No Country for Old Men (2007) Audio Commentary

The dark knight rises...

RC-2013-111: No Country for Old Men (2007)







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Let's call this episode "The Roger Ebert Memorial Commentary." The prolific critic felt No Country for Old Men was as good as any picture made by the Coens (and in the very next clause he warmed my heart by adding, "and they made Fargo.") Still giddy from a recent revival screening, I quit swooning long enough to explicate a lot of what makes this movie so great. I describe the skillful visual storytelling techniques, the strange deja vu structure, and the philosophical concerns found in the works of both the Coens and Cormac McCarthy. I sing the praises of Woody Harrelson, too. Then, after taking some of the more asinine criticisms and interpretations to task, I get around to articulating my own reading of the film (sort of). This one's for Roger.



Show Notes

That super-comprehensive Wikipedia page on the film's themes and analysis
An example of some slightly less-than-thoughtful criticism of NCFOM, along with a withering rebuttal to said criticism
David Denby's review in which he wonders why Llewelyn didn't get a death scene
A cool Coen Bros. fan site
McCarthy's two-man play, The Sunset Limited
A Sight & Sound essay on NCFOM

Listen to the mp3. Or get the track at the gettin' place, iTunes.