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- Title
Acting for Real: Performing Characters in Miller's Crossing and Fargo.
- Authors
COUGHLIN, PAUL
- Abstract
A criticism of the films "Miller's Crossing" and "Fargo," directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, is presented. It explores how both films expose the performative nature of everyday social interaction. The theories of sociologist Erving Goffman are applied to various scenes from "Miller's Crossing" and "Fargo" in order to demonstrate how credibility is assigned to certain characters according to how successful they are at performing contrived social roles. The films "On the Waterfront," directed by Elia Kazan, "The King of Comedy," directed by Martin Scorsese, and "The Man Who Wasn't There," directed by Joel Coen are also discussed in this context.
- Subjects
FILM criticism; MILLER'S Crossing (Film); FARGO (Film); COEN, Ethan, 1957-; COEN, Joel; PERFORMANCE -- Social aspects; SOCIAL interaction; INTERPERSONAL communication; NONVERBAL communication -- Social aspects; MAN Who Wasn't There, The (Film); KING of Comedy, The (Film); ON the Waterfront (Film)
- Publication
Journal of Popular Culture, 2008, Vol 41, Issue 2, p224
- ISSN
1540-5931
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1540-5931.2008.00500.x