The Coen Brothers

The Embodiment of Evil - The Antagonist of the Coen's Work

One thing that seems to be constant throughout the works of the Coen brothers is the "evil en carnet" villain; the antagonist who seems unstoppable, immoral, and, in short, a scary bamf. In the three films we watched in class (Raising Arizona, Fargo, and No Country for Old Men), this character was not only one of (if not the) driving forces in the movie, but he was the character that most caught/catches the audience's attention and interest.

In the first movie of the Coen's we watched, Raising Arizona, we met a character dubbed "the Hog From Hell" Leonard Smalls (played by Randall "Tex" Cobb), who destroys everything in his path, as he appears to literally be the embodiment of H.I.'s (Nicholas Cage) guilt over the kidnapped baby. Later, in Fargo, the blond, silent kidnapper seems inhuman in his killing of the innocent and rather brutal means of disposing of the bodies (wood chipper? seriously?). Then in No Country, we meet Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem), a hitman who has only one thing on his mind: the pursuit of the money found by Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) and the disposal of all those unfortunate to stand in his way.

In all three movies the main characters are confronted with this seemingly unstoppable evil, and it seems rare that they come out on top in the end, even if they end up being victorious.

And on a side note, the antagonists have rediculous names. Leanord Smalls for the bike rider from hell? and Chigurh (Sugar)? are you kidding?

Altman Blog Post

The Player
Analysis of the Opening Sequence

As we discussed in class, the opening credits of Altman's The Player are done in a way that introduces the chaos of the setting and cast that make up the film to the audience.



The best way to describe the sequence is that we are just passing through the studio as a casual observer, hearing and seeing what usually goes on behind the glamor and the lights of Hollywood. The Camera tracks into a Hollywood studio and focuses on many different characters going about their daily lives in the studio, hearing pitches, leading tour groups, sucking up to big name directors/actors, or just gossiping about the goings on behind the scenes. Most importantly, we learn that the main character, Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) is suspected to be next on the chopping block, after which we as the audience are shown him hearing several different pitches for new movies from every sort of writer, and stories of all different qualities. Also, we see Mill receive a threatening postcard from what we can only assume is a disgruntled (to say the least) writer, whose pitch was turned down by Mill before the time of the movie. This use of anonymous communication is maintained throughout the film, creating the suspense of the plot.



In conclusion, the genius of Altman really comes out in this scene, as the audience is shown literally all but three or four of the main characters, which allows more time for the story to develop and less time telling the audience exactly who is who and who is doing what.

For a Few Dollars More

In "For A Few Dollars More, director Sergio Leone brings Clint Eastwood back as The Man With No Name to kick some serious ass in the second installment of the Dollars series. True to his directing style, Leone stars Clint Eastwood as the definite protagonist, even with his rather obvious character flaws (being a "bounty killer" isn't exactly honorable). As with "A Fistful of Dollars", Leone has the film set in the dry, rocky terrain of the American West (though both films were made in Europe), with the protagonists (Eastwood as The Man With No Name and Lee Van Cleef as Col. Douglas Mortimer) fighting against somewhat insurmountable odds to serve out justice where it is due....and collect several thousand dollars of reward money in the process.

What sets this film apart from the rest of the series is how Leone incorporates the past of the characters with the story line. The best example of this is when we are constantly shown flashbacks of Indo raping a woman, who turns out to be Col. Mortimer's sister. This rape, it turns out, is why the Colonel is so set on collecting Indo's head, bounty or no. It also expains the pocketwatch that Indo always has with him, and uses as a timer when dueling certain adversaries.

Also, this is the one of the first Leone movies to have multiple settings all across the landscape (as can also be seen in "the Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"), whereas in "A Fistful of Dollars", the whole stroy took place in a single town.