Viewing notes

• Opening scene...
• Slow montage est. LS of unforgiving, rural landscape of the West with no indication of time period (western genre) 

  Passive viewing

  Form generic expectations only for film to subvert them by not adhering to western features + graphic violence of C
• Warm toned colour palette + sweeping landscape 

  Solidifies genre expectations
• Bell’s VO discusses the fear of the rapidly changing west the older generation holds as it moves to senseless violence and the lack of uphold of old American morals


  Positions viewer to identify with him, offering moral alignment --> spectatorship
• Uses alignment to subvert viewer expectations as Bell defies his character archetype of sheriff/white hat and he doesn’t save the day, emasculated

  Western conventions

  Spectatorship
• Says he finds it “hard to believe” old-time sheriffs never used to carry 

  Distrustful of modern western society as he cannot make sense of it/figure out his place in it –ref to title (men after WW2 classical westerns)

  Nostalgia for old times
• Shift in narrative focus to antagonist C (switch to active viewing), viewer distanced from him through partial framing, black silhouette (enigma, black hat traditional western) and turned away from us 


  Viewer encouraged to identify with Bell

  Est. binary opposition of virtue vs evil (traditional western)
• Bell’s fear of undermining of law and order then solidified with brutal murder of police officer, senseless violence 


  Classical western tropes subverted as law enforcer is killed

  Get sense traditional values won’t work this time

  Active viewing as now we can’t rely on genre to know outcome (nihilism, random, senseless)
• Moss hunting scene...
• Aligned with Moss through POV shot, camera remains close to him 


  Spatio temporal alignment --> spectatorship
• Costume - dressed in white hat


  Indicates he’ll be protagonist, convention of classic western 
• This expectation subverted when he comes across drug deal and turns away from dying man, no clear heroes 


  Moss’s main motivation is money and puts money over people (individualism, capitalism)
• MLS Moss in foreground as he finds the money, dead Mexican framed behind, desert location in background displaying Deakins’ burnt brown colour palette 


  Landscape dwarfs Moss, showing his isolation

  Reflecting individualistic nature of capitalism
• Mexican foreshadows to an active viewer Moss’ death and Coens warn us of consequences of the cycle one falls into when they place material worth over people, taking what they can to survive 

  Ideological critical approach to neo-conservatism, anti-capitalist critique 
• Highlights the man’s old, worn cowboy boots 


  Parallel to Moss, suggests he needed the money to improve his life (2+2 theory)
• Coin toss scene...
• Opens with wide est. shot of dessert location 

  Foreshadows to viewer potential danger 
• Framed in MCU SRS of C and shopkeeper 

  Intimacy, focus on the conversation between them
• Active audience on edge as they have privelaged position of knowing the violence C is capable of and his nihilistic view of life (2+2 theory)
• C orders him to “Call it” 


  Reduces film down to choices we make before life or death

  Fatalism
• C offers SK choice, but he has no idea what he’s choosing 

  Fatalist viewpoint 
• Mise en scene of ropes hanging behind SK reminiscent of a noose, imminent danger 


  C as hunter and SK as prey

  Amount of foreshadowing in scene links to the idea that SK’s fate has been predetermined
• Proxemics of C being positioned in front of door/exit and SK trapped behind counter 

  Claustrophobic, helpless feeling, C and the man on two sides of the counter like two sides of a coin (fate is not up to them just as the outcome of a coin toss is not)
• SK mentions he married into the business, ‘you married into it?’ C restates mockingly 


  Apparent he’s in danger, reflects negative/deadly consequences of expectations of active/providing male roles in 80s patriarchal society, particularly in the West where stereotypes are greatly perpetuated
• SK states he “raised a family there” exemplifies importance of morally upstanding character in classic westerns


  C should spare him because he’s law-abiding citizen 
• Creates binary opposition to C as he’s a foreign outsider whose motivations aren't yet clear to audience