Fargo

Film Related to class:  In class we discussed the director's connection to Minnesota.  This movie takes place entirely in Minnesota and I think that they wanted to really show a lot of aspects of the state.  They had many different characters from different walks of life.  They had prostitutes, a family, a bartender and of course cops.  Not all of these charters play a crucial role but everything in a movie is put in it for a reason.  The Coen brothers being extremely smart clearly had they reasons for having so many minor characters.

Article Summary:  ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10792814/The-truth-behind-Fargos-true-story.html ) This article explains how the movie was not actually based on a true story.  It was stated in the beginning of the film that the movie was based on actual events and that the participants names were changed for their protection.  When  the movie was first coming out the brothers went as far as pretending that it was based on a true story and even flat out stated that it was true.  Later on, they stated that the movie "pretends to be true."

Article Related to Film:  The article did not really speak about the film content.  It spoke of the truthfulness of the film.  Weather or not the events were really true.  We spoke in class about how the film was not based on true events, I do think that the first time I saw the film I thought it was actually true.  The story did seem slightly unbelievable, but whenever I hear a crazy story I always think stranger things have happened.

Critical Analysis:  When I first heard about this film I heard someone say that it was "hilarious."  I had also heard that it was a comedy, or dark comedy.  After seeing it, I realized the humor in the movie but was not prepared for the violence and graphic scenes.  I did like how the film was filled with mild light humor and then followed up by murder and violence.  The opposites of the humor and violence gave the film a unique feel.  One moment your chuckling and the next you seeing a man getting beaten or shot.  I think that it made the movie feel a little more real.  There weren't characters cracking jokes and doing unrealistic things for laughs.  Every joke or comedic moment in this film was very realistic.  It was like you were sitting in, or eavesdropping on their conversations.  That made this film much more believable when it came to being "based on true events."  I liked the believable conversations because that made things much more intimate.