No Country for Old Men not only is chockablock full of incredible performances by Jones, Bardem and Brolin — but also behind-the-scenes as well. Legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins talks with NPR’s Melissa Block about one of his favorite scenes from the film.
You read the script, if you’re attracted by the script, then whomever it is you need to know that you’re going to connect with the person you’re working with. You need to view the material in a similar way. With the Coen Brothers it’s interesting because there is very little shot that isn’t used. We don’t shoot very much in terms of raw footage at all. Very few extras set-ups. It’s so well worked out. They’re so precise in knowing what they want. Their scripts are so visual, the way they are written. So much comes from that. How do you say where the cinematography ends and the production design takes over? And how can you go wrong if you’re shooting a close-up of Tommy Lee Jones? You know what I mean? It’s a wonderfully powerful image. The dialogue he’s speaking and the performance he gave, you don’t really have to do much, you know. —A Modest Lens: An Interview with Roger Deakins
What a genius script looks like. Read, learn, and absorb: The Coen Brothers’ screenplay for No Country for Old Men. Based on the Novel by Cormac McCarthy. [pdf1, pdf2]. (NOTE: For educational purposes only)
A harrowing story of a war that society is waging on itself, and an enduring meditation on the ties of love and blood and duty that inform lives and shape destinies, No Country for Old Men is a novel of extraordinary resonance and power. Joel and Ethan Coen wrestle with point of view and capturing the inner lives of the strong silent types in their first produced adaptation of a novel. —Harsh Country by Jeff Goldsmith, Creative Screenwriting Magazine, January/February 2008
With thanks to LoSceicco1976
