No Country for Old Men: Brilliant writing from novel to screenplay
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
- This video analyzes the screenwriting tips found in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2008), screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy).
Screenwriting tips in the screenplay for NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN:
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Theme
05:54 Be Specific, Not Generic
08:16 Secondary Characters
12:46 Show, Don't Tell
14:08 Sound
15:29 Reveal Character
19:17 Dialogue
20:41 Patreon / Subscribe
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NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2008)
Screenplay by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen.
Adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Brenda Garcia
Nicholas Barragan
William Chevalier
#NoCountryForOldMen #screenwriting #CoenBrothers - Фільми й анімація
I love this movie so I’ve watched quite a few analyses. I gotta say you are true to your own words; “respect the audience”. Your insights almost made me believe I could write a decent story. And it made me want to go back and watch No Country for details I might have missed. I was sufficiently inspired that I caught a lot of clever and powerful - and no doubt deliberate - hidden gems myself. And. Here I am back for a second look at your video. Thanks for a terrific - and respectful - take 👍🏼
Very cool! What kind of gems did you find?
@@ScriptSleuth in the Coin Toss scene, there is some key imagery. Hanging on the wall behind the proprietor is a row of alternator belts, each of which is gathered around the middle by a paper/cardboard. Hanging behind him. Like nooses. Very Old West. Im the parking lot you can see an excavator/backhoe. Idled. Perhaps waiting to dig a grave. On the wall behind Chigurh there are two white cowboy hats. Choose your cowboys. Ed Tom and Wendell? Ed Tom and Llewelyn? Llewelyn and Carson?
In the penultimate scene sequence, lots of stuff, easy to overlook because it’s supposedly anti-climactic or post climactic.
Chigurh presses Carla Jean to “call it”. When she refuses, his demeanor changes as she says “the coin don’t have no say. It’s just you”. It’s the only time we see any uncertainty, and it is evident in both his facial expression and in his voice. He recovers by recognizing that “I got here the same way the coin did”. He reframed himself as merely the agent of his own actions. And he reinforces the ambiguity of his identity in the lack of specifics: he and the coin traveled there together. The coin may just as well have been the “driver” and he is just the passenger.
Then, while Chigurh is looking in his rear view mirror (the past) he is broadsided (the present) by a driver who runs a red light. Nobody sees what’s coming. Live in the past. Get hurt in the present. Very much like Sheriff Ed Tom. Nobody is immune.
Chigurh kills almost everyone he sees. I don’t know how it would make sense for him to kill the boys but I think there is a point being made by the fact that he didn’t. Two reasons: first of all, the coin is 22 years old. Older than them. So, it’s not their time.
Secondly, it ties in with the trailer park manager. The gas station owner provoked him by threatening his anonymity. “any rain up your way; I seen you was from Dallas.” She asks no such questions. In fact she refuses to exchange any information at all. His parting words to the accountant were “do you see me?” He does. And he dies, His parting words to the boys are “you didn’t see me.” They don’t die.
Cousin Ellis chides Ed Tom for his misperceptions about life: “It ain’t all waitin’ on you. That’s vanity.” In the Bible, in fact, vanity (or pride) is the first of the deadly sins. Chigurh extracts the ultimate price on anyone who dares to know, threatens his anonymity, knows too much, tries to outsmart fate, tries to see “what’s coming”. I think that also explains the trailer park manager. She sits there, in a lousy job, in a tiny office, filing her nails, making no presumptions, having no perceivable aspirations, filing her nails. She knows her place. She asks no questions. She don’t give no information. She is where fate has ordained. She doesn’t try to see or to stop “what’s coming.”’ She accepts her fate. Anton Chigurh is good with that.
And I like the imagery associated with his approach to the office door. It’s a yellowed kaleidoscopic shadow that looms larger the closer he gets to the door. Like an unknowable, fragmented, randomized, specter coming to call.
@@ScriptSleuth oops, I forgot to mention something about the alternator belts. There are quite a few of them. I think if you count them, and count the number of people Chigurh kills… yeah I wouldn’t put it past the Coen brothers.
(I am a math and science guy by nature. My wife is an English Literature teacher, so…. 😄)
The mundane “everyday” sets were so essential and stark
Just excellence all around 🙂
It helps that the original source material was initially written as a screenplay then became a novel.
Leaving plenty of room for filmmakers to decide on Chigurh's character design.
That's a neat fact. I had no idea
I haven’t looked through the other comments so someone may have already said this already, but many-and I would argue most-of those little details you mentioned about the story’s world actually came verbatim from the novel. The Coen’s screenplay is, dare I say, 95% or more word for word from the source material, spoken words and little details. It’s an incredibly rich novel. Format is amazing at what he does. That’s not to say the Coens didn’t create an adaptation that is 100% my favorite film.
GOATs, all of them.
Hehe. Format McCarthy
This. ❤️
Wrong - the flatbed truck … wasn’t a hunter w/ deer carcasses. It was the dead bodies from the desert drug deal gone bad.
Yup, that's been pointed out to me several times already. My mistake!
I really like the be specific thing, it's so simple that it's easy to overlook, but it makes a real positive difference. Plus make secondary characters serve the script, simple but great stuff.
You're right: it's pretty simple to do but easy to overlook!
Thanks so much for adding that background music. It really makes such a disturbing film bearable.
Glad it helped!
Trying to write a script right now, and this helped alot to say the least, too many things running through my mind, plus social media is literally the biggest distraction ever upon man, but thanks to all the procrastinating I came across this video which will no doubt improve my script (I hope 🤞)
That's what I created the channel for, to uncover all the techniques that the pros are using, but the ones that amateurs don't utilize. In any art form, you can learn a lot just by seeing what the masters do.
Good luck to you. It's tough to slice away the needed chunks of time to create in this world, but of you have a love for the medium, then by all means, why not engage as deeply as you can. You never know what the future holds, so, never focus too much on the end, but the journey itself. I draw and paint to what i would say are on a higher level than hobbyist, and if not for my one thing or another - life, procrastination, my own insanity, i could've found a way to probably make a living at it, but do it because i love it do it because i need it, and have let life stifle that and i begin to disappear along with my productivity, but i also have tried my hand at near a bit of most every other medium. I have written a short book, and it's a mess, with a few good parts, and stacks of poetry that maybe half could be burnt without even myself shedding a tear, and own several instruments with hardly a bit of proficiency or understanding, but i love reading and language, i love music, and all the arts, but it's also like running a marathon- not everyone will run a marathon, and fewer will finish, let alone win the race, but plenty join the race without any hope of achieving rank, but to at least feel like what it is to be like a member of the great race and be a person who pushes themselves to know themselves and know life. Even in failing we gain a deeper respect and understanding of the thing we love and who we are for loving it, because good art isn't easy, because even easy good art was made by people who take years and lifetimes to get to a point to make easy beautiful things, so a love or a need of knowledge should be your fuel, and far may you go.
Some really great insights in this video, and it gives me an even greater appreciation for the Coen brothers' art.
This was really well done, great pace and informative. I learned a lot very easily
Thanks for watching, Ben!
Really cannot thank you enough for this breakdown. It’s evident you have such an understanding for scripts, one that I look up to. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen this movie and never realized these themes and all the beautiful details of this film. Gonna use this on future screenplays!
Thanks for the nice comment, Wyatt!
Great breakdown! I never get tired of rewatching this masterpiece. The Coen brothers nailed it adapting McCarthy’s text.
Thanks for tuning in!
Hell yea. Between this,alien, taxi driver or blade runner. I dont need a sleep aid. All films o.s.t is so peaceful
WHY DOES THIS VIDEO HAVE SO FEW VIEWS AND LIKES???
This is gold!!!
It goes without question that I subscribed, I will watch EVERY one of your videos! Thank you for sharing them!!!
Thanks, my friend! You made my day. 🙂
Your channel is excellent, so happy to have found it, keep it up!
Thanks, Andrew! I'm glad you like it.
Those specific details mostly come from the book. Of course, that doesn't serve to diminish what the Coen brothers accomplished. Their choice to keep those small details instead of punching up the pacing was a very well-decided one.
Love the details in your analysis!
Glad you enjoyed it!
You are the best channel on UA-cam and I mean it !!
Awww shucks. Thanks for the kind words! I'm just glad the videos are helpful to my fellow writers.
Great video! Enjoyed watching all 21 minutes of it :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
How about a Wes Anderson movie, like Rushmore, and I would love to see you do a treatment of The Master.
Great suggestions! Noted.
Great breakdown, I learned a ton from this.
Awesome! I'm glad it was of some value to you. Thanks for watching!
Your videos are so good. I love it! Subbed :)
Thanks! You rock.
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Nicely done -- hats off to you, sir.....
Thank you!
19:35 When I first saw this, I had never heard of Kelly MacDonald. I thought they plucked her out of west Texas. I was like 'you could never duplicate an accent like that'. Needless to say, I was shocked when I first saw her interviewed
Talking about the Cohen brothers being specific in their detailing... Cormac is way beyond that. It's truly painstaking trying to get through the nomenclature he works in through his descriptions of the simplest thing. After reading "Blood Meridian" I felt like an expert on saddles and south west American flora.
Excellent point. I especially liked All the Pretty Horses.
Excellent insight into a modern day classic.
This channel is so good
Thanks, Daniel!
Very good video, taught me a lot
Glad it helped!
Ordinarily I don't subscribe on principle, but I WILL be going through your backlog of content top to bottom. Exceptionally well done. Very helpful. :-)
Awesome! Glad to hear it was helpful.
This video gives the Cohens a lot of credit for writing they didn’t do. The sections they chose for the movie are word for word from the text of the novel.
Great video! Thank you so much.
Thank you for watching!
First song is gold slouch
Thank you so much for the great content.
Thanks for the great comment! 😊
It quite a amazing movie in many aspects. Being a Texan it's very cool to hear them talk about places and people it really add this authenticity I can relate to. When I first watched it and they mentioned Temple (In the gas station scene) it kinda spun me for a loop seeing the fact that I had lived in temple for many years. Made me kinda think about the man this side character and his life and just picturing him in temple.
That's the power of being specific with the details! 😎
Thanks for explaining this masterpiece!
Thanks for watching, Daniel!
@@ScriptSleuth but you're Daniel
Very...very well said, lots of interesting and well articulated points about what goes into the writing of this film. One minor nit pick, 9:22, that technically isn't conflict, that's a negotiation, think about it, no one is negating another person's goal, therefor it can't be conflict.
If he had asked for the horse and his wife had said no, then that motivated why he needed the horse and what's at stake if he didn't have a horse, but in the next scene, we experience the necessary context, the reason they are using the horse it to look for tracks - show, don't tell, and we already know the stakes.
The motel owner, the taxi driver isn't conflict either, technically speaking, they aren't outright saying "no, i wont do that" the reason it isn't is because we already know the context of why he doesn't want to be there and the stakes by way of him seeing Anton's car. Conflict is there when essential context needs to be conveyed via back and forth between two characters, well not always, it depends.
Hey Daniel! Can you please analyze "The Accountant" directed by Gavin O'Conner, and staring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick....? Your film/writing critiquing is spot-on. I look forward to your future content. keep up the excellent work!
Thanks, Jimmy! You know, I haven't seen that movie yet. I'll be sure to check it out.
Awesome. I’d love to get your take on that movie. I am an author of fiction and nonfiction works. Are you a writer yourself? I ask because of the profundity of your content. If possible I’d love to chat with you (off the air). Take care! Hopefully we can talk soon!
@@jimmypinero Yes, I am working on my own screenplays. I specifically created this channel to force myself to analyze movies and make myself a better writer. It's the best film school I've ever done. Send me a note at info@scriptsleuth if you'd like!
I enjoy how things in one scene answer questions you may have about other scenes.
Like how Anton constantly tries to avoid stepping in blood. After leaving Carla Jeans house he checks the bottom of his shoes, confirming he killed her.
And when Llewelyn tells Carson he's seen Chigurh, Carson is surprised saying "you've seen him and you're still alive?"
When the accountant asks Chigurh if he's going to shoot/kill him, Chigurh's response is "that depends, do you see me?" That tells me he did kill him.
Yes! Great comment.
Thanks a lot for great stuff.. My humble request to make more videos of David Fincher,coen brothers, Denis villeneuve,Steven soderbergh movies
Thanks for watching!
fantastic video, great movie.
Thanks for tuning in!
Even though this film is so spectacular and the Coen brothers are genius writers. A lot of the specific details and feats they accomplished were made by none other than the author of the book, Cormac McCarthy. I don't mean to downplay their direction and vision of the film, but so many of the great narrative elements and techniques are done by McCarthy. They were fantastic at adapting the story and creating it for the visual medium. Yet, so much of the richness of the characters and narrative is derived straight from the book. I suppose this is a testament to how good McCarthy is at writing, and how good the Coen brothers are at adapting.
11:30 that was not a hunter. I thought it was a local hired by the authorities to cart dead bodies to the morgue
Yes, that was pointed out to me several times already. It's clear in the book, but the movie leaves it a little vague.
Yeah the sounds were great. The scene where the poor guy and his truck get shot up are very unique and just damn cool. They didn’t make huge explosive ridiculous sounds like most
We really do need study on more Coen Brother films. Maybe Barton Fink, A Serious Man, O Brother Where Art Thou, Miller's Crossing, Raising Arizona...
I definitely want to do more!
Wow this is gold. I'd subscribe twice if I could
You are amazing!
Thanks, Mohammad! You're too kind.
Brings out a lot of the elements that make this, for me, one of the two best movies made since the year 2000 (Joker being the other). But "deer carcasses"? (11:28). I wish!
Thanks for the comment!
Of all the brilliant Coen scripts you could choose, you chose the one that was lifted almost entirely from the book.
It's the second script. Fargo was the first: ua-cam.com/video/xjUtWpsbggo/v-deo.html
Exactly ! The script is almost word for word the same as the book dialog by Cormac McCarthy. In fact, McCarthy first wanted to write No Country for Old Men as a screen play. Amazing book and amazing adaptation by the Coen brothers nonetheless
underrated video.
The Coens had great source material to craft a great film. The Coens are masters at writing and filmmaking.
Yes 😎
The hair alone needs its own breakdown
It can't be broken down. 😆
bruh theres an explanation on one of the only other videos on him
the hair cuts from the spanish inquisition or something like that, it was a voilent time and they wanted his look to be timeless and for u to know he was dangerous on site
script sleuth just bein lazy
What other films would you like to see me cover? Let me know in a comment below!
Steven speilberg movie?
@@bskravivarman Definitely. For now we have Jaws at least.
@@bskravivarman ua-cam.com/video/hZP9RAmNEGA/v-deo.html
@@ScriptSleuth Thank you.... one more Steven speilberg movie?
@@bskravivarman Any one in particular?
great breakdown. any new videos on the way?
Always.
Really great details. Although the Coen brothers borrowed heavily from the novel, they had to make choices regarding what would translate to the screen, what to include, what shots to develop, etc. It's not as simple as formatting the book to a screenplay.
Exactly. Thank you.
So it would be fair to say that Cormac McCarthy should be given more credit than the none he is given in this video? Instead, the narrator credits such things as the "masterful use of specific details/dialogue" entirely to the screenwriters.
@@UncleSquingis Well that's fair I suppose, I saw an interview with the Coens who said McCarthy had kind of a "meh" attitude about it when he saw it. Seemed as if he didn't really need affirmation from them. Still, though, he should be given props for the original idea and story.
"When it comes to screenwriting, you can't get better than the Coen brothers"
Billy Wilder: Am I a joke to you?
😅
Another fantastic video on an excellent screenplay!
I agree that the secondary characters each have a purpose in the film. Never underestimate what secondary characters can accomplish! It’s frustrating sometimes when they’re put to the wayside and under-utilised, but in No Country For Old Men, that doesn’t happen.
I mean, the coin toss scene is not only captivating cinema, but it ultimately serves it’s purpose to enhance the plot, and is brilliantly written!
I love the suspenseful thrills, the fascinating characters, and how ambiguous the ending is!
A Coen Brothers classic no doubt! :)
Another great film with powerful secondary characters: Casablanca!
@@ScriptSleuth My all time favourite screenplay and one of my top favourite films period, so I’m well aware of how amazing it’s screenplay really is! :)
Just some recommendations.
1)Nine queens
2)The distinguished citizen
3)Heroic losers
4)My masterpiece
Thanks!!
I love Argentinean cinema! I definitely want to cover some soon. The Distinguished Citizen is a FANTASTIC slow burn.
Find it interesting that the deputy who arrested Chigurh didnt place him in a cell. Let him sit there, turned his back to him. Didnt expect him to do anything.
In the book Chigurh choked a man to death. And let himself get arrested.
Yes, there are definite differences in the book, and the Coens did a great job of making the sequences more cinematic (like adding the killer pitbull in the river).
Terrific analysis. But of all these videos I've seen no one seems to mention Chigurgh's seeming problem with...birds?
I remember the bird on the bridge. Were there more?
11:30 I thought those were the bodies from the shootout he was moving because the coroner couldn’t get his van down there.
I'm pretty sure you're right, and from memory, that's spelled out completely in the book. That minor issue aside, this is an excellent clip.
Ah, good catch. Thanks for that!
@@50GallonDrum Yes, you're right: it's clear in the book.
Roger Deakins' cinematography tho.
Always brilliant.
I love it❤👏
Glad you enjoyed it, Hosein!
One of the best films ever . Just got the book
How'd you like the book?
@@ScriptSleuth read the book years after the movie.
McCarthy’s writing style is like putting a puzzle together.
Loved Bell’s monologues. Heart wrenching stuff.
@@genericsavings I like McCarthy a lot. All the Pretty Horses is my favorite, along with The Road.
I'll be watching :)
Cool! It'll also be a live chat with Q&A.
@@ScriptSleuth Looking forward to it :)
Somebody tell me the name of that background song with the guitar please?!
All the background music is from UA-cam's audio library. Unfortunately, I have no idea of which track it was!
@@ScriptSleuth thanks man. I want to play those western chords that helps narrow it down so it's only a matter of time now!
Not a deer hunter. The plastic wrapped bodies on the truck aren't deer, they're the bodies from the scene out in the desert where Moss found the money.
Yes, numerous people have pointed out my mistake already 😆
Chigurh moves the boots from CARSONS blood, not the girl.
He wipes his feet on the doorstep in a long shot with the girl.
Man, how do you find these elements in a film? I want to be able to break down a film like this and find these elements.
Believe me, sometimes I feel like I'd never be able to find those things. But it comes from reading all the screenwriting books multiple times each, and watching films, and reading screenplays. Then you'll start seeing things that the pros do.
@@ScriptSleuth alright then.
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy You can definitely do it! The crucial element is to write down EVERYTHING that happens in a film as you watch it, especially the dialogue (verbatim). It's a tremendous pain in the ass, but you'll start to unlock the screenwriting techniques in your transcript.
Scariest character when I was 18: Chigurh
Scariest character now that I’m 29: trailer park hostess
😅
She has her principles ("no in-fer-mation") as does he. That saves her.
The "BEER!" woman at the motel pool who flirts with Llewellyn Moss is never shown up close. It helps create anxiety, however small in this case. Plus, it continues to keep Llewellyn at arm's length from EVERYbody he meets, adding to HIS anxiety.
Great point. Interestingly, her character is not in the book.
My favorite movie
Wendell is the comic relief and is there to show that Tommy Lee Jones is a big star. Almost all the secondary characters are there for a laugh. Script Sleuth has missed the biggest hole in the script. How does Anton get to the Hotel in El Paso? We are told Llewellyn is killed by the Mexicans and the El Paso Sheriff says someone had the gall to return to the murder scene. But who? We also see Anton taking the money in El Paso. So he gets the money by the end of the movie. But the what this guy misses is Anton is made to take on a god like dimension. I think the Coen Bros opened the door to get Bardam to come back for a sequel.
Thanks for your input.
*Bardem
Sequel? Would love that but it'll never happen. Even a prequel maybe so could have Moss and Carson in it again...
This movie is a masterpiece
11:28 Those aren't deer carcasses... Those are the dead bodies of the cartel members found in the desert... So now you know.
i love that there is no musical score.
I do, too!
Let’s go brandon 🍦🍦🍦
It was a unique movie
He didn’t drink the milk tho, if I recall correctly
Thank you sir , can you make video on jojo rabbit...
Great suggestion! Noted.
Um you keep saying "the Coen Brothers dialogue" it ain't their dialogue. It's word for word from the novel by the greatest living author Cormac McCarthy.
Waiting for Kill Bill Vol I
Gripping :o
Cheers, Pranav!
A hunter with deer carcasses that is not. Its a local who was hired to clean up the bodies from the drug deal gone bad.
Yup, I admit I made a mistake there. 😅
@@ScriptSleuth sorry about being the guy to correct something that didn't matter when it comes to the things you were discussing. Great video!
Whose a liver and whose a dyer
modern day western
Yes!
Hell or highwater
anyway, this was such a disturbing film - maybe because there's a lesson to the viewer about - expectation of satisfaction - is the "saddest fiction" without "satisfaction" ? - I'll take the pun
"What outfit?"
"12th Infantry Battalion."
That's not a proper army unit designation. It would be like someone asking your address, and you reply, "Fourth house"; House number? Street? City?
I've always been curious about this. What could he have said that would be more authentic?
@@ScriptSleuth A battalion is a unit within a larger unit, so if you are familiar with Band of Brothers, "Easy Company" was one among the many companies ("This is not Dog Company, this is not Fox Company, this is Easy Company . . .") in 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, so, Llewelyn could have said something like, "Third Battalion, Eighth Infantry", or "2nd (or 3rd or 4th) Battalion, 39th Infantry", which are units that were active in Vietnam 1966-67.
@@kimisdaman Very cool. Thanks for the great info! (And yes, I'm both reading and watching Band of Brothers again...so damn good!)
The movie is very faithful to the book so there was not much to be done with the screenwriting. Much of it is word for word.
I somehow understand why you are praising the Cohens, but you know this is a book adaptation?
I do, and I didn't mean it to come off as giving no respect to Cormac McCarthy. Just going off the screenplay, not the novel, which is also excellent in its own right.
Hey sleuth, are you gonna get a real job? No offense, I’m a writer.
😁
These are great breakdowns for 12 year old wannabe screenwriters.
Yeah. Gonna do real good.
It would. E even better if Americans would pronounce their words SO rest of world could follow
Dialogs by Tommy Lee were the most boring parts of this movie,
That just goes to show you how good this movie was at gripping its audience
Think these lessons are too late for the new 'woke' Hollywood writers...