“Fargo” Review: Dichotomy of Respective Worlds
By: Noah Murray
“Oh Jeez.” That’s a line of dialogue that is spoken multiple times in the film as the main characters react to the events that take place before them. Fargo is a 1996 thriller starring Frances McDormand as a pregnant Minnesota police chief investigating three homicides after a desperate car salesman hire two crooks to kidnap his wife and extort money from his father-in-law. What ensues is a violent and darkly humorous crime adventure.
Above is just one of Roger Deakin’s incredible shots in the film. An aerial wide shot of the character, Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) walking through the Minnesota snow towards his car. The establishing shot(s) of the film is a hazy and harsh framing of the mise-en-scene depicting a car driving through the snow.
Jerry is a desperate character that is indirectly responsible for the events of the film. From trying to pay back loans from nonexistent cars to attempting to pitch real estate deals with his father-in-law Wade that don’t go according to plan. It’s made clear that the two criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, that he’s out of his depth. The tundra mise-en-scene of the film is aesthetically different based on perspectives of the antagonists and the main protagonists of the film. Jerry and to a larger extent, the two criminals represent the cold, brutal, and unforgiving nature of the snowy tundra.
On the other hand, through the perspective of the protagonist Marge (Frances McDormand) and her supporting cast of characters, the frozen tundra is seen and experienced aesthetically on a different level. In Marge’s own words in the closing moments of the film to Gaear (Peter Stormare), “you’re stuck here, on this beautiful day.” Indeed, when I spent time with Marge, the mise-en-scene took on a more — ironically, warmer and almost familial vibe. This is done by giving insight to her family life. We meet her Husband and we see them eating breakfast together. Simple details help set apart the lifestyles of the respective cast of characters. And it is evident in the staging and blocking of the two opposing sides.
A example of the sheer violent nature of the film. Peter Stormare’s character brutally dispatches of Carl’s (Steve Buscemi) remains after killing him with an axe. Just a few minutes before, we see an injured Carl return to their hideout and sees Jerry’s Wife dead on the floor. Because she “wouldn’t stop screaming” as Gaear coldly states to Carl. The blocking and staging in moments like these again, juxtapose Gaear and Carl’s position in the story as violent and unforgiving assailants. The wood chipper, in particular, is a prop used to convey the sheer brutality that is common throughout the film. A wide area of snow is turned red from the blood of Carl’s corpse as Gaear stuffs the wood chipper with his leg. What’s included in the frame when dealing with the story of Gaear and Carl is drastically different from Marge and her Husband’s blocking and staging.
When we are introduced too Marge, what’s included in the frame is different from Carl and Gaear. The first images we see of her home is replicas of geese and a workshop. We then pan over to Marge and her Husband sleeping in bed together. She is awoken by their phone going off. We also momentarily find out that she is pregnant when she rises from the bed. Already, from looking at former and latter pictures, we are immediately in tune with what is being portrayed here. Marge is in a loving, giving relationship, as well as environment. She snuggles up to her Husband while watching TV, thus illustrating the “desirable” aspects of living in a snowy environment. Carl, Gaear, and Jerry are the opposite. The latter is walking alone and isolated through the snow. Gaear, is a silent threatening force, who ends up brutally Carl and Jerry’s wife. Carl is shown throughout the film having loveless, sexual relations with prostitutes. In start contrast from Marge’s loving and warm relationship with her Husband.
