Coen Brothers Auteur Traits

Framework of genres with normal characters as the protagonist, sets up characters but they aren't what you expect (ie western for NCFOM, thriller Fargo, Noir The Big Lebowski - The Dude is the private eye who is inept and in the role accidentally). Low level narrative resolution. All auteur traits of Coen Brothers.
In shot-reverse-shots, we never see over the shoulder but the camera is in the conversation - makes us feel like we're there

Coursework

Narrative twist
Introducing characters
Conflict between characters
4-5 minutes long


Notes
Research

Feminism in Sightseers

Tina takes control of the situation when she tries to initiate sex with Chris. Don't frame her in an attractive way throughout, but in the scene her dialogue, red light, etc. sexualizes her and means she takes control. She takes control of their sex life, which was him being dominant before, but at the end she's on top and strangling him.
At the end, she hooks up the caravan and drives off with it, after being shown earlier in the film to struggle hooking it up
Chris drives narrative at the start of the film (he murders, we spend more time with him at the start than at the end), but focusses on her at the end, she drives it
Earlier on the jokes are at the expense of women (her mum and her being weird/stupid)
At the end doesn't resolve, ends on her hand, means she's done
One of the only films to highlight low level toxic masculinity and it's effect on relationships
Martin - steals attention with manly interests, she's secondary. He contrasts with the horrible people they are, while he's harmless. The other victims we can deal with as they are faceless or have done wrong, but Martin is neither. Also suggests that the other victims are like Martin, but we wouldn't know
Like a documentary at first - humour from representations of nationality. E.g. sitting outside of the caravan in hail is quintessentially British
Murder - Ian and hiker, his murders, glamourized, kind of with Chailey. Aggressive, cinematic, slow motion
Picture of him and her on the bridge, like she planned on killing him
Killing Chailey is the closest to justified you can get, but quickly descends to arbitrary
She's ignored and manipulated by people (mum at the beginning), but killing gives her power. but for him it stops him from being emasculated 'I just want to be feared and respected'
Breaks taboo of women masturbating - liberating + phrasing could be foreshadowing as it's phrased ominously

No Country for Old Men - Spectatorship

Plotting - Coen's very unusual as they don't show certain scenes (Llewellyn getting killed etc.) but also show scenes that we wouldn't usually get to see (the coin toss scene doesn't further anything). Plot not overly concerned with driving narrative
Woman in pool could be any woman, doesn't matter what she looks like because he loves Carla Jean
When's mum's coffin is lowered there's a 'tick' sound, which is the same as when Anton leaves the house at the end from the bike - sonic connection
If most people were plotting the film they wouldn't include Carson Wells as he doesn't really do much



Bell's opening monologue doesn't make sense until the end of the film - first seen as positive but at the end shows that he's being overwhelmed by modernity


Issues raised for spectator:
Low level of narrative resolution/enigma - nothing is resolved. Negotiated reading (Stuart Hall) and Active spectatorship
Encoding certain messages into the film - Llewellyn shown at the start as an outlaw hero (as he's similar to western heroes)
In encoding process, creator encodes certain enigmas for the audience to decode (Barthes) Not solely created by filmmaker, how a film is interpreted is equally to do with the spectator as it is to do with the filmmaker. Once you've made it how it's interpreted has nothing to do with you. Relates to the negotiated reading of the film


Research
Marxist ideology