O Brother Where Art Thou? – press release

Hollywood’s hottest property, George Clooney,winner of a prestigious Golden Globe award for his brilliant starring role inO Brother, Where Art Thou?, heads an all-star cast in this eagerlyawaited first simultaneous rental video and retail DVD release by MOMENTUMPICTURES on 9 April, 2001.

Nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography and Best ScreenplayAdaptation), and taking more than œ3.2 million at the UK box office alone,this not-to-be-missed tale of high adventure, humour and heartfelt emotionwill further endorse Clooney’s status as the king of the video/DVD marketplacefollowing such hugely successful releases as The Perfect Storm, Fail Safe,Three Kings and The Thin Red Line.

Written and directed by the masters of originality, Academy Award winning Joeland Ethan Coen, whose credits include the hit movies Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy,The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink and Miller’s Crossing, MOMENTUM PICTURES areassured a huge video and DVD hit.

To provide a suitably Depression-era sepia tone, Joel and Ethan Coen digitallyprocessed O Brother, Where Art Thou?, filled the screen with a quintessentiallyAmerican landscape populated by their trademark characters, and liberallysprinkled easily recognisable references to various films, books and music -most noticeably mixing authentic bluegrass music with a homage to PrestonSturges’s classic 1941 comedy Sullivan’s Travels. George Clooney’s pivotalrole as Ulysses Everett McGill is superbly complimented by a top-notch cast ofstars who have also featured in other Coen brothers’ films: John Turturro(Quiz Show, Do the Right Thing, The Color of Money), Michael Badalucco (Mac,You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle), John Goodman (The Flintstones, Arachnophobia,King Ralph), Charles Durning (To Be Or Not To Be, The Best Little Whorehousein Texas), Holly Hunter (The Piano, The Firm, Broadcast News) and Tim BlakeNelson (The Thin Red Line, Donnie Brasco, Dead Man’s Walk).

An original and unique modern-day spin on Homer’s classic tale of The Odyssey,its impossible to resist the pulling-power of George Clooney in the Coenbrothers’ extraordinary O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Synopsis

Everett Ulysses McGill (Clooney) is a garrulous, silver-tongued, pettycriminal who is having some difficulty adjusting to the regimentation of lifeas a man sentenced to a term of hard labour in Mississippi. Reluctant tospend any more time crushing rocks, he scams his way off the chain gang with aclumsy duo of lame losers: sweet and simple Delmar (Nelson), and themaladjusted Pete (Turturro). The trio embarks on the adventure of a lifetimeas they set out to pursue their freedom and the promise of sharing in thedivision of a fortune in buried treasure.

Along the way, they meet an assortment of curious characters including TommyJohnson (King), a musician on his way to Jackson to sing on the radio, Big DanTeague (Goodman), an unscrupulous, one-eyed Bible salesman who deceives them,Babyface Nelson (Badalucco), the nortorious gangster who befriends them in themiddle of a robbing spree, Penny Wharvey (Hunter), an important part ofEverett’s not so distant past and governor Pappy O’Daniel (Durning) who isengaged in a re-election campaign.

All the while the trio is trying to stay ahead of the cunning and mysteriouslawman Cooley (Daniel Von Bargen), who tracks the men, determined to bring thetrio back to the prison farm.

Despite all the obstacles, near misses and narrow escapes along the way, theyreach Ithaca where Delmar and Pete hope to be rewarded for their perseveranceand Everett hopes to be reunited with more than his gold.

DVD Extras:cast & crew interviews – George Clooney, John Turturro, Holly Hunter, Tim Blake Nelson, Chris Thomas King, Michael Badalucco, Joel & Ethan Coen trailer; interactive menus; Dolby digital 5.1 audio; TV spots; English subtitles; W/S Ratio 2.35:1; audio – Dolby Digital 5.1

This film is also available to rent on video from the same date.

News page content input by Dominic Robinson, 2001.