Oh Brother where art thou? The Sirens

First and foremost I cannot begin to describe just how much I love this movie! I have been very exited for weeks about discussing Oh Brother where art thou? I have loved this movie since I was a child, having read the Odyssey and just worshiping Greek Mythology, this incredible adaptation blew my mind! Plus my mom has been in love with George Clooney for years, so her love for this film was passed on to me.

Having to choose a specific scene to discuss in this movie was a no-brainer for me; my favorite scene has always been and will always be the sirens. As a child I wanted to be them, to be able to capture a person with your voice alone and lull them to danger willingly has always intrigued me. Sirens are one of my particular favorite “monsters” in Greek mythology because, differently than other monsters, they are not scary of ugly, in fact they are beautiful, and beguiling, they have power and are dangerous, all in their sweet voices.

In this scene we see a beautiful composition, to perfectly convey emotions and tone. We are seeing the sirens slow and seductive approach most likely still from Pete’s point of view, the girls are perfectly centered in the frame which creates symmetry which is more pleasing to the eye, thus we are drawn even more to them. They themselves are posed symmetrically in a triangle and layered to create depth, with Pete’s siren at the front, Everett’s Siren to the right and Delmar’s last and to the left, they create the foreground. To each side of them we see their discarded undergarments, perfectly placed layered as well as the girls are layered, with a floating piece in the river being closest to the camera, the next on the rock, and lastly the two on the tree branch. The river itself flanks them on both sides, curving in a U to draw your eye around the frame, the U emphasizes the triangle positioning of the sirens, thus even though your eye wonders around, there is a trail to lead you back to them. Their soft pastel clothing which almost melt with their bodies, makes them seem more “natural” like wood nymphs, as if they were part of the river, dreams come to life for these men. Their colors are emphasized by the bright green of the foliage that frames them, and the dark brown of the river, really brings them out. Their stance is seductive, they walk to the pace of their song, slow and lazy, determined to get what they want. They are visions coming to life, beautiful dangerous creatures with purpose, and their expressions showing the men what they want to see; seductive they feel mythical, as though they truly are sirens of the river.