Scene Analysis Fargo

The extract I have selected is from the Coen Brothers film, Fargo. I will be analyzing this film in terms of its geographical location, and its social context. Then I will assess how the Coen Brothers utilize editing, sound, mise-en-scène, and the filmmakers’ influences and intentions. The film Fargo is a reality crime based thriller set in Minnesota during the 1990s. Jerry Lundegaard, a car salesman in Minneapolis who is caught in a bit of debt resorts to hiring two thugs, Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud, to kidnap his own wife and later collect ransom money from his father in law , Wade Gustafson, but the whole ordeal turns sour and results in a series of deaths. Fargo takes place in the 1990s in Brainerd Minnesota and partly in the

This shot captures all three characters in equal positions. This shot shows a sign of equal power among the three characters. Slowly, there is a zoom shot which focuses on Stan and Jerry, but Stan attracts the attention of the audience for covering a large portion of the screen. As Stan and Jerry continues simultaneously there is a hard cut into a over the shoulder shot of Wade and Jerry’s conversation. This shot shows that Wade is in control and the center of attention in this scene showing how Jerry is seen as less compared to Wade. Once the financials are discussed and Jerry’s intentions are revealed there is a hard cut to an over the shoulder with Wade and Stan. This shot displays how Wade and Stan are in power and are soon to dominant the discussion. The rest of the scene consists of close up shots of Jerry, Wade, and Stan. Each close up shows a different facial expression. For example, Jerry is distraught and on edge as a result of Wade rejection his preposition. Wade is rather relaxed as well as Stan. As Jerry walked back to his car in the thick Minnesota snow. He was delineated to be isolated in the form of a long shot. Jerry begins to scrap off the ice on his window in the form of a close up shot. This shot reveals Jerry’s emotions and how upset he is. The audience can Interpret that Jerry feels isolated and alone as a result of the interaction between Wade and Stan. Referring to the initial entrance scene, this was the only time in the entire scene where Jerry, Wade, and Stan were all framed together. This entire scene consisted of major power shifts. These subtle nuances created by the Coen brothers allows their audience to interpret this scene in multiple