No Country for Old Men: Brilliant writing from novel to screenplay 

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…. 😄)

Just excellence all around 🙂

Leaving plenty of room for filmmakers to decide on Chigurh's character design.

That's a neat fact. I had no idea

Hehe. Format McCarthy

This. ❤️

Yup, that's been pointed out to me several times already. My mistake!

You're right: it's pretty simple to do but easy to overlook!

Glad it helped!

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.

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

Thanks, my friend! You made my day. 🙂

Thanks for watching, Ben!

Thanks for the nice comment, Wyatt!

Thanks, Andrew! I'm glad you like it.

Excellent point. I especially liked All the Pretty Horses.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Yes! Great comment.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Awww shucks. Thanks for the kind words! I'm just glad the videos are helpful to my fellow writers.

Awesome! I'm glad it was of some value to you. Thanks for watching!

Great suggestions! Noted.

Thanks! You rock.

That's the power of being specific with the details! 😎

Thank you for watching!

Thank you!

Glad it helped!

Thanks, Daniel!

Awesome! Glad to hear it was helpful.

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!

Yes, that was pointed out to me several times already. It's clear in the book, but the movie leaves it a little vague.

Thanks for the great comment! 😊

Thanks for watching, Daniel!

@@ScriptSleuth but you're Daniel

Thanks for tuning in!

Yes 😎

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).

Thanks for the comment!

It's the second script. Fargo was the first: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xjUtWpsbggo.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

Steven speilberg movie?

@@bskravivarman Definitely. For now we have Jaws at least.

@@bskravivarman ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hZP9RAmNEGA.html

@@ScriptSleuth Thank you.... one more Steven speilberg movie?

@@bskravivarman Any one in particular?

Thanks, Mohammad! You're too kind.

I definitely want to do more!

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

I love Argentinean cinema! I definitely want to cover some soon. The Distinguished Citizen is a FANTASTIC slow burn.

😅

Thanks for watching!

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! :)

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.

I remember the bird on the bridge. Were there more?

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.

Always brilliant.

Glad you enjoyed it, Hosein!

Always.

All the background music is from RU-vid'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!

Cool! It'll also be a live chat with Q&A.

@@ScriptSleuth Looking forward to it :)

Great point. Interestingly, her character is not in 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.

😅

She has her principles ("no in-fer-mation") as does he. That saves her.

Yes, numerous people have pointed out my mistake already 😆

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.

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...

I do, too!

Great suggestion! Noted.

Cheers, Pranav!

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!

Yes!

Hell or highwater

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!)

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.

😁

Yeah. Gonna do real good.

That just goes to show you how good this movie was at gripping its audience