NOTES: During the post production of O Brother, Where Art Thou? the American Humane Society took a lot of convincing before they were convinced that the cow that Babyface Nelson's car runs down, wasn't a real cow. The final special effect was so realistic that they had to be shown every stage of the CG animation from wire-frame to finished effect before granting the movie their seal of approval. "Oh, George, not the livestock".

George Clooney (Ulysses Everett McGill) gave the singing scenes his all. He really did sing but was, ultimately, over-dubbed by Bluegrass legend, Dan Tyminski. John Turturro (Pete Hogwallop) was also dubbed. However, Tim Blake Nelson's (Delmar O'DOnnell) voice was deemed angelic enough to remain untouched.

The entire movie had it's colour palette digitally muted, giving it it's distinctive sepia-esque hue, in post-production by cinematographer, Roger Deakins. Apparently this was a cinematic first.

The title is taken from the Preston Sturges movie Sullivan's Travels. In it, Joel McCrae plays a movie director whose dream movie is called, O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Clooney signed on to star in the movie without even reading the script. He once said in an interview that "everyone wants to work with these guys [the Coen brothers]".

When Tommy Johnson describes what the Devil looked like he matches the description of Sheriff Cooley exaclty. Hollow eyes are the reflective lenses of his sunglasses (often reflecting fire). The "mean old hound" is his blood hound. And the booming voice is his megaphone.

The woman who asks for the Soggy Bottom Boys record in the store was played by Gillian Welch, one of the many contributors to the award winning soundtrack.

You can read the lyrics for the entire soundtrack (CD) by clicking here.

Since the movie is apparenlty based on Homer's The Odyssey we should probably mention the references to it; The names of Clooney and Holly Hunter's characters are Ulysses and Penelope; Big Dan Teague is an obvious cyclops; the women doing their laundry in the river are obvious Sirens; Penelope marrying someone else when Ulysses arrives home; the old-man disguise; the metamorphosis of one of Ulysses friends into an animal; the Baptists as the Lotus Eaters; the Ku Klux Klan has a rank of Grand Cyclops; the blind prophet; the seven daughters of Ulysses are substitutes for the Seven Sisters; the Ku Klux Klan rally replaces the trip through Hell; Ulysses almost drowned but is saved by clinging to a piece of floating wood; Pappy O'Daniel's first name is Menelaus, the name of the King who declared war on Troy; the Latin equivillent of Odysseus is Ulysses; "O Muse sing in me" is the first line in The Odyssey; cattle killing; every time Ulysses sleeps something bad happens; in The Odyssey Odysseus is described a a "man who is in constant sorrow"; HOMER Stokes. There are probably more.

All this and the Coens claim not to have read The Odyssey...