The Song of A
Rambling Man
By:
Johnny Quinn
In
the film “O Brother Where Art Thou”, the song “Man of Constant Sorrow” sung by
the Soggy Bottom Boys themselves plays a large role throughout and adds an
upbeat understanding of the lives of these wandering men. The song, written by Rod
Stewart completes the film through the affects that it has on the overall movie
as well as a few key scenes and without the song, the storyline would be
confusing to many.
The
song “Man of Constant Sorrow” is brought up many times throughout the movie and
through the lyrics, depicts the lives of Everett, Pete, and Delmar as they run
from their prison past and run toward an uncertain future. In the scene where
the song first emerges in the film, the men sing this soon to be famous song
“into a can” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZtgZ5fHOuU)
. The way the director chose to incorporate this song is important to this
scene as well as to the movie as a whole because he has the main characters
singing the song instead of leaving it as background music. This is of
importance because through doing this, the director brings more attention to
the song being sung rather than the actual events being taken place. The
director chose to have the main characters sing the song in order to create a
strong connection between the characters and the song itself, bringing a fuller
understanding of the movies plot. This factor also brings credibility to the
characters themselves and the song in which they sing.
The
director also chose this song because of the emotional appeal that it would
have on the film’s viewers. Through the lyrics, the song depicts a sad and
lonesome life but the upbeat guitar playing and tunes show otherwise. The fast
pace of the song is meant contradict the lyrics and show hope of a brighter
future. To add, by being sung through the mouths of the characters themselves,
the director aims at showing the audience that it is Everett, Pete, and Delmar’s
futures that still hold hope. Typically, a movie based on three runaway
criminals in which their futures hold very little certainty maintains a somber
mood throughout the film. But, by having an upbeat song such as this one, the
director and characters provide the audience with something to hold onto as
they watch the their stories unfold.
“Man
of Constant Sorrow” is sung again toward the end of the movie after Everett
finds his wife and attempts to re-kindle the spark that has been blown out
through time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivzVgsR2yEc)
. The purpose of this song and audiences reaction to it in the movie show
another key factor in why the director chose to incorporate this song so much
in the film. As they sing, the audience begins to cheer and sing along to the
Soggy Bottom Boys and their signature song. This was to show that even though
the character’s pasts were full of sin and evil, God is merciful and forgives
his children that may have strayed from their path. The concept of God, the
Devil, and religion itself is a major theme throughout the movie and through
the song and the scenes that it affects, the director, by the end of the film,
aims at showing that even through a life full of crime and evil, one can still
change for the better.
The
movie “O Brother Where Art Though” would not be complete without this signature
song and the director understood the role that this song played in the film. This
film is put together very well and does a wonderful job at utilizing every
aspect of both song choice and scenes in order to show the audience the
director’s vision of the movie. I enjoyed this film and give it a rating of 5 out of 5.
“Man of Constant Sorrow” Lyrics:
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