The Coen brothers’ film is set during the Great Depression and the music that accompanies it, although mainly comprised of contemporary recordings, completely captures the impact music had on this period of American history.
The soundtrack includes an eclectic mix of gospel, Christian folk and bluegrass, none of which are genres I could describe myself as a fan of, yet it is difficult to dislike any genre when it’s represented as beautifully as this. The soundtrack won a Grammy in 2001 for album of the year, and I defy anyone who hears it to contest that this was not absolutely deserved! Without the music the film, loosely based on Homer’s The Odyssey, would lose a lot of its power as both a comedy and tragedy. Down to The River to Pray is an undeniably stirring track but is complemented by a total change in tone by the likes of Man of Constant Sorrow, a hit by the fictional Soggy Bottom Boys, a band made up of escaped chain-gang convicts.
Just in case you were worried I can assure you that George Clooney does not lend his own singing voice to the film, however he does reveal his hidden talent as a pretty convincing mime.
Ruth Wallbank
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I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this website. Thank you, I’ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your web site?
During term time the site is updated monthly, with some articles added occasionally at other times too but the majority of new content will now be published in September.