Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Department of English Language and Literature.
Abstract
The goal of this paper will be to demonstrate the ways in which the classical poem The Odyssey influenced its cinematographic adaptation in the form of the Coen brothers’ movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? while simultaneously analysing the changes that are present in the film. The Coen brothers are postmodern(ist) artists/filmmakers, so the paper will analyse the key characteristics of the movement that are present within the movie; furthermore, it will provide a detailed look at the various mythical tales that are combined within The Odyssey and their equivalents in the movie, the way the characters from the former work are personified in the latter, and the structure of the works themselves, while focusing mainly on the film adaptation. Besides those points, this paper will also focus on the significant role of music, together with the time period in which the movie is set, the subtle socio-political commentary present in the film, as well as the characteristics of the road movie genre