Film Annotated Bibliography

Covell, Scott. “Devil with a Bad Haircut: Postmodern Villainy Rides the Range in No Country for Old Men.” No Country for Old Men: from Novel to Film. 2009. Ed. Lynnea Chapman King, Rick Wallach, and Jim Welsh. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow. 95-109. Print.

This article discusses the character of Anton Chigurh in detail. He starts the article with a brief summary of the movie with aspects of it that set it apart as a new modernized Western film. The author begins the article discussing the nature of Chigurh and how he fits in with other iconic Hollywood villains. He discusses the similarities that Chigurh share with them, but also notes difference that allow him to stand apart as a true post-modern villain. He discusses the attire that the filmmakers chose to costume Bardem in. He then discusses the aspects of Bardem’s appearance that allow him to be a perfect Chigurh.

Letterman, David. 2008. The David Letterman Show. NBC. November 14.

During the opening monologue of this daily tabloid updates, he made a joke about the hair cut choices of Anton Chigurh of No Country for Old Men and how it relates to the feelings about the character.

McGrath, Charles. “Big Gun Takes on the Apocalypse.” New York Times Online. 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/movies/13mcgr.html?_r=1>.

This article is a discussion of the actor, Viggo Mortensen, who plays the father in the movie version of The Road. McGrath discusses the process that Viggo underwent in getting ready to make the film. The article offers statements from the producers of The Road on why they chose Mortensen for the role. The article briefly discusses the harsh conditions in which the film was shot and the nature of the relationship necessary between Mortensen and fellow actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays the son. Finally, the article describes relevant information about the other films that Mortensen has been in and his affiliations and activities outside the film industry.

———. “At World’s End, Honing a Father-Son Dynamic.” New York Times Online. 27 May. 2008. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/movies/27road.html?pagewanted=2&sq=AtWorld’sEnd,HoningaFather-SonDynamic&st=cse&scp=1>.

This article is about the filming of the movie, The Road. It first offers a summary of the novel, and then discusses the conditions necessary to film such a bleak landscape. The article states that an unusual setting was required to capture the rainy overcast world. The article also discusses different sets that were found to give the film the deserted look it required. The article also features interviews with both the cast and crew on what they wanted to achieve for the film. The producers wanted to avoid cliché attitudes toward the apocalypse. The actors agreed, stating they wanted it to be more about the relationship of the father and son. To do this, the relationship of the two actors had to mirror the characters both on and off the set. McGrath discusses the strengths of the two actors who played the main characters and the unique relationship they built because of their time spent together.

Morrison, Gail Moore. “All the Pretty Horses: John Grady Cole’s Expulsion from Paradise.” Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy. 1993. Ed. Arnold, Edwin T., and Dianne C. Luce. Jackson: University of Mississippi. 173-193. Print.

This article is a critical analysis of All the Pretty Horses. It discusses the important nature of both the physical and metaphorical journey that John Grady undertakes. It establishes the novel as a coming of age novel and relates it to the traditions of Melville and James, and like these traditions the novel presents the fall from innocence into experience. Morrison places John Grady as the hero whose journey is in the end fruitless. His journey strips him of the romantic ideals he had for Mexico, but in return he is no longer an innocent boy, but a man of experience. Morrison goes on to describe the importance of the horses and the symbolic nature of the breeding program of which John Grady was to be a part: the mixing of Mexican mares with a Texas stallion, much like the mixing of Alejandra to John Grady. Morrison then divides the novel into four parts, each with corresponding tempos as in a musical composition. The first section of the novel is linear, slow, and leisurely to set up the false ideas of paradise to come; the second is an allegro interlude of paradise; the third is a staccato expulsion into purgatory; and the fourth is a linear journey to the rendering of judgment. Each of the four larger journeys is carefully juxtaposed through their component episodes. Morrison also discusses the importance of war and what it means for the female characters of the novel. She discusses how the revolution may have affected the way that Alfonsa treats both Alejandra and John Grady’s feelings toward her. 

Nair, Nitin. “Chigurh: The Ultimate Psycho.” 10 February 2008. Web. 1 May 2010. <www.gulfnews.com/4men/Celebrities/10204500.html>.

This article discusses in brief the character of Anton Chigurh and his portrayal by Javier Bardem. Nair creates a personality profile for Chigurh and then compares him with similar Hollywood villains. The article then gives a biography of the actor Javier Bardem. Finally, it discusses the hair cut chosen for the character and the media reaction to it.

Schickel, Richard. “Hypnotized by No Country for Old Men.” Time. 09 Nov. 2007. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1682381,00.html?iid=sphere-inline-sidebar>.

This is a film review of the movie No Country for Old Men. Schnickel begins with a brief summary of the film. He then discusses the Coens’ other films and how No Country for Old Men is similar in that it discusses a topic based on a small town that undergoes some type of unusual occurrence. Schickel offers congratulations to Javier Bardem for his portrayal of the villain and talks about the eerie nature of the character. The reviewer states that Josh Brolin’s performance as Moss, the American good-ole-boy, is the perfect foil to Bardem’s character.  He offers that Tommy Lee Jones’ performance as Sheriff Bell is spot on and in conclusion, states that because of the time period and themes the violence is necessary.

Strang, Brent. “Chasing Ghosts across the Hard Caliche in No Country for Old Men.” “I Am Not the Fine Man You Take Me For”: the Postmortem Western from Unforgiven to No Country for Old Men.” Diss. Universty of British Columbia. 2010. Graduate Theses and Dissertations: Masters of Arts - Film Studies. University of British Columbia. 122-133. Web. 6 May 2010. <https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/23480>

This chapter discusses the mixing of genres in the film No Country for Old Men. Strang suggests that the discordance of genres exposes the falseness of the frontier myth and the unrealistic answers that the traditional fable or film allows. Strang discusses the differences in the cinematography of this movie and the film shots in old Western classics, especially this film’s emphasis on material elements. The lack of score or soundtrack and up-close shots expose the harsh environment to the audience. Strange also discusses how each of the three main characters deviates from the ideal characters of Western myth.

Sugg, Katherine. “Multicultural Masculinities and the Border Romance in John Sayles’s Lone Star and Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy.” The New Centennial Review 1.3 (2001): 117-54. Project Muse. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/new_centennial_review/v001/1.3sugg.html>.

This article discusses how revisionist Westerns establish the social significance of Mexico as a backdrop for cultural dramas of American men and the state of the United States. The relationship of Americans to the Mexican border recovers the mythologies of American culture lost after “the West” was conquered. The Mexican landscape offers a new frontier to be explored by the youth of America. This ideology has been portrayed in many recent films includingAll the Pretty Horses, Traffic, and Lone Star. Lone Star is a discussion of multiculturalism and a critique of America’s view of monoculture history. The article then discusses the new breed of cowboy that inhabits this new frontier. The films establish a new type of character that creates a romantic attitude toward the border, yet must operate within the traditional systems that had been established. These films suggest that the border romance offers the American protagonist a kind of perceived hope for the future, which constitutes an important genre in American pop-culture.