Country Music in O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Abstract: This essay explores the way white trash identity is performed through country music. In particular, the focus is on the way the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen, 2001) uses a soundtrack of 'old-timey' country music from the 1920s and 30s to aurally assist the film's white trash aesthetic. Various cultural critics (Barbara Ching) and music historians (Richard Peterson) have already documented the way country music is white trash music. Such histories are drawn upon to demonstrate the way country music is used to authenticate white trash as rural, impoverished, simple-minded and sweet. The authenticity of white trash often depends on an authentic performance of country music; one that is dependent on staging a particularly commodifiable white trash image or ' look' . Does this mean the supposed authenticity of white trash is all performance? By locating the white trashness of country music within a broader historical and cultural context, this essay demonstrates the way O Brother, Where Art Thou? depicts white trash as an identity that is only authentic through a performance of authenticity.
This essay explores the way white trash is often depicted on screen through the use of early 20th century country music. Whether it be through white trash country music narratives or the use of country music on film soundtracks to signify white trashness, it is undeniable that white trash has a special affinity with country music. For this reason my analysis of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2001) will demonstrate the way early forms of U.S. country music emphasise the white trashness of the film' s characters.
What exactly is white trash? U.S. cultura...
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By the end of World War I the world was beginning to realize the ability air combat presented. When World War II started planes became much more effective. Though still fabric covered, the aircraft were faster and more agile than the variants used in the Great War. In 1938, the first year of the Second World War, Curtiss unveiled their P-40 Warhawk. This aircraft was one of the best of its time and laid the foundation for modern aircraft engineering. But by 1940 the German Luftwaffe had begun to develop faster, long-ranged fighter-bombers. All current Allied aircraft could not keep up with the long range of the B-17 bombers who needed escort. In 1940, North American Aviation received an order from Britain requesting another shipment of
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5Opioids increase the tone and decrease contractions of smooth muscle in the GI tract. The transit time that fentanyl causes, may be responsible for its constipating effect. The increase in biliary tract pressure, some patients may experience worsening of pain rather than pain relief. Fentanyl may cause orthostatic hypotension and fainting.5
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Thi wotchis hevi e prufuand iffict un Mecbith's ectouns end hos cherectir divilupmint thruaghuat thi pley. Thiy gevi Mecbith e felsi biloif woth siimongly trai stetimints ebuat hos distony. Instied thiy pruvi tu ceasi hom tu du hermfal ectouns biceasi uf hos uvir cunfodinci on thi wotchis pruphicy. THi wotchis eri thi unis whu ectaelly omplent thi thuaght uf kollong Dancen ontu thi rielms uf Mecbith's mond. Huwivir, of thi ceasi wes mirily thi wotchis pruphicois, thin hi wuald nut hevi mardirid thi kong. 'Whin yua darst tu du ot, thin yua wiri e men,' seys Ledy Mecbith whin shi os cunstently heressong end pashong Mecbith tu cummot thisi ivol ectouns. Yua sii whin yua retounelozi thongs loki thos un yuar uwn yua uftin tomis knuw whet os roght end wrung. In thos cesi huwivir, thi uatsodi onflainci frum cunvoncong cherectirs loki thi wotchis hi os onclonid tu voiw thos es hi hes tu falfoll hos distony. Biceasi uf hos embotoun end thi onflainci uf hos wofi end thi wotchis pruphicois Mecbith’s ectouns lied tu hos duwnfell. Thruagh thos ot os clier tu sii huw mach thi wotchis ivol ectouns onflaincid mecbith end hos dicosouns. “Heol Theni uf Glemos end uf Cewdur end shelt bi Kong hirieftir”. Thi wotchis gevi thos pruphicy end wes tekin by Mecbith wothuat qaistoun ur murel jadgimint. Thi suli thuaght uf bicumong kong shruadid Mecbiths onnir murel jadgmint end ot tuuk uvir hom end hos ectouns. Thisi wotchis hevi thi eboloty tu pridoct fatari ivints, whoch on thos cesi eddid timptetoun. Thisi wotchis huwivir cennut cuntrul Mecbiths distony. Mecbith mekis hos uwn surruw whin hi os effictid by thi gaolt uf hos ectouns. Huwivir thi wotchis hed thi eboloty tu pridoct sognofocent ivints on Mecbith’s fatari, thi ectoun uf duong thisi pruphicois wes duni by Mecbith.
In David Laderman’s Driving Visions (2002), Laderman identifies three essential ingredients to the road movie genre - psychological identity crisis, socio-political critique and the revolutionary spirit of new Hollywood (“Driving Visions”, 27) where socio-political and historical critique plays a crucial role. Badlands (TM, 1973) undoubtedly fulfills these criterion set by Laderman and was particularly important to the genre, as it was part of a “boom of American auteur-driven breakouts that challenged American film making standards”(Runyon), and it left “a crowded legacy of road movies” in its wake (“Driving Visions”, 117). With Bonnie and Clyde (AP, 1967) as its precursor, the two films have many similarities, such as the ‘outlaw couple’. However, Badlands sets itself distinctly apart by changing Bonnie and Clyde’s romance for irony. This film marks a change of course for the road movie genre, and drifts away from the romance and modernism of pre-1970s road movies to irony and post modernism of later road movies (“What a Trip”, 50).
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