MUSICAL/ANIMATION MOVIE #4
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) (35 marks)
PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS/SCREENWRITERS (1):
CAST
George Clooney - Everett
John Turturro - Pete
Tim Blake Nelson - Delmar
John Goodman - Big Dan Teague
Holly Hunter - Penny
Chris Thomas King - Tommy Johnson
Charles Durning - Pappy O’Daniel
Del Pentecost - Junior O’Daniel
Michael Badalucco - George Nelson
Wayne Duvall - Homer Stokes
Daniel von Bargen - Sheriff Cooley
GENERAL TRIVIA (.5):
HOLLYWOOD SHAKER BIO [John Travolta
(1954- )] (1)
HOLLYWOOD SHAKER BIO [Liza Minnelli
(1946- )] (1)
HOLLYWOOD SHAKER BIO [Sidney Lumet
(1924-2011)] (1)
HOLLYWOOD SHAKER BIO [Milos Forman
(1932- )] (1)
HOLLYWOOD SHAKER BIO [Baz Luhrmann
(1962- )] (1)
HOLLYWOOD SHAKER BIO [George Clooney
(1961- )] (1)
STORYLINE OF HOMER’S THE ODYSSEY
The poem The Odyssey focuses on the Greek hero Odysseus, after the Trojan
War. After fighting in Troy for 12 years, he embarks for his home of Ithaca. His
journey will take almost ten years and, as a result, his wife Penelope assumes
that he’s dead and attracts numerous suitors seeking her devotion.
On the way home from Troy, after a raid on Ismaros in the land of the Cicones,
he and his 12 ships were driven off course by storms. They wind up on the
island of the Lotus Eaters, a lethargic tribe determined to replace the priorities of
men with carelessness. Fortunately, Odysseus refuses to succumb and the crew
moves on.
Next, the son of Poseidon, a Cyclopes named Polyphemus, entraps Odysseus
and his men inside his cave as they scour for food. An offering of wine
intoxicates Polyphemus, whom Odysseus does not hesitate to blind his one eye
with a wooden stake. Blind and beaten, Polyphemus refused to allow the mortals
to escape. Eventually, though, Odysseus outwits the Cyclopes and escapes tied
to the bottom of sheep. This incident enrages Poseidon and he uses his powers
to prevent Odysseus from getting home.
Shortly after they escape from the Cyclopes, the crew is beset by a tribe of
cannibals known as Laestrygonians. 11 of the 12 ships are destroyed, and crew
eaten.
A visit to the witch goddess, Circe, deprives Odysseus of half of his remaining
crew after transforming them into swine. Odysseus is protected from her magic
with the help of Hermes, who gave him a magical herb called Moly. Odysseus
ends up staying there for what seems like a short time, but ended up being a
couple of years. Before Odysseus departs, Circe tells him that he needs to find
the blind prophet Teiresias in the Underworld in order to find out how to get
home.
After journeying successfully to the Underworld, Odysseus and his men pass an
island with women singing their luring songs (ie. the Sirens). So they do not
hear, Odysseus fills his mens’ ears with beeswax and he had them tie him to the
mast of his ship.
Stopping on the island of Helios, Odysseus falls asleep praying to Athena for
assistance. While sleeping, his men go against his orders and eat Helios’ cattle.
This outrages the god, and he threatens never to rise again. As a punishment,
Zeus throws a bolt of lightning at the ship, and turns it to splinters. Only
Odysseus survives.
After drifting at sea by himself, Odysseus lands on the island of Ogygia. With
only women on the island, he is captured by the nymph Calypso who falls in love
with his and keeps him as a captive for seven years. Finally, the messenger god
Hermes persuades her to release him.
After being given a ship, Poseidon destroys it. After swimming ashore on the
island of the Phaecians, Odysseus reveals himself and eagerly describes his
departure from Troy. They happily gives him a ride home on one of their magical
ships.
Odysseus eventually arrives home, but only reveals himself to his son,
Telemachus. After testing the faithfulness of Penelope, he engages in the
competition among the fellow suitors. Though he undoubtedly conquers the
remaining suitors, Odysseus fails to ignore their actions and murders each of the
members. Athena, goddess and protector, finally fulfills her duties and spares
Odysseus of his violent sins and inevitable punishment.
1. Provide two reasons why musicals died out by the end of the 1960s and into
the early 1970s. What other genre suffered the same fate at roughly the
same time? (1.5 marks)
2.! Name the three musicals from the 1970s that were nominated for a Best
Picture Oscar. In what years were they released? (1.5 marks)
3. What were the names of four major directors that attempted screen musicals
in the 1970s? What movies did they direct? Year? Plotline/trivia about the
films? (6 marks)
4. What was the trend for musicals in the 1980s? Provide three examples. (2
marks)
5. What type of films were keeping the musical genre alive by the end of the
1980s? Provide the names of two of them. (2 marks)
6. What was the major exception to the decline of live action musicals?
Describe this type of film and what sets it apart from other musicals? (1.5
marks)
7. Provide the names of four musicals that were released in the 21st century.
Describe the impact that each one had on the genre. (4 marks)
8. Based on the storyline provided about Homer’s The Odyssey, what are ten
things that match up with the storyline of O Brother Where Art Thou? (even if
they occur in a different order than in the poem)? (5 marks)
! a.
!
b.
!
c.
!
d.
!
e.
!
f.
!
g.
!
h.
!
i.
!
j.
9. How are the songs used in the film to help tell the story? Is the use of music
in this film more realistic than in earlier musicals? Why? Provide three
specific examples from the film to illustrate this. (4 marks)