O Brother, Where Art Thou? Page #2

Synopsis: Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is having difficulty adjusting to his hard-labor sentence in Mississippi. He scams his way off the chain gang with simple Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and maladjusted Pete (John Turturro), then the trio sets out to pursue freedom and the promise of a fortune in buried treasure. With nothing to lose and still in shackles, their hasty run takes them on an incredible journey of awesome experiences and colorful characters.
Production: Buena Vista
  Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 35 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.8
Metacritic:
69
Rotten Tomatoes:
77%
PG-13
Year:
2000
107 min
$45,150,731
Website
991 Views


EVERETT:

Well I'm votin' for yours truly too!

Both men look interrogatively to Delmar.

He looks from Pete to Everett, and nods agreeably.

DELMAR:

Okay - I'm with you fellas.

Everett makes a sudden hushing gesture and all listen.

The baying of hounds is louder now, but through it we hear a

distant scrape of metal against metal, like the workings of

a rusty pump. The men turn in unison to look up the track.

A small, distant form is moving slowly up the track toward

them.

As it draws closer it resolves into a human-propelled flatcar.

An ancient black man rhythmically pumps its long seesaw

handle.

The three convicts look out at the swampland which begins to

show movement, the bowing grass trampled by men and dogs.

The flatcar draws even and slows.

EVERETT:

Mind if we join you, ol' timer?

OLD MAN:

Join me, my sons.

The three men clamber aboard and the old man resumes pumping.

The three men exchange glances; Delmar waves a clanking hand

before the old man's milky eyes. No reaction.

DELMAR:

You work for the railroad, grandpa?

OLD MAN:

I work for no man.

PETE:

Got a name, do ya?

OLD MAN:

I have no name.

EVERETT:

Well, that right there may be why

you've had difficulty finding gainful

employment. Ya see, in the mart of

competitive commerce, the-

OLD MAN:

You seek a great fortune, you three

who are now in chains...

The men fall silent.

OLD MAN:

And you will find a fortune - though

it will not be the fortune you seek...

The three convicts, faces upturned, listen raptly to the

blind prophet.

OLD MAN:

...But first, first you must travel

a long and difficult road - a road

fraught with peril, uh-huh, and

pregnant with adventure. You shall

see things wonderful to tell. You

shall see a cow on the roof of a

cottonhouse, uh-huh, and oh, so many

startlements...

The cloudy eyes of the old man stare sightlessly down the

track as the seesaw handle rises and falls through frame.

OLD MAN:

...I cannot say how long this road

shall be. But fear not the obstacles

in your path, for Fate has vouchsafed

your reward. And though the road

may wind, and yea, your hearts grow

weary, still shall ye foller the

way, even unto your salvation.

The old man pumps - reek-a reek-a reek-a - as all contemplate

his words.

Loud and sudden:

OLD MAN:

IZZAT CLEAR?

The men start, then mumble polite acknowledgement.

The railroad tracks wind to the setting sun. Reek-a reek-a

reek-a - the flatcar rolls, in wide shot, toward the golden

horizon.

FADE OUT:

DAY:

A hot dusty road leading up to a lone farmhouse.

The three men walk, clanking and abreast.

DELMAR:

How'd he know about the treasure?

EVERETT:

Don't know, Delmar-though the blind

are reputed to possess sensitivities

compensatin' for their lack of sight,

even to the point of developing para-

normal psychic powers. Now clearly,

seein' the future would fall neatly

into that ka-taggery. It's not so

surprising, then, if an organism

deprived of earthly vision-

Rate this script:4.5 / 6 votes

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Submitted by acronimous on May 01, 2016

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