put in nooses. All the sudden, the valley is flooded submersing everything in water saving the trio from being hanged. As they surface, Pete and Delmar are convinced God saved them but Everett is skeptical saying that Mississippi had planned to flood the valley for hydro electric power and they flooded the valley just at the right moment. Also, earlier Delmar decides to be baptized and keeps talking throughout the movie about how he feels pure and how God forgave him for his sins. Everett ridicules this and says that baptizing is just nonsense and that it doesnt actually cleanse your soul.

Part B The historical accuracy in O brother, Where Art Thou? stays true to the year it takes place, 1937. There are several references throughout the film about the depression and how everyone is short on change. The Great Depression, an event of mass poverty and hard times, occurred between 1929-1941and was due to a stock market crash. A character in the film, called Pappy ODaniel, is portrayed as a corrupt and belittling governor who is based on the Texas governor W. Lee Pappy ODaniel. According to The Texas State Historical Association, the real W. Lee Pappy ODaniel who was in office during the 1930s was, unable to engage in normal political deal makings with legislatures, vetoed bills that he probably did not understand, and was overdriven in twelve out of fifty seven vetoes-a record. But he was largely able to negate his ignorance, his isolation, and his political handicaps with masterful radio showmanship (tshaonline.org). The real Pappy ODaniel was somewhat similar to the character of Pappy ODaniel because they were both seen as lousy governors, but the real one was a famous radio host while the character in the movie was not. Also, in the film, it is mentioned that the state is going to purposefully flood a valley to have hydro electric power from a dam. Harnessing hydro electric power became popular during the Great Depression as means of electricity so this aspect of the film is historically accurate. National Geographic states that, Dams were a huge part of the New Deal, a series of government programs that put people to work and brought electricity to millions of Americans during the Great Depression (nationalgeographic.com). The hydroelectric dam being built in the film was most likely a reference to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which constructed dams along the Tennessee River during the 1930s and part of the river, was located in Mississippi. Lastly, the radio was a large presence in the film because it was evident it was the only source of technological entertainment and this is historically accurate because the radio was invented in the late 1800s but didnt become popular until the 1920s. Therefore, it would make sense that in the film everyone was listening to the radio because by then, it had become a common household object.

Part C Analyze the use of metaphor and imagery in the film, citing several examples In one scene, Everett, Pete, and Delmar are in a barn while below, the sheriff and other policemen are setting fire to the barn in attempts to catch the fugitives. The camera pans to the sheriffs face where he is wearing black sunglasses and they act as mirrors for the flames which are being reflected. Later in the movie, a hitchhiker they pickup named Tommy tells them he saw the devil who looks, White, as white as you folks ... with empty
eyes and a big hollow voice. He love to travel around with a mean old hound". This description matches the sheriff exactly, and because fire is associated with hell which is associated with the devil, the fire reflected in the sheriffs glasses is a metaphor to show he is a cruel and heartless creature like the devil. Another metaphor occurs when people in white robes head down to the river to be baptized and have their sins forgiven. The color white represents purity, so their white robes are a metaphor for them wanting to become pure and have their sins forgiven.

Works Cited Kim Rutledge, et al. "Hydroelectric Energy." National Geographic Encyclopedia. N.p.: n.p., n.d. National Geographic Education. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/>.

George N. Green, "O'DANIEL, WILBERT LEE [PAPPY]," Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fod11), accessed December 02, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.