"Fargo" The Coen Brothers

"Fargo" deconstruction of DVD cover

• Like most Coen brother's films "Fargo" pushes the boundaries of film genre and doesn't fit into a certain mould. It was advertised as a Thriller but there are comedic moments in this film again like many other Coen Brother films.
• The red title is not quite blood red as you'd expect as this is a crime thriller, this may be seen as a comedic red. Almost like a comic book red.
• There are only two people in the frame, one of which is lying on the icy floor so you'd infer that this character is dead as no one would lie in the snow like that voluntarily. The other character is sitting over the dead body, showing dominance.
• Both of the characters in the frame are dressed in the same costume, a sheriff's uniform.
• The other character (Frances McDormand) sitting over the man on the floor almost looks disappointed. Her body language with one arm on her hip some might say that she looks like "she means business" or assertive.
• The text to the left of McDormand's character says "A lot can happen in the middle of nowhere" this emphasises the fact that they are isolated and alone. They are in the middle of the icy outback nowhere near society. There is nothing else in sight.
• If you were to solve a murder in this environment, it would become an obstacle as there wouldn't be much else there to help you solve it.
• The title of the film "Fargo" is the biggest word in the brightest colour on the cover showing that this is crucial to the film.

In class we started to watch the film, we have only watched about an hour but so far it is good.
Here is what we have learned so far through the film.

• "Fargo" is a true story, however the names have been changed. However the story has been changed drastically.
• This film is set in Minnesota in America. All of the actors in the film have slight Minnesota accents although they don't in real life.
• William H. Macy stars in this film as a car salesman who's in dire need of money so plots to kidnap his wife so hires two criminals, (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) through someone at his car dealership.
• William H. Macy's character goes to North Dakota, Fargo to meet the two criminals.
• Macy's character's father-in-law has a lot of money so to get him out of his financial troubles he's getting him to pay the ransom and he's planning on giving half to the two criminals and keep half for himself.
• However Macy's character wants to call off the kidnap as he believes he will come into a sum of money when pitching an idea to his father-in-law.
• When the kidnappers break into Macy's house his wife tries to escape from them but ends up falling down the stairs in a shower curtain.
• When trying to escape with Macy's wife the kidnappers get pulled over by the police and when Buscemi tries to bribe the police officer with Macy's wife in the back seat the officer asks to look in the car and Stormare shoots him in the head.
• When trying to dispose of the body another car drives past so Stormare chases them in the car and kills both of the passengers.
• Frances McDormand is then introduced to the film and the scenes with her and her husband in are slow, as is the rest of the film, it shows them discussing things that aren't usually in movies, like what they're going to have for breakfast.
• She is pregnant which goes against the steriotypical role for a pregnant woman in films, you wouldn't see a pregnant police officer in a crime film usually and the Coen Brothers break that steriotype and use that to their advantage by doing what the audience doesn't expect.
• The shots for the film are long takes and when there are shot takes, like when Stormare shots one of the passengers in the car, it puts more emphisise on it as none of the other takes cut out that quickly.