O Brother Where Art Thou

Production year 2000
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Written by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring George Clooney, John Goodman and Holly Hunter
Running Time 106

O Brother Where Art Thou is the second film by the Coen Brothers to feature in the Acton Film Club programme. A slapstick comedy set in the Depression era it stars Hollywood megastar George Clooney as an escaped convict seeking reconciliation with his long-suffering wife played by Holly Hunter. He is aided and abetted in his adventures by fellow convicts Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro - the characterisation is sublime and the comedy laugh out loud.
The story owes more than a little to Homer’s Odyssey with appearances from The Cyclops and The Sirens among others along the way. But what makes this film is its fabulous soundtrack - consisting of period Bluegrass and folk tunes performed by some of the finest exponents of such music working today. The documentary Down From the Mountain about the music of O Brother and a special concert mounted around the release of the film is well worth seeking out.