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Fargo (Special Edition) [1996]


RRP: £19.99
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Leave it to the wildly inventive Coen brothers (Joel directs, Ethan produces, they both write) to concoct a fiendishly clever kidnap caper that's simultaneously a comedy of errors, a Midwestern satire, a taut suspense thriller and a violent tale of criminal misfortune. It all begins when a hapless car salesman (played to perfection by William H. Macy) ineptly orchestrates the kidnapping of his own wife. The plan goes horribly awry in the hands of bumbling bad guys Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare (one of them being described by a local girl as "kinda funny lookin'" and "not circumcised"), and the pregnant sheriff of Brainerd, Minnesota, (played exquisitely by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning role) is suddenly faced with a case of multiple murders. Her investigation is laced with offbeat observations about life in the rural hinterland of Minnesota and North Dakota, and Fargo embraces its local yokels with affectionate humour. At times shocking and hilarious, Fargo is utterly unique and distinctly American, bearing the unmistakable stamp of its inspired creators. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Leave it to the wildly inventive Coen brothers to concoct a fiendishly clever kidnap caper with Fargo that's simultaneously a comedy of errors, a Midwestern satire, a taut suspense thriller and a violent tale of criminal misfortune. It all begins when a hapless car salesman (played to perfection by William H. Macy) ineptly orchestrates the kidnapping of his own wife. The plan goes horribly awry in the hands of bumbling bad guys Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare (one of them being described by a local girl as "kinda funny lookin'" and "not circumcised"), and the pregnant sheriff of Brainerd, Minnesota, (played exquisitely by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning role) is suddenly faced with a case of multiple murders. Her investigation is laced with offbeat observations about life in the rural hinterland of Minnesota and North Dakota, and Fargo embraces its local yokels with affectionate humour. At times shocking and hilarious, this is utterly unique and distinctly American, bearing the unmistakable stamp of its inspired creators. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD:Fargo, Special Edition presents the movie in anamorphic widescreen (16:9) with Dolby 5.1 available in a choice of English, French or Spanish. Extras include a rare 20-minute interview with the Coens and Frances McDormand, dating from the time of the movie's release, and the 27-minute retrospective documentary, "Minnesota Nice", which has more interviews with the principal cast and crew. There's a "Coen Brothers' Family Tree" listing actors who have collaborated with the duo, and an on-screen trivia track which, among other nuggets, provides a history of pancakes after Peter Stormare's character famously demands "Where is pancakes house?". Cinematographer Roger Deakins provides an intermittent commentary mostly concerned with technical issues. The text of an American Cinematographer article about Deakins and the Coens, trailers and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery complete the package. --Mark Walker

Editorial
Special Features

English
Region 2

Editorial
Synopsis

Poor Jerry Lundegaard. He's deep in debt. His wealthy father-in-law has no respect for him. He cheats customers at the car dealership where he works. And now he's hired a bumbling duo to kidnap his wife--a plan that goes horribly awry, leading to homicide.
Enter Marge Gunderson, one of the most fabulous movie cops in film history. The very-pregnant Marge--played marvelously by Frances McDormand in an Oscar-winning and career-defining performance--just goes about her everyday business, eating (in nearly every scene), talking to the people in the community, and examining bloody corpses as if no day is different from the next. A multiple murder in the small town of Brainerd, Minnesota--home of Paul Bunyan, as the sign claims--seems to have little effect on her. Yet she has an innate cop sense--she is very, very good at her job and determined to solve the case in her offhanded manner.
FARGO is yet another offbeat, highly entertaining film from the Coen brothers (BARTON FINK, BLOOD SIMPLE). The film is nearly colorless; instead, director of photography Roger Deakins washes the screen in the blinding white of the snow, occasionally breaking for the drab grays and browns of police uniforms and winter jackets. Carter Burwell's score further enhances the slow, steady pace of this oddly funny and compelling film. The Coens have once again populated their film with a slew of bizarre characters, with outstanding performances delivered by all, particularly the edgy William H. Macy, the quietly luminous McDormand, the nearly psychotic Steve Buscemi, and the oh-so-cold Peter Stormare.
Editorial
From the Back Cover

* "Minnesota Nice" - a new documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew about the behind the scenes making of the film
* Interview with the Coen Brothers
* Audio Commentary with the Director of Photography Roger Deakins
* "The Coen Brothers Family Tree" - an interactive guide
* American Cinematographer Article
* Photo Gallery - fascinating, rare pictures from the set, behind-the-scenes, cast & crew
* Trivia Tracks - all you need to know about the key points of the movie
* Trailers

Wonderful film by Coen Brothers...
Review date: 2008-07-05 Rating: 8 out of 10

Fargo is the name of a small town in Dakota US. The movie takes place in Fargo and is about a man who is a car dealer and desperately in need of money. He plans to raise the money by kidnapping his own wife via some thugs and squeezing money from his father-in-law. Things take a different turn from the plan creating mayhem and shedding a lot of blood. The small town life of an ordinary US citizen is well portrayed in the film. Mostly middle aged and living in reasonably comfortable lives the common people are leading easy-going lives. There are also those who lead wandering lives, no cash, no home, no real friends or nothing. Spectacular personalities deserving focus are the prostitutes who are least concerned with life, they have graduated from high school and their life is terminated. No money, no prospects, no more education. Also deserving focus is the illegal dealer and car mechanic on parole "Chef". He is the typical suspect as he is of Indian origin and once condemned so always under the sword of Damocles--the US law-- . Detective Marge who is more than a country detective showing signs of brilliance in detection capability and reasoning, exploits this situation by her cunning approach. The usage of English is quite interesting among locals. In all her interviews the detective uses and hears "Yah!" instead of a yes. The film gets the events from real life incidents happened on separate occasions. Once you choose the illegal way you have to consider all the possible consequences as there is no limit. Once you have trodden on the mire you can not step back. You can choose that way if you have a logical reasoning but be warned!

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Reviews


Coens, Coons and Raccoons in South Dakota
Review date: 2008-06-16 Rating: 10 out of 10

Take a sordid crime story, but something really bleak, gross, more than anything you can think of as trashy, disgusting, sickening, etc and entrust the story to the Coen Brothers to make it a comic thriller and you might get some kind of funny, humorous and hilarious film with blood everywhere, victims everywhere, one million dollars playing hooky in some snow landscape, a pregnant sheriff that is loaded to the very brim and is still smiling and going though not running. And mind you they do not miss one detail. Neither the shot through the top of the skull and the blood geyser out of it. Nor the body in the wood chipper with one foot with its sock still on sticking out. Nor the meal of the sheriff: she is obviously expecting quintuplets, even maybe two sets of quintuplets. And the sheriff's husband is a painter: he paints stamps for the post office, I guess among other great projects. You will learn that DLR means Dealer. That's important. And what else? So much that you would get dizzy if I started quoting them all and you would have no surprise. And it is a true story. Crime for the dummies, I guess, crime made easy and pleasurable. A great moment of fun.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines


You're darned tootin!
Review date: 2008-04-25 Rating: 10 out of 10

Fargo is another brilliant querky story by the Coen brothers about the little people in every-day small town USA that most Hollywood films never go near. It starts off slow but once we meet all the characters you just remain glued. The plot revolves around car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (played by William H. Macy) who is in deep financial trouble. He hatches a plan to get some of his father-in-laws cash by having his wife kidnapped. This task is assigned to Coen brother regulars Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare. As you would guess, the scheme goes completely pear-shared and we get murder after murder until pregnant policewoman Marge Gundersson (Frances McDormand) solves the case.
It's a violent and dark film but with comedy on many layers; the punishment given to poor old Steve Buscemi's character just keeps getting worse and worse as the tale goes on (watch it to find out), and lines like "he was kinda funny lookin'" and "I'm co-operatin' here" are unforgettable. You know it's a good movie when you and your friends keep quoting lines from it again and again. Definitely the Coen Brothers best all-round film to date.

An excellent, funny, disturbing movie
Review date: 2007-08-08 Rating: 10 out of 10

I put Fargo up there with the best. The Coens are young and productive, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with in their careers. They'll have a hard time topping Fargo. Some things I like about it...
--The way they mix violence with humor (not just gross-out easy laughs). Buscemi's reaction to Stormare shooting the cop is funny in a twisted way... but Stormare going after the young couple immediately after is scary and unsettling. This one scene sets the tone of the whole movie.
--Buscemi's reaction to Presnell's refusal to deal is funny...but Buscemi's reaction to being shot is also funny, and is also scary.
--Marge Gunderson feeling nauseated when she sees the mess at the crime scene...and it's just morning sickness. This brief moment really establishes her character.
--Marge Gunderson's relationship with her husband is really endearing, and is a thread that runs throughout the movie. It gives the movie a lot more humanity that most Coen films have.
--And Bill Macy; his character is so earnest and so out of his depth.
Fargo is a movie that stands up to repeated watching.
The DVD transfer is first-rate

An extremely original and entertaining movie. One of the Coen Brothers' cleverest.
Review date: 2007-07-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

This movie grabs you from the start. The inept bungling characters provide a fascinating dialog and a constant source of dark and clever humour. In the midst of this Frances McDormand's character methodically hones in on her suspects like a pregnant slow motion heat-seeking missile.

Steve Buscemi, Frances McDormand, and William H Macy play their roles to perfection and top off a cast that is rarely bettered. Steve Buscemi again provides the perfect conduit for Coen Brothers dialog "[as a police officer approaches the kidnappers' car]... just keep it still there lady or we're gonna have to...you know...shoot ya"

This movie has achieved cult status which is no mean feat for one that has also won Oscars...just an indication of the Coen Brothers appeal and propensity to cross boundaries with their work.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Harve Presnell
Frances McDormand
Steve Buscemi
William H. Macy
Peter Stormare

Creators:
Frances McDormand (Primary Contributor)
William H. Macy (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
EAN: 5050070008357
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Colour, PAL, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-04-21
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1996-03-08
Language: Czech (Subtitled)
Language: Dutch (Subtitled)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: French (Subtitled)
Language: Greek (Subtitled)
Language: Hungarian (Subtitled)
Language: Polish (Subtitled)
Language: Portuguese (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: French (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)

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