O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Question: The only way that the valley could be flooded by rampaging water is that a dam was broken up river. Otherwise the water rises very slowly. Does the movie explain this? If so I missed it. In which way was that river flooded?

Answer: Probably they have dismantled the coffer dam that was used while constructing the main dam. Hence, the flooding.

Good and reasonable last resort explanation - have the Coens ever addressed it?

Question: In the KKK scene, Homer Stokes says "The color guard is colored." Did he mean this literally, like Everett was a black man, or did he mean that he was white (unlikely because John Goodman is white and so is he), or is he mistaking Everett for a black man because of his dirty face?

Answer: He mistook Everett for a black man because of his dirty face. It's the only way the line makes sense.

J I Cohen

Question: Is there a scene in the movie where we see Everett find the gold watch in the drawer while he is looking for a hairnet? It's not on the dvd and I am sure I have seen it. My family says they have never seen it so it's driving me crazy.

Answer: I too recall that scene.

Phixius ★

Answer: There is a scene like this, he ends up giving the watch to Pete and Pete puts 2 and 2 together and says "you stole from my kin" after they were all chased away by the law enforcement.

Answer: There is absolutely NO scene with him finding the watch.

Question: The scene when the Ku Klux Klan are assembling is very similar to the scene in "The Wizard of Oz", when the scarecrow, the tin man and the cowardly lion sneak into the witch's castle. The marching music, the disguises and the way they enter the procession are almost identical. Was this intentional?

R W Hlavac

Chosen answer: Yes, it was.

jle

Question: What does the log mean that they carried Homer Stokes on out of the building?

Answer: Per Wikipedia: Riding the rail (also called being "run out of town on a rail") was a punishment most prevalent in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries in which an offender was made to straddle a fence rail held on the shoulders of two or more bearers. The subject was then paraded around town or taken to the city limits and dumped by the roadside.

Brian Katcher

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Mistakes

Continuity mistake: There are seven Wharvey Gals. Three on the stage singing, three with the wife, and one that she's holding. One of the girls even says that there are seven of them. Yet in the end, when Everett and his wife are walking down the street, there are only six. One that she is carrying, and five following.

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Quotes

Washington Hogwallop: Mrs. Hogwallop up and R-U-N-N-O-F-T.

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Trivia

Trivia: George Clooney (Everett) was going to sing "Man of Constant Sorrow" for the film but his singing voice was very poor so he ended up lip-synching the songs instead. He said "I'm not my aunt [referring to the late singer/actress Rosemary Clooney, best known for her role in "A White Christmas" (1954)]. I decided it would be easier to just do a passionate lip-sync." He was so nervous that the tapes of his singing would get out that he returned to the studio to ensure all the evidence had been erased. The musical director of the film confirmed this but said "George is a very good singer but that style of music is very difficult and one almost has to grow up singing it in order to sing it convincingly. George did a really good version of the tune but it wasn't as good as he wanted."

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