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Mis-En-Scene In The Coen Brothers No Country For Old Men

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Strategies of Mis-en-scene in The Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men
The Coen Brother’s films are always created in a particular way; a way that makes you look and think extra hard about what’s being presented, and how even the simplest of visuals and presentations could be connected to a broader picture or idea. Through their creation of films, the Coen Brother’s craft an unequitable mis-en-scene that captures the audience and draws them into the film itself unlike any other picture can. Through analyzation of the sets, props, lighting, and characters, this paper will show how strategies of mis-en-scene are overwhelming in the Coen Brother’s No Country For Old Men by way of “The Coin Toss” scene (No Country For Old Men), what elements …show more content…

Mis-en-scene, literally meaning, “putting into scene” in French, and further “includes everything that overlaps with it: setting, costume, the behavior of the figures, and the lighting” (Conti, 1) is key to understanding the discussion driven home in this paper, in addition to how it is directly connected to every piece of the film, both visually and in the production and pre-production in hopes of directors, in this case the Coen Brothers, creating a successful film. One of the best examples of mis-en-scene in No Country For Old Men is “The Coin Toss” scene. Here, the audience is initially presented with a long shot of a desert-like, micro-sized town somewhere in the middle of Texas. In the foreground area, a gas station sign labeled ‘Texaco’ is presented, confirming that the town does in fact have some establishments, but certainly not very many. The overwhelming feel of this shot is of isolation, or really insecurity, due to the fact that should anything happen here, in this location, to anyone, there will most likely not be any quick and readily available help, which is further bolstered by the visual of a singular car …show more content…

Through the analyzation of sets, lighting and characters, this paper found how strategies of mis-en-scene were perfected in No Country For Old Men through “The Coin Toss” scene, elements of Western film genre, and additional components via character personalities and visual elements that helped the audience directly connect to the whole of the film, and further elevate the mis-en-scene of the entire

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