Soundtrack Review: O Brother Where Art Thou (2000) In-Film: 9/10; Soundtrack: 10/10

Writing about the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou (2000) is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the fame of the soundtrack has almost exceeded that of the film itself (to the extent that it has even been credited with a Bluegrass popularity spike). This is not simple hype; the music chosen for this eccentric work by the Coen brothers is both quirky and entirely apt for the cinematic world (more on this later). On the other hand, the music has frequently come under criticism for its role in the film itself – a role which is never defined enough to allow us to comfortably settle into the narrative. Is O Brother a musical, with its frequent diegetic performances, or are the songs an exceptional illustrative part of the overall theme? 

O Brother follows the exploits of three escaped convicts in pursuit of treasure in the American South, during the Great Depression. Borrowing characters and situations from Homer’s Odyssey, the film is both a satire of and a respectful nod to the era. The theme of technological development shapes much of the film. The treasure must be found before a valley is flooded to make way for a hydro-electronic dam. As the protagonists travel onwards, we see how the locals have lived without electricity and how it is being gradually introduced into their lives. 

Music is a key part of this; may scenes involve a family group singing or someone playing beside a campfire, making music a strong part of everyday life. As the film continues, a radio station begins to broadcast ‘Old Timey’ music – an action that is soon hijacked by immoral political campaigners who capitalise on the respected tradition. 

However, the use of music is not simply political. A religious group converts a character through the simple hymn ‘Down to the River to Pray’. A group of seductresses ‘bewitch’ the leads through haunting three-part harmonies as they sing ‘Go To Sleep You Little Thing’. The KKK even take part, singing a hair-raising a capella of ‘O Death’ as they lynch a man who has (ironically) sold his soul in order to become good at playing the guitar. From demonic to divine, family to the wider world, tradition to technology, music is a part of everything. 

The fact that the Coen brothers use music in every single thematic message is slightly problematic. While it successfully unifies the film and creates narrative continuity, it begins to blur the lines between any overt messages we might be told. At the end of the day, we might as well describe O Brother as a film about music itself, and music alone. 

But does that make it a musical? 

The Coen Brothers often use musical performance or set pieces in their films. A good example can be found in The Big Lebowsky (1998) and its hilarious music-video-come-porn-parody Gutterballs. This sequence, set to ‘I Just Popped in (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)’ by Kenny Rogers, features a full Vaudeville-esque choreography sequence and a disproportionately large set which (especially at the start) evokes memories of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985). This isolated sequence certainly does not make the film a music video or a musical; it is obvious that it is intended to be surreal. 

This excessive theatricality is more of a Coen Brothers' trait than an isolated filmic style (we can see theatre being used in a similar way in Barton Fink (1991), for example), and I would like to suggest that O Brother is a (rather extreme) example of the same trope. While the musical sequences are all performed, they are functional and treated as either a realistic event (such as the families who sing at the county fair) or surreal (the sirens). As previously mentioned, the fact that there are so many musical numbers does backfire slightly, as reality and surrealism are never properly defined. 

In a way, this creates the mood of the film – a drifting, strange exploration of an eccentric land. In another way, it means that the plot occasionally seems muddied, and the pacing of the film may feel uneven to some viewers. It is jarring to switch from a high speed bank robbery to four men sedately singing flawless bluegrass into a radio. It also makes the plot seem detached from any real purpose; many of the characters seem to have little function beyond either singing or listening to music, and political careers are made and broken on the strength of a single song. It could be argued that this has more to do with fame than with music itself; when the ‘Saggy Bottom Boys’ are exonerated, it is because the crowd cheers for them, not because they sang ‘A Man of Constant Sorrow’. However, in order to accept their pardon, they are given one condition: they must sing again. In a story where no one actually mentions the fact that everyone seems to be a musical prodigy, this seems like rather a deus ex machina. 

This is a very enjoyable soundtrack, and one of the rare examples where you will find yourself singing along to nearly every track. Its commercial success has already been written about at length – it is, simply put, a compilation of contemporary Bluegrass hits performed by stellar contemporary artists. There isn’t a soundscore per se, and for that reason it is hard to differentiate between the rating I would award the film vs. the separate soundtrack release. We might as well think of the film as one that lacks a soundtrack, but has a lot of musicians on screen. Since some of the music is particularly impactful in context, I would suggest watching the film before listening to the soundtrack. ‘I am a Man of Constant Sorrow’ is a breathtaking surprise – if you haven’t already heard the song. Similarly, the sustained musical sequences of ‘Down to the River to Pray’ and ‘O Death’ may lose their effect if you are familiar with the work, since the sound takes as central a role as the action. 

As usual you can listen to the entire soundtrack over at CineTracks. 

Review by Vivien Leanne Saunders​