Like the dedicated and creative; cultured and persistent
prospectors they are; the Coen Brothers have struck cinematic gold again. Their
western anthology film “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is amazingly,
aggressively and adventurously awesome. You may have heard about it, are
curious about or have already seen it. If you are among the “have-not-seens” category do by all means see it. You will be
thrilled, moved, outraged, perplexed and wonderfully entertained.
The brothers; Ethan and Joel are famous for completely upsetting
just about every film trope and norm with their unusual take on life and movie
traditions. They have essentially created their own film language layered with
a gusto and panisch that is seldom equaled. Maybe the likes of Quentin
Turrintino, Jack Jarmush or Spike Lee are in the Coen’s league but it is a
small club. Their’s is in reality a very small club.
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is an anthology film
featuring six segments. The segments are only connected by the fact that that
are all of the western genre. These short narratives vary in length and tone.
Written over a period of twenty five years they stand alone in nature with no
connecting thread. What the brothers have done with the first segment while introducing
the character of Buster Scruggs begins with a most unique concept. Where Movie
and TV Westerns have always reflected the tastes, morality and spirit of their
times or decade of creation things are mixed up with “Buster Scruggs.” A singing cowboy in the tone of a Gene Autry
or Roy Rogers finds himself in a world where every other character is like the
inhabitants of a Sergio Leone “Spaghetti Western.” What follows is pure delightful
insanity, comedy and ridiculous drama as the segment twists turns and unfolds
in totally unexpected ways. Little here
is close to what might originally be expected.
Another standout segment features a story-teller of a talent
that is to marvel in any venue or time. He is polished, intelligent, dignified
and charismatic. He is also armless and legless. An unscrupulous and grungy oaf
of a man played by an almost unrecnozible Liam Neeson is carting the vocal
performer around frontier towns for audiences that are as enthralled as they
are dwindling. Recitations by Shakespeare, Lincoln and the likes of Oscar Wilde
are among the performer’s repertoire. The two are completely dependent on each
other’s abilities. Where does such an uncommonly matched couple come from and
where can they go with such an arrangement.
All of the segments to a degree center on death or at least
to death’s fruition. The irony, the finality and the inevitability of it all
are told in a multitude of fashions including: shoot outs, suicides, murders,
ambushes, lynching’s and the resolve of it all by “The Harvesters of Souls.”
Another interesting element brilliantly and lovingly
incorporated into the visuals is a physical story book. The hardcover book
appears to be a well-worn published edition of the book “The Ballad of Buster
Scruggs” that alludes to what might have been their original printed format. It
is an effective and cunning device. Each segment begins with a lush
illustration from the books pages and an interesting title that hints at the
given narrative without giving away any real knowledge to the following story.
I take this as a nod to another formidable but less controversial film maker of
old; Walt Disney and his early films.
There is much here to treasure and enjoy. They are the always inventive Brothers Coen…Ethan and Joel…the Best of the Best.
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
Press Conference with Joel & Ethan Coen
