O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a middle finger to the KKK

  Troler
November 06, 2025

👁 8

https://blenderdumbass.org/do_edit : 👁 1

#GeorgeClooney #JohnTurturro #TimBlake Nelson #CharlesDurning #MichaelBadalucco #JohnGoodman #HollyHunter #JoelCoen #EthanCoen film #review #movies #cinemastodon

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...in reply to:

Drive-Away Dolls 2024 is Ethan Coen's attempt as a Grindhouse picture

blenderdumbass.org

  Blender Dumbass


Ethan Coen is a brother of Joel Coen with whom they made a lot of cool black-comedies and other cinema throughout the years. From starting a mock-religion with The Big Lebowski in 1998, to winning a best picture Oscar in 2007 with No Country for Old Men and doing other great cinema before, after and in between, those motherfuckers know how to make movies. So then comes a movie just from Ethan ( and his wife Tricia Cooke ) about lesbians, that is intentionally trying to be a bad film ( like the bullshit Robert Rodriguez is doing with Mechete )? Interesting...


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(Below you can read hill-billy version of the text which was made with Open Software GPT-OSS assistance, byin translating the review from Modern American English to the Deep South dialect. If you have good resources on the dialect, provide them in the comments!)

In 1915 David Wark Griffith created a phenomenally shot film idealizing those horse-riding Ku Klux Klan (KKK) Men. In 1937 Archie Mayo weaved together Black Legion, a film about the titular group, a splinted group of the KKK. Due to the negative depiction of the, let's be honest fascist, was sued by KKK. In 2000 Coen brothers (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) looked at at the madness of the past and the somehow even more mad ridden present and and said: let's make some KKK members dance.

Coen brothers are most well known for their parodies, only which of them I have seen. It being the The Big Lebowski. I found the movie hilarious. It plays of silly. How can it not be when the motivating factor of the plot is about a dude complaining about somebody that urinated on his carpet. The Big Lebowski has a narrator with a heavy Texan accent. Seeing the difference between releases being only 2 years, it is safe to say there is some continuity.

Unlike The Big Lebowski, the film from 2000 is not as silly, still not serious at all, not to a point of The Big Lebowski. It is a sorts parody of Homer's Odyssey set in in 1937 Mississippi, deep in the humor of the Great Depression. Where there is immense suffering, a lot of entertainment can be found.

Everett (George Clooney) together with goofballs Delmar O'Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro) ventured to make it big from being a chain gang to adventurers seeking treasure just there over yonder. This is a Coen brother's film, the plot is not that straight forward. Well, it is. It is a wacky telling of the Homer's Odyssey. Although not Homer's, the character played Wayne Duvall. That was just a quite clever politician, neither a poet, nor a singer. Unless one considers the art of political rhetoric a form of poetry.

There was quite a bunch of poetry. Namely in the style of bluegrass. Those distant of the banjo, better ward off the film. Since listeners are going to be bombarded with classic tunes. It is not something strange or unexpected hearing music from the time and region it is set in. To the modern ear even the heart-wrenching songs sound somewhat silly. If that is the right word for it.

As said by @BlenderDumbass, both Joel and Ethan Coen have this intuition how to create quality cinema. It is easier to find words for things that one finds revolting. Be it politics or dogmas people do not disagree with.

I could hear the directors whispering "Damn! We're in a tight spot!" when filming the bigotry of the time. How do you portray KKK in an amusing mater and at the same time pose them as a threat? By making them look posing at first, then incompetent and then threatening once again. How do you show the harshness of the physical labor while still not crossing the line of morbid seriousness? By de-saturating the film, having guards ride around the workers... in the foreground of chained men running away and... ducking.

There is pleasure in seeing a good craftsman work marvelously on his trade. I had pleasure expanding my limited knowledge of those cheeky little Coen brothers. Hats of to all of you readers and... I do not know how to end any good story without singing myself some old timey tune. It went something like this:
I had a friend named Ramblin' Bob
Who used to steal, gamble and rob
He thought he was the smartest guy in town
But I found out last Monday
That Bob got locked up Sunday
They've got him in the jailhouse way down town.

He's in the jailhouse now
Fin.

In 1915, David Wark Griffith done shot a mighty picture The Birth of a Nation that glorified them horse‑riddin’ Klan men. By ’37, Archie Mayo stitched together Black Legion), a film about that very group, a splintered band of the same old Klan order. When the movie showed the Klan in a harsh light- a fascist lot-the real Klan sued. Fast forward to the turn of the millennium, the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) looked back at the madness of yesteryear and the even wilder present, and thought, “Let’s get them Klan members to dance.”

Coen brothers are most known for their parodies, and the only one I’ve actually seen is the The Big Lebowski. I found that picture downright hilarious. It’s plain‑silly-how could it not be when the whole plot turns ’round a feller complainin’ ‘bout some varmint who pissed on his carpet? The Big Lebowski even has a narrator speakin’ with a heavy Texan accent. Since the two releases are just two years apart, you can reckon there’s a good bit of continuity.

Unlike The Big Lebowski, the Coens’ 2000 film ain’t as goofy, though it never gets serious either. It’s a sort of parody of Homer’s Odyssey, set in 1937 Mississippi and steeped in the dark humor of the Great Depression. Where there’s mighty sufferin’, there’s also a heap of entertainment.

Everett (George Clooney) teams up with the goofy Delmar O’Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro) to climb out of a chain gang and become treasure‑seekers “over yonder.” This here is a Coen brother picture; the plot may seem tangled, but it’s really a wacky retelling of the Odyssey. The clever politician-played by Wayne Duvall -isn’t a poet nor a singer, unless you count political rhetoric as a kind of poetry.

There’s a good deal of poetry in the film, especially in the style of bluegrass. The banjo twang rolls through the scenes, not to distract but to root the story in its time and place. Modern ears might find the heart‑wrenchin’ songs a mite silly, but they fit the era just fine.

As @BlenderDumbass points out, both Joel and Ethan Coen have a keen intuition for makin’ quality cinema. They’re better at findin’ the right words for things most folks find revoltin’-whether it’s politics or entrenched dogmas.

I can almost hear the directors whisperin’, “Damn! We’re in a tight spot!” when they were shootin’ the bigotry of the day. How do you show the KKK in a funny light while still makin’ ’em a threat? By first lettin’ ’em pose pompously, then actin’ incompetent, and finally turnin’ menacin’ again. How do you depict the harshness of forced labor without crossin’ into morbid seriousness? By desaturatin’ the picture, keepin’ guards ridin’ around the workers while chained men scramble and duck in the foreground.

There’s a real pleasure in watchin’ a good craftsman at his trade, and I’ve enjoyed expandin’ my limited knowledge of those cheeky Coen brothers. Hats off to all y’all readin’ this. Y’all, see I can’t finish a good story without hummin’ an old‑time tune. It went somethin’ like this:

I had a friend named Ramblin' Bob
Who used to steal, gamble and rob
He thought he was the smartest guy in town
But I found out last Monday
That Bob got locked up Sunday
They've got him in the jailhouse way down town.
He's in the jailhouse now
Fin.

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  Blender Dumbass c:0



I'd recommend The Hudsucker Proxy. But keep in mind, one sequence ( the hoolahoop scene ) was directed by their friend Sam Raimi ( the director of the early 2000s Spiderman films ). And another very good film ( with a hilarious chase scene directed by Raimi ) is Raising Arizona. Which kind of requires a deep psycho-analysis of the bros.


Tarantino did that well in his "Django Unchained" where he shows a soft of proto-KKK ( I guess the first instances of it, or something ) which are still figuring out the masks. One of their wives cut holes for them into pillow casings. And a lot of those hole are cut in wrong places. Making them almost unable to see in those damn "masks". We get a scene of them all complaining about the masks. Before they attack the heroes of the film. The attack is real and violent. But it is done by a bunch of idiots. By a bunch of "blind" idiots.


You should have put the original up on top and then ( maybe ) have an option to read the AI version. Still you didn't generate it from scratch. You simply "applied a filter" so to speak. So it is not as bad. But it is kind of cringe IMHO.

... replies ( 1 )

  Troler c:1



@blenderdumbass

But it is kind of cringe IMHO

I do not see anything wrong with text filters. Both image and video filters exist, why not the same for text? The 'cringe' part is mostly due to the novelty of the technology. At least I did not submit a report written by AI to an AI checker... or did I?.. No, I did not.

Reply

  Troler c:1

... c:0

  Blender Dumbass c:0

only one I’ve actually seen is the The Big Lebowski.

I'd recommend The Hudsucker Proxy. But keep in mind, one sequence ( the hoolahoop scene ) was directed by their friend Sam Raimi ( the director of the early 2000s Spiderman films ). And another very good film ( with a hilarious chase scene directed by Raimi ) is Raising Arizona. Which kind of requires a deep psycho-analysis of the bros.

How do you show the KKK in a funny light while still makin’ ’em a threat?

Tarantino did that well in his "Django Unchained" where he shows a soft of proto-KKK ( I guess the first instances of it, or something ) which are still figuring out the masks. One of their wives cut holes for them into pillow casings. And a lot of those hole are cut in wrong places. Making them almost unable to see in those damn "masks". We get a scene of them all complaining about the masks. Before they attack the heroes of the film. The attack is real and violent. But it is done by a bunch of idiots. By a bunch of "blind" idiots.

Open Software GPT-OSS assisted in translating the review from Modern American English

You should have put the original up on top and then ( maybe ) have an option to read the AI version. Still you didn't generate it from scratch. You simply "applied a filter" so to speak. So it is not as bad. But it is kind of cringe IMHO.

@blenderdumbass

I do not see anything wrong with text filters. Both image and video filters exist, why not the same for text? The 'cringe' part is mostly due to the novelty of the technology. At least I did not submit a report written by AI to an AI checker... or did I?.. No, I did not.

Reply