I watched Fargo for the first time the other night. I loved it! My wife didn't get it. I thought it was awesome! I kept asking myself, "Why is this so appealing?" What about this story makes it so engaging? Truth is, I still don't know. What makes a good story?
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The people over at Bright Lights Film Journal have a very interesting article comparing Fargo to Kubrick's version of The Shining. So a lot of it is forced and requires some creative writing, but that didn't stop me from nodding with interest. The comparisons really only work with the Kubrick movie, since it is more focused on Jack's emotional break down than on the haunted hotel. Of course, Fargo shows Jerry very quickly coming unglued as his plans crumble.
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Here are a few favorite points. I'm summarising here, so read the article!
.1. Both Jack and Jerry have struggling marriages. "the emotional temperature of their respective marriages is close to permafrost"
.2. Both Jack and Jerry's wives overprotect their sons.
.3. Neither man intends to murder his wife. "In isolation, from society and then from his wife and child, he devolves into a killer. Jack no more meant to do this than Jerry means for his wife to be killed."
.4. Each man is trapped. Jack by writers block, Jerry by his in laws.
.5. Neither man acts reasonably for the situation he is in.
.6. Both films work to disorient the viewer. Fargo does this very directly through language. "Never, it seems, has the way people spoken stood out so prominently and absurdly in a film" The Shining accomplishes this through inconsistencies. Jack's wallet is empty in one scene, full in another. The back story to Danny's shoulder is not consistent.
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The claims the movies themselves make serve to confuse the viewer. Fargo opens with the statement that these are true events. Of course, they're not! And The Shining ends with a picture of Jack at the overlook in the 1920's. Of course, we know that's also not possible!
."Jack break open one panel of the bathroom door and only seconds later we see two panels open. And how does the paper reappear in Jack's typewriter after he tells Wendy to get the fuck out of his writing den? Kubrick is daring us to disbelieve."
.7. Both men have the same picture arrangement: "Jack and Jerry are visually merged in one brief shot in Jerry's office of a wall with pictures of the salesmen of the month, which are lined up in rows exactly like those in The Shining's last shot."
.8. Both movies make use of Johnny Carson show. The Shining when Jack says, "Here's Johnny!" And Fargo shows the program running in the background.
.9. Both Wendy and Jean try to escape through a bathroom.
.10. The weather plays a large role in both films. In particular, snow.
.Are these connections intentional on the part of the makers of Fargo? The article states, "Cinching the link to The Shining, the kidnappers enter Brainard and pass a statue of Paul Bunyan wielding an axe. The Coen Brothers use of "Here's Johnny" certifies their film's ethos, just as they had used the P.O.E graffiti in Raising Arizona (1987), which signaled a connection to Dr. Strangelove (1964)."
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