UNITED STATES: NEW YORK PREMIERE HELD FOR LATEST COEN BROTHERS FILM "O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU" STARRING GEORGE CLOONEY

Record ID: 390631

  • Title: UNITED STATES: NEW YORK PREMIERE HELD FOR LATEST COEN BROTHERS FILM "O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU" STARRING GEORGE CLOONEY
  • Date: 26th December 2000
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 18, 2000) (REUTERS) SV: (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOEL COEN SAYING "We put in the Sirens, the uh .. the Cyclops .. the going home part of course, Penelope and the suitors although we reduced the suitors down to one." ETHAN COEN SAYING "Budget reasons." JOEL COEN SAYING "Yeah." LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 8
  • Embargoed: 10th January 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS/LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/ NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADOIH74WUIFQV8IN5ONAND9R8M
  • Story Text: It's been a special Christmas for George Clooney, who premiered his new film "O Brother Where Art Thou"in New York.
    It's the latest project from writer-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, famous for their hit movie "Fargo."
    In his latest movie venture, the man who made his name in the hit U.S. TV drama "E.R.", George Clooney plays the role of a down-on-his-luck con man in the Depression-era deep South.
    After Everett Ulysses McGill (Clooney) is separated from his wife, he runs afoul of the law and winds up on a prison chain gang. That's where he meets sweet and simple Delmar (Blake-Nelson) and the perpetually angry Pete (Turturro).
    Together, they embark on the adventure of a lifetime as they set out to pursue their freedom and return to their homes.
    With nothing to lose and still in shackles, they make a run for their lives and end up on an incredible journey filled with challenging experiences and colourful characters.
    George Clooney admits, the adventures are truly wild:
    "I think it's actually a Disney cartoon. I really do. I think this is the Lion King. (laughs.) I mean it feels like a cartoon. You know, when we were shooting it, they had storyboards on the back pages and the storyboards were these great cartoon drawings of the exact shots that you were going to do. And they sort of showed you how you were going to act in the scene, you know, they'd say here you're going to be like this and we'd be like (makes face.) Suddenly, you start, everything became larger than life."
    For Clooney, "O Brother, Where Art Thou" was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to work with famed brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.
    "Working with those guys is a dream come true. I mean, honestly, every actor I know wants to work with them.
    They are the greatest, they're just geniuses, and every move they do, you watch, you go .. what the .. what's going on in your brain.." says Clooney.
    The screenplay, written by the Coens, is based on "The Odyssey" by Homer, though not all elements were translated verbatim. One scene that did make the cut: an encounter with the mysterious Sirens who seduce Ulysses and his compatriots.
    Still, getting the movie funded was no picnic. That's where Clooney's star power came in. Says Joel Coen: "George is really the lead in the movie, so I mean we were looking for someone who was, you know, both a movie star and .. to sort of carry the movie that way, but also, you know, a character actor, someone who could also really inhabit the character, so I mean it's really pretty much that simple. You know, there aren't that many out there and George happens to be one of them who can do that."
    While the film is somewhat comical, it's also driven by its musical content.
    "We've always been interested in, you know, American traditional music of the south, of the thirties, and earlier, and it's a big part of the reason why we wanted to do this movie, to showcase that music," said Ethan.
    John Turturro agrees. At the premiere in New York City, Turturro talked about his enthusiasm for the movie, and the soundtrack: "I happen to love musicals. And not that this is a musical where we break into song, but the movie really informs the whole film, and I'm just a big fan of movie musicals in general, but this one is an adventure, a comedy so it has a lot of fun elements, that you don't usually get to do."
    "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" is on release in North America.
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