Pieuvre.ca
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Pieuvre.ca
    • Accueil
      • Notre équipe
      • La réplique
      • Annoncez sur Pieuvre.ca / Advertise at Pieuvre.ca
      • Votre semaine tentaculaire
      • Contactez-nous
      • Fil de presse fourni par Cision – Français
      • Newswire provided by Cision – English
    • Culturel
      • Arts visuels
      • Cinéma / Télévision
      • Danse
      • Littérature
        • Romans
        • Essais
        • Bandes dessinées
        • Beaux livres
        • Poésie
      • Musique
      • Théâtre / Cirque
      • Festivals
        • Cinémania
        • Fantasia
        • FIFA
        • FNC
        • FTA
        • OFFTA
        • Montréal complètement cirque
        • Mutek
        • RIDM
        • RVQC
        • Vues d’Afrique
        • Zoofest
    • Politique / Économie
      • Politique
      • Économie
      • Afrique
      • Amériques
        • Élections fédérales 2021
        • Maison-Blanche 2020
        • Élections fédérales 2019
      • Asie
      • Europe
        • Présidentielle française 2022
      • Moyen-Orient
    • Science
      • Science
      • Environnement
    • Société
      • Société
      • Médias
      • Santé
      • Vie tentaculaire
      • Jeux de société
      • 45 ans du Stade olympique
    • Techno / Jeux
      • Technologie
        • Séance de test
      • Jeux vidéo
        • Rétroctopode
        • Jeux préférés de…
    • Podcasts
      • Entretiens journalistiques
      • Rembobinage
      • SVGA
      • Pixels et préjugés
      • Heure supplémentaire
    • Dons
    Pieuvre.ca
    Accueil»Culturel»Cinéma / Télévision»The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an Ode to Westerns and Death
    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
    Image taken from the movie

    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an Ode to Westerns and Death

    3
    Par David Harris le 19 novembre 2018 Cinéma / Télévision

    The Cohen Brothers are at it again. The Academy Award-winning directors and writers once more don the Stetson and spurs, as they saddle onto another cowboy feature with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. 

    The newest notch in their filmography is an anthology of short films eponymously named after the first segment. After a short theatrical run, this film recently made its way onto Netflix. Though the six 20 minute short films are unique in their own way, they bring in the Cohen Brothers trademark dark humour, beautiful cinematography, and take on mortality.

    Though they differ in more ways than not, they are ultimately Cohen Brothers productions. The series starts off with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, a story about an overly polite singing cowboy clad in white, with a violent streak. It’s an homage to the Hollywood golden age classic, with a hint of Warner Brothers cartoons thrown in. It’s colourful, silly, and full of songs and blood. The movie ends with The Mortal Remains, a stagecoach ride riddled with strangers contemplating life and love, mimicking a stage play. Every character has their own agenda and philosophy, and are required to share the same journey. Despite their vast number of differences, they work well together.

    Sometimes, anthologies are just connected by a simple theme like “horror”, “love”, or in a meta sense, “film”. At first glance, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is simply a western anthology. Each story has classic tropes: cool hats, shootouts, gravelly accents, and epic acts of defenestration. But, deeper down, each story deals with the concepts of death, life, and ultimately change. Some of the characters accept death with a shrug of the shoulders and a “what can ya do?” attitude. Others accept their fate half-heartedly, knowing that they would love to have done more, but understand it’s their time. It’s also important to understand that neither attitude is right or wrong. They are, simply, different.

    Segment from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
    Tom Waits as The Prospector in « All Gold Canyon »

    The Ballad of Buster Scruggs excels as an anthology without having a real agenda. The Cohen Brothers are not trying to prove a point, or change the way the audience thinks. They are simply displaying a buffet of ideologies and philosophies as a taste. They want to tell stories, and give a love letter to the western genre. They want to show that the vehicle of a story doesn’t define its moral center. Just like many of their films, death and change are inevitable; and sometimes bad luck is just around the corner. The concept of mortality in No Country for Old Men is far different than it’s in The Big Lebowski. The fact that the Cohen Brothers wrote and directed every chapter and never used a character or setting more than once, makes the move that much better.

    It’s difficult to say which episode stands out the most. In their own way, they are all solid. Even the degree of comedy varies from clever witticisms to full on slapstick pratfalls. Preferring one over another will depend on the audience’s inclination, and depend if they are in the mood for something serious, or something a little sillier. This is probably where the movie might lose some watchers. There will definitely be some uncomfortable scenes that travel into the Kafkaesque, which can ultimately ruin a good mood. Some stories can get quite bleak, and turn people off but, luckily, the chapters aren’t too long, so the dread is manageable.

    Segment from "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
    Zoe Kazan as Alice Longabaugh from « The Gal Who Got Rattled »

    The Ballad of Busters Scruggs is an iconic homage and love letter to westerns and the Cohen Brothers films by these same Cohen Brothers. With their unique sense of wit and intelligence, they have created a stunning movie of morality in six uniquely different stories. Fans of westerns will love this film, fans of Cohen Brothers will love this film, and fans of both must make this on top of their must watch and rewatch list.


    Related content:

    Shane Black brings his signature style to « The Predator »

    Partagez Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Courriel

    Articles similaires

    18 mai 2022

    Succession – The Complete Third Season : Quelle famille!

    18 mai 2022

    Loin des zones colorées avec Take Me to the River

    18 mai 2022

    Ma ville aux rayons X, l’urbanisme dans l’oeil d’Olivier Niquet

    David Harris
    • Site web

    David Harris has lived in Montreal his whole life. He thoroughly enjoys discussing most subjects including the arts, technology, and good food. He shows a great appreciation for good stories and dialogue, which suits his passions perfectly: television, movies, and graphic novels. But, deep down, he has to admit that his biggest love will always be with the movies and movie going experience.

    3 commentaires

    1. Pingback: Robin Hood: miser à tort

    2. Pingback: Excerpt from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an Ode to Westerns and Death” (originally Published on Pieuvre.ca) – David Harris' Portfolio

    3. Pingback: How ‘Once Upon a Deadpool’ Works as a PG-13 Movie

    Répondre Annuler la réponse

    Abonnez-vous à l’infolettre!
    Vous cherchez un contenu?
    Suivez-nous
    Dossiers spéciaux
    • Vues d’Afrique
    • Présidentielle française 2022
    • 45 ans du Stade olympique
    Nos podcasts
    • Entretiens journalistiques
    • Rembobinage
    • SVGA
    • Pixels et préjugés
    • Heure supplémentaire
    Récemment publié
    19 mai 2022

    Kooza : l’appel de l’enfance

    19 mai 2022

    Top Non-Gaming Casino Amenities for Players

    18 mai 2022

    Succession – The Complete Third Season : Quelle famille!

    18 mai 2022

    Loin des zones colorées avec Take Me to the River

    18 mai 2022

    Ma ville aux rayons X, l’urbanisme dans l’oeil d’Olivier Niquet

    Fil de presse fourni par Cision
    Newswire provided by Cision
    Informations
    • Votre semaine tentaculaire
    • Contribuez au succès de Pieuvre.ca
    • Notre équipe
    • Contactez-nous
    • Annoncez sur Pieuvre.ca / Advertise at Pieuvre.ca
    © 2009-2022 Hugo Prévost. Tous droits réservés.

    Tapez ci-dessus et appuyez sur Entrée pour rechercher. Appuyez sur Echap pour annuler.