Fargo


Joel Coen
1996
Strictly speaking, not a “who done it”, because we know who done it right from the start.

It is a murder mystery and detective story which is a comedy drama.

There are problems with comedy dramas in how to keep the one from merging with the other at “wrong” moments. That is scenes which are meant to be serious become comedic and those that are comedic become serious.

Watch especially for

Symbolic use of space and color
Sounds: Use of language, music
How does the film build tension?

How are the murders shown? Are they funny? Are we sympathetic to the victims? Why or why not?

What is the films political point of view?

Plugs for products

Arbys
Radisson
etc/
Why “Fargo” How much of film takes place there? Most is in Brainerd and Minneapolis

Where deal is made to kidnap wife to get money from father in law

How many murders are there?

7

State trooper (barely see face – no identification
Couple in car (also unknown)
Wade (rather stupid – played for small laugh – surprised look not really shock. Carl rants and raves)
Man at toll both (barely see him)
Jean (not on screen). Kidnapping with funny lines “I need unguent” and her running around in shower curtain
Carl (very sudden – and then in wood chopper with foot sticking out)
 How do they find killers:?

Competent law enforcement work. Even in no where, people are competent and together

Character Analysis

Marge, although holding a job typically held by a man is pregrant suffers from Morning Sickness etc, She is very supportive Relations with husband supportive gets night crawlers He brings her lunch Eat together (share food)

Carl and Gaear fight about food (where to eat)

Jerry Jean Scotty and Wade Jerry not interested in wife Forgets about how this impacts Scotty (Stan Grossman has to ask and Jery says – Gee Scotty) Wade against son in law

Mike Yamagita: Desparate for family – makes up wife and her death Carl Park heavily criticized for playing a “negative” Asian in film. Is he negative? Why Asian? Everyone of all kinds is effected in Middle America

 Language use Repetitive Lots of “Ja”, trivial almost banal dialog. Unexpented use of words “unguent” Discussion of talk between Carl and Gaear (talk important but not to Gaear) Talk between people important in real life proper situations Proper language (don’t use that language Scotty is warned) “Go bears” “Kind a funny looking” Odd use of words within dialect "you tasked us to..." "I want to be in full complience" "involved with some malfeasence"

On the one hand all are symbols of society and order (p.o. married couple, father in law (successful business man) toll both guy (first one at airport is used for deliberate statement about authority, uniform limitiations of your life not mine

Money - greed

Problem about ransom
Problem about loan
Problems about “finder’s fee”
Problems about $4.00
Lund and “undercoat problem” wants the extra money lies
Married couple upset about being lied to, not money
. Problems about stealing the $1,000,000 over even split of car.

Compate with Marge's statement about money isn't everything and her happiness about Norman gettung the painting he did on the 3 cent stamp, not larger one. OK with Marge

Photography

Framing Wide open spaces. Isolation in space. People in this area not isolated from one another. Relatioships between people are seen as good.

Shots often from great distance show isolation – car coming to Brainerd with Gaear and Carl

Gaear running on ice when he gets shor

Norman at table, Marge going out (househusband role reversal)

Whiteness – what does it mean: cold “frigid” lacking warmth and personality; cold isolated

Gaear gets whiter and whiter – in long johns, finally very white hair on ice with snow.

Bad things usually happen in snow>p> >menu< Shooting of police officer
Shooting of couple
Shooting of Wade
Killing of Carl

Cut from Carl pounding TV to beetles on TV being watched by Marge and Norman (things work in a proper household)

High angle shots: lack of control things from on high dominate.

Jerry in parking lot

Visually given Information

Pictures of salesmen on wall
Picture of wife on Jerry’s desk
Pictures of ducks and carved ducks (info about Norman – but not about Marge)

 Sound

Why do we hear Scotty when he talks to his father in the last sequences with him?
Music:

Norwegian violin (8 string, oddly tuned by other western violin standards Accordion (another Norwegian instrument) Legend Paul Bunyon and babe the Blue Ox.
Organizes much of American West
Represents working middle class America in film
Sometimes photographed to look gruesome as story progresses but later middle America is back to normal.
 Irony Jerry makes deal Looks like he won’t need to kidnap Jean after all Tries to call it off
Turns out he is wrong about Wade’s offer
Comes home kidnapping has happened

What is the films political point of view?

Liberal - politically correct:

Woman chief of police
Men (officers) generally stupider that women; man told by wife to call in the story
Anti- money. Money sort of equals greed

Conservative

Pro family
Anti sex outside of marriage (only done by bad guys)

Marge and her husband are loving couple. Generally seen in bed). Married people in bed is a good thing in that at the end of the film there is mention of the up coming birth and that things are going OK for them.

All other sequenxes in bed have negative implications: (a) the two hookers come to the Blue Ox and their testimony is helpful to Marge hence dangeroud to Gaear and Carl (b) Carl gets attacked by Shep while in bed with escort (c) Jerry Lundegaard tossed on bed when arrested.

People in the film are a "community" Marge is gentle (makes joke with officer after gently criticizing hs police work. Everyone smiles at one another and talks easily to one another. Despite apparent strangeness on several levels, all seem basicaly good people. Those who are not stick out.

Film seems pro- community, pro family but anti greed and to some degree capitalism in general,