Coens’ No Country for Old Men Essay

McCarthy’s renowned fresh. “No State for Old Men” was wonderfully handled by the couple managers. Joel and Ethan Coen in their altered version for the screen. one of the most praised movies of 2007 of the same name. The film had the format of a offense thriller. Just like the novel. the movie trades with the exciting adventuresome secret plan of a drug trade which goes incorrect and the cat- and- mouse play among the three major characters of the novel.

Llewelyn Moss- the supporter. Anton Chigurh- the adversary and the old adult male Sheriff Ed Tom Bell who supervises the probe.

Before acquiring into the chief treatment whether the movie version has done proper justness to the novel or non. it is of import to cognize some of the basic inside informations of the fresh itself. “No State for Old Men” gets counted among the finest plants by the American writer. Cormac McCarthy. The narrative revolves round the incident of an illicit drug trade in a distant location.

United States and Mexico Border in around 1980. There are four major characters in the fresh apart from Carla Jean Moss. the immature married woman of Llewelyn.

Llewelyn Moss. the supporter is a welder who is the victim of the trade and Anton Chigurh is the adversary. the psychopathologic character with eyes “Blue as lapis. At one time glittering and wholly opaque. Like wet stones…” ( McCarthy. Cormac. No State for Old Men. 2005 ) dark brown hair and dark skin color. In short. Chigurh is non a pleasant character.

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Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. the old adult male is a World War II veteran who is asked to transport out the probe of this drug trade. It is he who has to see the horrors of legion offenses and slayings. He tries his best to work out it and his reminiscences form the

Page 2 core portion of the narrative. Carson Wells is the 4th adult male who gets into the action. He is the former lieutenant Colonel from Vietnam War and another gunman who has been specially hired to recover money from Chigurh. Most of the narrative is being narrated in 3rd individual which is interrupted by the first individual reminiscences from Ed Tom Bell. The novel comes up with the minimal duologue but McCarthy could make the mystical air which the readers enjoy most. Harmonizing to the critics. Anton Chigurh is “one of McCarthy’s most memorable creative activities.

” Chigurh’s relentless trueness to retrieve the hard currency made him the most unusual character of the secret plan. He is ready to extinguish anyone who comes in between Moss and him. He knows his occupation and he is loyal to it. His usage of homemade arms like coffee- can silencer or aerate goaded cowss gun make him even more interesting to the readers. Sheriff Bell. the old adult male is therefore non suited for the mission he has been assigned. The modern epoch is in demand of another barbarous adult male to battle the sociopath like Chigurh. The fresh terminals with the disclosure of the rough truth that the old work forces will non happen an ideal state to populate in this modern epoch.

The novel is an first-class offense thriller with the disclosure of the biggest truth of the “mercenary civilization” . ” ( The Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society. No State for Old Men 2005 ) . The Coen brothers did a superb occupation every bit far as their handling of the subject of “No Country for Old Men” is concerned. The film is based on a well knit book which focuses on the episodes of the novel. The scene of the movie is precisely the same which the readers have Page 3 visualized while reading the novel by McCarthy. The first scene of the movie introduces us to the bare state side of West Texas.

Josh Brolin is Llewelyn Moss in the movie who plays the perfect function of a tragic supporter who is chased by the sociopath Anton Chigurh. acted by Javier Bardem. The Coen Brothers did non bury the usage of the alone arms by Chigurh. A confined bolt handgun is shown to the viewing audiences in the scene where Chigurh strangles a deputy of Sheriff. The film involves tonss of hiting. concealing sequences. drive and running scenes to maintain the gait of the offense thriller in tact. The aim was that the viewing audiences must experience the pulsation of the bang. The existent adult male of the secret plan is certainly Sheriff Bell acted by Tommy Lee Jones.

Lee Jones did a fantastic occupation in the movie playing the aging adult male who could non happen an ideal state to populate in. He realizes that he is non suited for today’s epoch. The chief characters serve as the loose terminals of the enigma that revolves round the drug trade. It was the undertaking of Coen Brothers to bind up these loose terminals in such a manner that the viewing audiences get the subject of the novel. The aim of McCarthy was non to demo the hiting accomplishments of these characters but the effects of exerting free will. game of opportunity and the predestination.

The movie version succeeded in bring oning the nexus between destiny and circumstance into the heads of the viewing audiences. The motive of the novel like predestination. opportunity and free will or the dry relation between destiny and circumstance have been finely weaved in the scenes of the film. Chigurh decides his religion by tossing coin and this episode has been used by both the novelist and the managers to demo the huge importance of the subject of opportunity in life. Scott Foundas wondrous summaries the terminal of the movie in “The Village Voice” . “In the terminal. everyone in No Country for Old Men is both huntsman and hunted. members of some

Page 4 endangered species seeking to prevent their extinction” . ( Scott Foundas. “Badlands” . Village Voice. Nov 6. 2007 ) A. O. Scott of New York Times remarks Bell. Chigurh and Moss “occupy the screen one at a clip. about ne’er looking in the frame together. even as their destinies become of all time more closely entwined” . ( Scott. A. O. 2007-11-09. “He Found a Bundle of Money. And Now There’s Hell to Pay” . New York Times: Performing Arts/Weekend Desk1 ) This was the aim of McCarthy and Cone Brothers and they succeeded in giving a proper form to this mission in their movie version of the same novel.

Even Roger Ebert states that “the film demonstrates how pathetic ordinary human feelings are in the face of implacable injustice” in the Nov 8. 2007 edition of Chicago Sun- Times. In short. it can be said that the movie is the perfect version of the novel with really small changes. It captures everything from the enigma of the secret plan to the alone portraiture of the characters to the claustrophobic urban dark to the mid twenty-four hours unfastened sky of the bare land of Texas.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins shot legion landscapes to mean that the movie is non about any celestial salvation but earthly wickedness which is devoid of any godly intercession. The novel has been brightly adapted in the movie and masterfully altered to function the intent. The critics have pointed out that each and every duologue and scene has been taken from the pages of the novel. Therefore. Coen Brothers did non let the critics to raise the issue which one is better. the novel or the movie version. Both can be considered to be a individual creative activity.

The film highlights the subject of destiny which really picks up the adult male who is traveling to decease following. It is a game of fate and the characters are Page 5 mere marionettes in the custodies of the same although they think they are make up one’s minding the undermentioned actions. Coen Brothers could present the message of the decease of society and immorality can non be defeated which McCarthy wanted to demo in his novel. It is non about the decease of any peculiar person but the decease of the human society. The great histrions should besides be credited for the success of the movie along with the managers.

They delivered their best natural public presentations. Just like the book the movie is rather violent and bloody and therefore it accurately reflects the kernel of the original beginning. The Coen Brothers knew that casting is the most hard undertaking for the devising of “No Country for Old Men” . Sheriff Bell is the psyche of the film and the managers were reasonably serious about the choice of the histrion for the function. They picked up Tommy Lee Jones and succeeded in their mission. The managers knew that they were in demand of a genuinely great histrion and Lee Jones being a Texan was the most suited for the occupation.

But the undertaking for choosing an histrion for the function of Moss was even more hard. Ultimately Coen Brothers found the histrion Josh Brolin. the discovery screen histrion who could understand the ground why Moss was introduced in the secret plan. Josh Brolin played his natural function in the movie. Now. the Coens were in hunt of Chigurh. the dark character missing the sense of wit as portrayed by McCarthy. Bardem was chosen after his immense success in Before Night Falls and The Sea Inside. Thus. casting was done brightly by the Coen Brothers to present the message of McCarthy.

All the major histrions and actresses were nominated either for the Oscar or Emmy Award including the Scots actress. Kelly Page 6 Macdonald who was chosen for the function of Carla Jean. ( Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen in Emanuel Levy after the movie was premiered in the Cannes Film Fest 2007 ) The Cannes reappraisal states Cinematographer Roger Deakins captures everything from mid- twenty-four hours open- sky views to claustrophobic dark clip urban action ; in timing and tenseness. No State for Old Men is one of the most cliff-hanging movies the Coens have of all time made. which says a batch.

Cormac McCarthy’s novel has besides been imposingly well- adapted- improved and altered. but however full of McCarthy’s clear. concise yet poetic voice. With all of the apparently standard- issue thriller secret plan devices in the piece-money. guns and trouble- there’s dim opportunity that some might non catch the smaller. subtler subjects of No Country for Old Men. which would be a shame ; this is a narrative about decease. non merely slaying ; this is a narrative about privation. non merely money ; this is a narrative of rule. non merely chase. … . How we live. how we die. what we regret. what we fear.

( Rocchi James. May twentieth 2007. Cannes Review: No Country for Old Men. Cinematical. com ) No Country for Old Men was non the first venture of Coen Brothers every bit far as managing a offense thriller is concerned. In fact they are quite specializers in this genre. They handled the same genre in Blood Simple 1984. Joel wrote the narrative and it had the same sort of Texas puting as in McCarthy’s novel. It was all about A fly-by-night Texas investigator ( M. Emmet Walsh ) . on the trail of an extramarital twosome. is smarter than everybody else in the film but non luckier. as he realizes when his manus

Page 7 gets stuck on a window shelf. ( Ranked among the 10 Best Coen Brothers Moments by TIME in an article by Richard Corliss ) Blood Simple was non that popular as No Country for Old Men. But it is rather apparent that Coen Brothers were non freshmans when they took up the narrative by McCarthy for a successful movie version of the same. In Fargo 1996. Coen Brothers filmed the narrative of a auto salesman who hired work forces to nobble his ain married woman for a amount of 80 thousand dollars. The offense finally led to a concatenation of slayings and an probe procedure.

Coens managed to acquire seven Academy Nominations for this movie and won the Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress Award. The movie besides earned positive response at the Cannes Film Fest 1996. Therefore. Coen Brothers had already mastered the art of shooting a offense thriller secret plan by the clip they ventured into No Country for Old Men. No State for Old Men is decidedly a movie of better quality than Blood Simple and Fargo. This movie bagged three British Academy Film Awards. four Academy Awards for Best Director. Best Picture. Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay along with two Golden Globes.

But the movie No Country for Old Men is non appreciated by all. Some critics are non happy with the movie version of the novel although the movie is the accurate version of the same. The reminiscences of Ed Tom Bell at the beginning of each chapter of the novel are losing in the movie. The viewing audiences admit that the film is interesting and they were impressed by Bradem’s public presentation but they complained that “the full movie is really Page 8 slow paced. and the stoping is improbably disconnected and thoroughly unsatisfying” . ( Film reappraisal posted by Melissa Niksic on 3rd Apr 2008 in virago.

com ) The movie linguistic communication has to be different than the linguistic communication of the novel merely because these are two wholly different media of looks. There was about no music in the full movie. The aim was to present the message through the silence. It is true that this is non a film for everyone. Those who love to watch offense thrillers or are good acquainted with Coen Brothers’ manner. they will certainly love it. Otherwise. the film is excessively much about trailing. slaying. blood and chase. But we can non fault the managers for that because that is what is at that place even in the novel.

Although Coen Brothers have altered few scenes and ignored few chapters from the novel. that truly did non impact the message that need to be delivered. Every manager chooses the scenes that will lend to the development of the secret plan and disregard the 1s that are non relevant. The aim is to give a proper form to the novel and Coen Brothers have decidedly done that with fantastic casting. superb filming. and their techniques to weave the machination secret plan of a offense thriller. minimal duologue and minimal usage of music.

The movie raises of import theological inquiries sing Truth and Justice and Judgment. It would be incorrect to knock the movie as a misunderstanding of the novel instead it has given a new dimension to the construct of the decease of society highlighted by McCarthy. The film is so a all right version of the novel with little pardonable changes to accommodate the linguistic communication of movie. We can pull the head covering of this treatment as it was summarized by Ryan Parker. The Graduate Theological Union in the movie reappraisal for No Country for Old Men in JRF. Page 9

The Coen brothers’ ability to weave comedy and play of the extreme earnestness. along with spot- on casting and flawless public presentations have all resulted in one of their best movies to day of the month and surely one full of fresh fish for theological treatment. ( Vol 11. No. 2 October 2007 ) Page 10 Work Cited Interview with Joel and Ethan Coen. Emanuel Levy. Cannes Film Fest 2007 Melissa Niksic. movie reappraisal. virago. com. posted on 3rd Apr 2008 McCarthy. Cormac. No State for Old Men. 2005 Richard Corliss. Ranked among the 10 Best Coen Brothers Moments.

TIME Rocchi James. Cannes Review: No Country for Old Men. Cinematical. com. May twentieth 2007 Roger Ebert. Chicago Sun- Times. Nov 8. 2007 edition Ryan Parker. The Graduate Theological Union in the movie reappraisal for No Country for Old Men in JRF. Vol 11. No. 2 October 2007 Scott. A. O. “He Found a Bundle of Money. And Now There’s Hell to Pay” . New York Times: Performing Arts/Weekend Desk1. 2007-11-09 Scott Foundas. “Badlands” . Village Voice. Nov 6. 2007 The Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society. No State for Old Men 2005