![]() ![]() ![]() The final short, “The Mortal Remains”, suggests that our approach to our death in large part determines the quality of our lives. They find humor in it - such as when Scruggs kills Clancy Brown in the old saloon over cards - as well as tragedy - such as the brutal ending of “The Gal Who Got Rattled.” ![]() They want their characters to contemplate it. That inevitable conclusion to our existences that we do our best to avoid, both in thought and action. Many have pointed out the bleakness to this film, due to the fact that all of the stories involve some contemplation of - and confrontation with - death. (This is why many were POed at the end of No Country For Old Men - because they had to interpret it themselves, and that’s hard, man!) The stories of Scruggs suggest that the Coens are so enamored with the devices of storytelling, because storytelling is our key to immortality. Heck, even The Big Lebowski is set up as a story being told to us, via Sam Elliot, the mustached “Stranger.” They seem fascinated with the mechanisms of storytelling and how the story itself transmutes meaning, as opposed to an explicitly-stated moral at the conclusion. The Coens have long been fans of stories within stories. Who can forget the stories of John Henry battling the machine on the railroad, or Pecos Bill riding the tornadoes, or Paul Bunyan chopping down trees with one sweep of the axe? These are stories that arose from the American Frontier, and the Coens play with those tropes, especially with Scruggs himself, who is an over-the-top, infamous outlaw known for his pleasant demeanor and sharpshooting. After all, the word “ballad” is in the title, and ballads are among the oldest types of stories that exist - songs passed down around the fire, spread through the oral tradition for all to remember through time. And now, there’s numerous songs throughout Scruggs, including the titular character playing and singing “Cool Water” while riding his horse “Dan” to start off the film. There’s the songs that Oscar Isaac sings in Inside Llewyn Davis. There’s the song that Danny has to learn for his Bar Mitzvah in A Serious Man. There’s the song of the railroad workers at the beginning of Brother. I mean, what soundtrack is more iconic than O Brother Where Art Thou? All right, Rocky 4, but apart from that, what else? Nothing, that’s what! The Coens are enamored with the way that songs carry on stories and traditions, the way they are passed down through time. And, of course, how the three are closely related. Because The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is about three things the Coen seems to love most: Songs, Stories, and Death. You might consider it the Coen brothers at their best. Six short films connected thematically comprise this film, which better win some Oscars, because it’s fucking good. ![]() Those wily Coen are at it again! From the fellas who brought you The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and A Serious Man comes The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a six-in-one special that follows wild characters through the Wild West as only the Coens can conceive it. ![]()
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