O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000 Joel & Ethan Coen & scr)

A schizophrenic film that is one half Homer's Odyssey, one half the film Joel McCrea would have made in Sullivan's Travels (the driving kid and the chain gang in the cinema are two direct references) and one half (I know) a Coen Brothers film.

George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson are terrific as the hapless trio. With John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Chris Thomas King, Charles Durning and Michael Badalucco as 'George' Nelson.

Roger Deakins is having fun with a crane, which he uses a lot. The look of the film is unique - it was shot very clean (in fact the Coens viewed this footage as 'disgusting'), then digitised (only at 2K though) and digitally colour corrected (at Cinesite), so you get some very washed out stuff, plus richer tones e.g. in bonfire light scenes. Not the first film to be managed in this way (Pleasantville). Shot in Panavision Super 35 (not anamorphic) 'The spherical lenses have the effect of pulling the audience closer to the characters; it's more intimate'.* He and the screenplay were both Oscar and BAFTA nominated.

Roger at the end of one of his impressive crane shots

Difficult to catch how great Clooney's goosing is!

The moment next to the graves with the diggers singing an old Black spiritual, and the flood while the singing continues; then all the pandemonium of stuff we see underwater (including the dog) is inspired insanity.

Dennis Gassner oversaw production design, Mary Zophres supplied the costumes (as always), Ethan's wife Tricia Cooke helped the brothers edit it.

Is the scene when they wake up after the sirens a nod to The Trouble with Harry?

Font is Dolmen

Recalling that George did learn to sing the song, but was dubbed (by Dan Tyminski), I wonder if there's an outtake somewhere of him actually singing it? He went into a studio with the Coens and T Bone Burnett, and it wasn't very good, so maybe??

*Deakins quoted in ASC interview.