FARGO homages BLUE VELVET?
Richard Carlson
subtle "wink" towards BLUE VELVET in FARGO?
Despite the similar themes (superifical normality masking human
sickness), there is one shot that might have nailed it down for me. There is a
slow zoom of a television screen. It is filled with static as Buscemi's
character constantly cusses and hits the top of it.
Finally, when the entire shot is filled with the television static (ala
FIRE WALK WITH ME), there is a quick cut to some program about beetles (ala
BLUE VELVET).
It could've been just me, but I prefer to think that the Coens realised
what similar threads both of the filmmakers were on and wanted to give David
Lynch a nod.
Stretching it?
Dean
koly
<richard...@eng.sun.com> wrote:
>
> It could've been just me, but I prefer to think that the Coens realised
> what similar threads both of the filmmakers were on and wanted to give David
> Lynch a nod.
>
> Stretching it?
> Dean
I just saw Fargo last night (awesome!) It wouldn't surprise me if the
Coens did give the subtle nod to Lynch both with the FWWM Static and the
Blue Velvet insects.... but I was too engrossed in the film to even pick
up on it...
You could also go so far as to say that when the wood chipper man throws
the log at the lady, (log lady?) it was yet another Lynchian tip.... but
I'm not sure if any of these things were really supposed to be ref's to
DL... Just some Northern Minnesota boys making a movie about murder,
death, and Iron Range accents that surrounded them growing up (in the
opening credits it says "This film is based on a true story that took
place in 1985" it also says "They names of the dead have been changed to
protect their identity"...(like dead people need their identity
protected??)).
Subnote: someone in MN in the mid eighties did freeze their wife and run
her through a wood chipper.... Brrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaappppppppppppp!
Anyway, just some more thoughts on the subject..
Richard Carlson
>
>I just saw Fargo last night (awesome!) It wouldn't surprise me if the
>Coens did give the subtle nod to Lynch both with the FWWM Static and the
>Blue Velvet insects.... but I was too engrossed in the film to even pick
>up on it...
Well, I thought it was such a strong similarity, it would've been hard
to ignore.
>You could also go so far as to say that when the wood chipper man throws
>the log at the lady, (log lady?) it was yet another Lynchian tip.... but
Now that is indeed stretching it.
>Subnote: someone in MN in the mid eighties did freeze their wife and run
>her through a wood chipper.... Brrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaappppppppppppp!
Yeah, but if someone mentions that a guy in the Northwest likes to
blackmail mothers into Freudian, violent sex and drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon, I
will be even more frightened. 8)
Dean
William H. Ansley
> Just a quick question: did anybody else think that the Coen brothers made a
> subtle "wink" towards BLUE VELVET in FARGO?
> Despite the similar themes (superifical normality masking human
> sickness), there is one shot that might have nailed it down for me.
There is a
> slow zoom of a television screen. It is filled with static as Buscemi's
> character constantly cusses and hits the top of it.
> Finally, when the entire shot is filled with the television static (ala
> FIRE WALK WITH ME), there is a quick cut to some program about beetles (ala
> BLUE VELVET).
>
> It could've been just me, but I prefer to think that the Coens realised
> what similar threads both of the filmmakers were on and wanted to give David
> Lynch a nod.
>
> Stretching it?
>
>
> Dean
You may be stretching it, but maybe not. There were many Lynch-like
touches in Joel and Ethan Coen's film "Barton Fink", enough so that the
entire film could be considered an homage to David Lynch. I wouldn't be
surprised if they were making a Lynch reference in their new film (which I
haven't seen yet but definitely will go to soon).
William Ansley
--------------
wan...@warwick.net | 71151...@compuserve.com | wan...@aol.com
Richard Carlson
>You may be stretching it, but maybe not. There were many Lynch-like
>touches in Joel and Ethan Coen's film "Barton Fink", enough so that the
>entire film could be considered an homage to David Lynch. I wouldn't be
>surprised if they were making a Lynch reference in their new film (which I
>haven't seen yet but definitely will go to soon).
My only reservation about being certain they were striving for an homage
is that I have never heard either Coen brother even mention David Lynch, let
alone praise him.
I do see a lot of similarities between both artists, but it may just be
unintentional.
Dean
Midge Ure
Are you kidding? Not only have many David Lynch fans, but also several
critics, pointed out that Barton Fink was essentially an Eraserhead
remake. It hit me and everyone I was with when first seeing it about 1/3
of the way into the movie. There's an essay called "Barton Fink or
Eraserhead?" that you can go read. The location is listed in the Twin
Peaks FAQ, I believe.
Dave
(Midg...@aol.com)
Richard Carlson
>
>> My only reservation about being certain they were striving for an homage
>>is that I have never heard either Coen brother even mention David Lynch,
>let
>>alone praise him.
>> I do see a lot of similarities between both artists, but it may
>just be
>>unintentional.
>
>Are you kidding? Not only have many David Lynch fans, but also several
>critics, pointed out that Barton Fink was essentially an Eraserhead
>remake. It hit me and everyone I was with when first seeing it about 1/3
>of the way into the movie. There's an essay called "Barton Fink or
>Eraserhead?" that you can go read. The location is listed in the Twin
>Peaks FAQ, I believe.
That sounds all well and good (and I will definintely search for the
essay), but the fact remains that I have yet to hear the Coen brothers
themselves state that they are fans of David Lynch or even ERASERHEAD itself.
Dean
Josh Zyber
: >critics, pointed out that Barton Fink was essentially an Eraserhead
: >remake. It hit me and everyone I was with when first seeing it about 1/3
: >of the way into the movie. There's an essay called "Barton Fink or
: >Eraserhead?" that you can go read. The location is listed in the Twin
: >Peaks FAQ, I believe.
Huh? Am I the only one who has no idea what the hell you're talking
about? I've seen both movies several times, but other than the fact
that both are very surreal and both have main characters with high
hair, the links you're talking about are very very weak. Barton Fink
may have thrown a few homages to Eraserhead, but to call it a remake
is absurd.
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| Joshua Zyber at Boston University - jzy...@acs.bu.edu |
| Filmmaker, movie buff, Dune fan, proud toy collector. |
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
JPowers600
John
William H. Ansley
<richard...@eng.sun.com> wrote:
> midg...@aol.com (Midge Ure) wrote:
> >
> >> My only reservation about being certain they were striving for an homage
> >>is that I have never heard either Coen brother even mention David Lynch,
> >let
> >>alone praise him.
> >> I do see a lot of similarities between both artists, but it may
> >just be
> >>unintentional.
> >
> >Are you kidding? Not only have many David Lynch fans, but also several
> >critics, pointed out that Barton Fink was essentially an Eraserhead
> >remake. It hit me and everyone I was with when first seeing it about 1/3
> >of the way into the movie. There's an essay called "Barton Fink or
> >Eraserhead?" that you can go read. The location is listed in the Twin
> >Peaks FAQ, I believe.
>
> That sounds all well and good (and I will definintely search for the
> essay), but the fact remains that I have yet to hear the Coen brothers
> themselves state that they are fans of David Lynch or even ERASERHEAD itself.
>
>
> Dean
Um, doesn't the very act of making a film with so many similarities to
Lynch's films count as a statement?
I think calling 'Barton Fink' a remake of 'Eraserhead' is much too strong,
but I also think that the similarities between 'Barton Fink' and
'Eraserhead' and 'Blue Velvet' can not possibly be due to coincidence,
whether the Coen brothers acknowledge the Lynch influence or not.
Josh Zyber
: Lynch's films count as a statement?
Yes, it's a statement. I'm not denying that, but that doesn't make it
a remake.
: I think calling 'Barton Fink' a remake of 'Eraserhead' is much too strong,
: but I also think that the similarities between 'Barton Fink' and
: 'Eraserhead' and 'Blue Velvet' can not possibly be due to coincidence,
: whether the Coen brothers acknowledge the Lynch influence or not.
Yes, but to say that Barton Fink is a practically a remake of Eraserhead
(as the original post did), is like calling Wild at Heart a remake of
The Wizard of Oz. It alludes to that film in many ways, but it is not
the same story and definitely not a remake.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/ Joshua Zyber at Boston University - jzy...@acs.bu.edu /
/ Filmmaker, movie buff, Dune fan, proud toy collector. /
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Dave Cowen
says...
>> >Are you kidding? Not only have many David Lynch fans, but also several
>> >critics, pointed out that Barton Fink was essentially an Eraserhead
>> >remake. It hit me and everyone I was with when first seeing it about 1/3
>> >of the way into the movie. There's an essay called "Barton Fink or
>> >Eraserhead?" that you can go read. The location is listed in the Twin
>> >Peaks FAQ, I believe.
I believe the full name of the article: "Barton Fink or Eraserhead or
House Party." I think that the bulk of comparisons between the two films
is because of the protagonists' hairdos alone.
>I think calling 'Barton Fink' a remake of 'Eraserhead' is much too strong,
While I like the films for similar reasons (they both convey a certain
sense of dread and entrapment beautifully), they're _extremely_ different
films, both in plot and in symbols. Other than a few sylistic similarities,
I can't think of much that's similar between the two.
Dave Cowen (es...@fische.com)
Edward French
it's said to be based on truth; can you tell us 'bout the real deal? t.p.
happens often.
Now that is indeed stretching it.
>
> >Subnote: someone in MN in the mid eighties did freeze their wife and run
> >her through a wood chipper.... Brrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaappppppppppppp!
>
>
> Yeah, but if someone mentions that a guy in the Northwest likes to
> blackmail mothers into Freudian, violent sex and drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon, I
> will be even more frightened. 8)
>
>
>
> Dean
--
hug the day
koly
pos...@voicenet.com (Edward French) wrote:
> dean, i saw fargo last night too and i agree in the awesomeness of it!
> it's said to be based on truth; can you tell us 'bout the real deal? t.p.
> happens often.
>
The coen brothers are making a joke when they say that Fargo is "based on
a true story."
If you read that opening closely, you will see that it also states:
The names of the dead
have been changed to
protect their identity.
Dead people usually aren't candidates for the Witness Protection Program,
nor are their names changed to protect their identity. The only thing that
is slightly based on a true story is a person being woodchipped... A man
in minnesota in the mid 80's froze his wife and put her through the
chipper after he'd hacked her up.