Coen Brothers Film Analysis

‘Inside Llewyn Davis’, a later film of the Coen Brothers, has an unusual script in terms of the conventional form of screenwriting, but one that is clearly recognisable to be of the Coen brothers. This isn’t to say they aren’t masters of the craft, as their work clearly shows experience and clarity. Instead we see that they keep their creative integrity and that their work can be seen as clearer and more structured than a script that follows all the rules. Their vision and planning through the script is noted by many of their crew-members, including Paul LeBlanc, the hair department head on ‘No Country for Old Men’ who said that “The Coen Brothers say what needs to be said and nothing more in any script.” (LeBlanc, 2013, p.119) Their actors also mention this, as Carey Mulligan who plays Jean in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ says “They’re just so
Where it is changed it is usually to make to story clearer, for example, the added line of Pappi saying “You and Mikey used to sing that song.” The removal of Troy’s line at the end of the scene where we find out Jean is pregnant increases the impact of this reveal and therefore helps the story the brothers are trying to tell. In terms of the dialogue, the brothers have used comeback zingers (e.g. “Well - I’m sorry, which? Out, or fuck you?”), push button dialogue (e.g. “Do you...plug yourself in somewhere?”), repetition (e.g. “I have to run the elevator.”), sarcasm (e.g. “He’s great. Good to see what I have to look forward to.”) and other techniques. Each character’s dialogue is only longer than two lines when necessary (e.g. with Jean or Roland) and every word is used effectively. The whole film, in a way, is a set-up itself, only to be payed off when we realise the end is the beginning and the significance of this. Where they break the rules, using past tense, including camera