Fargo – Special Edition
Picture: B+ Sound: B Extras: B Film: A-
Perhaps one of the hardest
genres to pull off in filmmaking is ‘the black comedy’ or ‘dark comedy’. The reason for this is simple. When making just a standard comedy there are
definite elements that are intended to be humorous and whether the audience
gets the joke or not is all in the delivery.
Dark comedy on the other hand relies on more factors. Since this type of film treads on grounds
that are in some ways dramatic, but at other times comedic there must be
balance brought forth. What becomes
risqué for the film though is the type of humor that is incorporated. The lines that it crosses become more
evident upon multiple viewings and what some consider controversial, others
find amusing, but for some reason cannot figure out why.
If there is any film that
utilizes more fundamentals of this genre it would be Stanley Kubrick’s Dr.
Strangelove (1963), but in recent years the most outstanding is still the
Coen Brothers 1996 film Fargo.
In this film we are brought into the world of Minnesota, where
everything appears to be down to Earth.
Some would say that this is the heart of America, or at least in spirit. Things move much slower in Minnesota, which
might have something to do with all the snow.
Everything turns for the worse when a typical kidnapping goes awry. William H. Macy plays Jerry Lundegaard, a
man who never seems to get anything right.
He is married to a woman with a rich father, but feels the pressure each
day as a car salesman under the careful eye of his wife’s father. He plots to have her kidnapped by two men
(Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) and their job is to hold her for ransom,
which will allow Jerry to get the money from her rich father and split it among
the kidnappers.
We later come to find out
that Jerry needs this money because of some bad investment and sales, but these
are minor details. The real question is
what in the world was he thinking? The
kidnappers end up shedding some unexpected blood along the way, which throws a
damper on all the plans. Not only that,
but they didn’t expect the police work of Marge Gunderson (Francis McDormand)
to be hot on their trails.
The 1.85 X 1 image looks
extremely pleasing and has been anamorphically enhanced, as was the previous
DVD. Roger Deakins made this his third
trip with the Coen’s after working with them on Barton Fink (1991),
which is reviewed on this site, and The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). What would be a typically bleak landscape
Deakins transforms into a visually entertaining and steady film with the aura
of Minnesota brought forth by the use of certain perspectives, angles, and
movements to bring life into the film.
Colors look quite natural and detail is quite sharp. There are little instances of shifting or
softness presented in this transfer as well.
Overall the quality is quite pleasing.
The Dolby Digital 5.1
audio track is acceptable as it recreates a fine atmospheric viewing. The film was originally recorded in Dolby SR
and never in DTS, which would have been a nice addition to this film. If nothing else it would have showed off the
superb soundtrack provided by Carter Burwell, who is another Coen regular.
M-G-M has recently been
going back and re-issuing many of their previous editions of DVD’s. Such as Blue Velvet, Thelma and
Louise, The Usual Suspects, Bull Durham, and now Fargo. Fargo certainly deserves the
attention since it even made the AFI’s top 100 films of all time just a few
years back. This is really the first
time that any supplements have been provided for the film as well. Whether this film deserves to be on the AFI
list is certainly a hot discussion.
Indeed the film has reshaped certain fundamentals within modern cinema
such as the use of language and creating quirky characters that mirror people
we know, but in a strange way they are all together different. We empathize with these people, yet we know
little about them.
Without a doubt this film
is crafted intelligently and with strong direction. All the components of a terrific film are in tact. Superb directing, writing, camera, lighting,
acting, set design, and other production values put this film many notches
above the competition out there. That
same year the critically overrated The English Patient went on to sweep
the Oscars, but since that point in time more people have come to love Fargo,
while the other film has become nearly forgotten.
The supplements for this
film are interesting including some interviews with the Coen Brothers as well
as the cast involved. There is also
included a documentary entitled ‘Minnesota Nice’, which involves some other
interviews and focuses on the storyline and the creative elements that went
into this film in a retrospective sort of fashion. Providing commentary for the film is Roger Deakins who addresses
much of the stylistic and technical highlights of the film from his perspective
as a cameraman. He seems to get a lot
of attention on the DVD’s from the Coen Brother films even more than the
brothers themselves. He is quite
interesting to listen to and can be enjoyed by just the average fan of the film
as well as those interested in the film from a cinematographer’s
standpoint.
Aside from these major
extras there are some other surprises included such as the trivia track and
even some hidden stuff. I may even go
as far as to say that this is the blueprint for the way certain special
editions should be for films that were released prior to the DVD format. Obviously with a DVD frame of mind more
modern films have the advantage of producing extras.
Most people are attracted
to the Coen Brother films for one reason or another. Either they like the quick witted writing or the solid pacing
they execute time and time again.
Whether it is a gangster film like Miller’s Crossing, a thriller
like Blood Simple, a comedy like The Big Lebowski, or a crazy
mixed up dark comedy like Fargo, they always seem to get good reactions
on both a commercial level and a critical level. What becomes a challenge is choosing their best film or choosing
a favorite among them. Without a doubt
they are some of the best working in the business right now and with a superb
track record it’s hard to tell when they will ever stop. One can only hope it won’t be soon!
- Nate Goss
