Fargo, Now That’s a Place

The stunning sense of place created and maintained by the Coen Brothers in Fargo, is facilitated by multiple factors. The first, and most obvious of which, is the snow. Put bluntly, it is everywhere. We get our first taste of this white wash on page one, as the film fades up to a low visibility snow squall (FADE IN FROM WHITE 1). This motif continues as a constant throughout the film, both interiorly and exteriorly. On the very next page, we are introduced to the snow swept parking lot of the Jolly Troll Tavern. These references to exterior occurrences and usages of the flakey continue on pages, five, eight, twelve, etc., as they are included in nearly all exterior action lines. Even when Jerry seems to have escaped the snow by entering into the comfort of his home, we are reminded of its presence as he stamps it from his snow boots. These references show the importance and significance of the gloomy, snowy landscape, as it is a dominating trait of the upper northwest. The viewer would become weighed down by the gloominess of the images the Coen Brothers employ, were it not for the oblivious locals. These people have grown accustomed to such a bleak geographical tapestry, that they are unaware it is depressing at all, conducting themselves normally. Ironically, even the television that Carl tries so desperately to bash into submission, only gives him a snowy reception.

Also employed in the film to establish setting and place is the distinct accent of the people native to the region. Once again, this trait is shown to the audience strait from the get go. From the first personal interaction we are introduced to this accent, as the waitress is refilling the coffee for Carl and Gaear; “Can I warm that up for ya there?” (CHAIN RESTAURANT 2). This style of dialogue immediately tells the viewer where they are in the country. The linguistic precedent established in this one line of dialogue is carried through the rest of the film with the characters who are native to the area, that being all but Carl and Gaear.

Another element of the film that helps establish a strong sense of the place is the frigid temperature. Indoors or not, the viewer feels cold in every scene. Instances as early as Jerry walking in the house with his heavy parka tightly zipped to his chin, his scarf securely wrapped around his neck, and his snow covered boots, let the viewer experience the extreme cold of the region (MINNEAPOLIS SUBURBAN HOUSE 5). This parka is covering Jerry for a majority of the film, and we never see him outdoors without it. Helping to augment the feeling of freezing temperatures through dry humor is the conversation that Mr. Mohra and the local police officer have outside his home (OUTSIDE 67). As the two discuss the conversation that Mr. Mohra had with Carl, it is obvious by their stiff body language and heavily layered clothing that it is bitterly cold. Yet, at the end of their conversation, they depart by commenting on the impending cold front and inevitable shift to “cold” weather. This is a comically absurd way of reminding the viewer how engrained the cold is into their bodies.

We are also reminded of place by the bleak, open country that makes up the landscape of the exterior scenery. The viewer is introduced to this reality on the two lane “highway”, bordered on both sides by barren snow fields (WHITE 8). The mere fact that this pitiful piece of pavement is considered a high traffic area is contrary to the reality of highways in most parts of the country. Comically, we never see more than two cars on the road at the same time during any point of the film, yet this is still a highway into Brainard. This kind of wide open, barren, and often deserted landscape, is local to terrain for very few, providing the film with another element into the equation of creating place.

In an amusing cutaway shot, the sense of place is reinforced through the signs of culture in a teenager’s room. After Jean has been kidnapped, Jerry must tell Scotty about the ordeal and assure him that everything will be alright (SCOTTY’S ROOM 37). Comically, however, as Jerry closes the door to the room, the “Accordion King” poster draped across the back of Scotty’s door is revealed. No where else in the country would a teenage boy be expected to know of, let alone advertise, the existence of such a brand of music. This gives the viewer a stronger sense of place on a local cultural level, as most viewers would not be able to relate with such a taste in music, separating the film from many other places.

A final element that adds to the sense of place conveyed in the Coen Brothers’ film is the small town atmosphere that is generated through the relationships of the characters on screen. When Marge returns to the police station, she is greeted by Norm sitting at her desk having lunch (BRAINARD POLICE HEADQUARTERS 39). There are not many establishments of law that would allow for such lax treatment of the professional environment. However, as these people know most other people in town, Norm is a friendly face that he poses no threat. During this same scene, after Norm and Marge have been discussing the painting he has been working on, Lou walks in and immediately asks about Norm’s painting as well. This kind of knowledge of people’s lives can only be achieved in small, close knit communities. Such a relationship between many people can only be achieved in a small town setting, not common to many other locales.

Ultimately, Wade Gustafson was the monkey wrench to the well laid plan of Jerry Lundergard. Had Jerry been able to get the money he needed from his father-in-law in the first place, Jerry’s plan would have never been necessary. After this original mishap, Wade continued to hinder the every step in Jerry’s plan. He demands to be part of the process, rather than sitting back and letting Jerry orchestrate the drop. He will not leave Jerry alone, keeping him under constant pressure and raising Jerry’s stress level to a constant boiling point. Not only this, but Wade takes control when the money is on the line and the delivery needs to be made. Even with all the other intervention, Jerry’s plan could still have been successful had he been able to deliver the money himself. However, Wade decides that he wants to play hardball and transports the money himself. This, unfortunately, was where Jerry’s plan finally spiraled out of control, with no hope of recover, as Wade was left dead and Jerry without his money.

Carl Showalter’s role proved to be very harmful in Jerry’s scheme as well. As a result of Carl’s forgetfulness in putting registration plates on the new car, he and Grimsrud are pulled over by the trooper. Had this been avoided, then many of the problems, including the initial complication, would have been avoided. However, this still would not have stopped Wade from interfering, and ultimately ruining the plan.

Carl’s associate, Gaear Grimsrud, is in line right behind Carl in the blame game. Had Grimsrud been able to keep his composure and refrain to killing every person that got in the way (or rubbed him the wrong way), the plan might not have gone south as fast. Inevitably, however, his actions were only inflammatory to the other actions that caused the downfall of the plan.

Jerry, although he got himself into the mess, is not the reason his plan was ruined. He was way in over his head and had no idea how to operate in the criminal world. He was not able to control the actions of the people that were dragged into the situation and. Frankly, he had no control over the direction of the operation, because he was too meek to exercise any kind of power. The only person less responsible for his downfall than himself was Marge.

Within her life and occupation as a police officer, she was only doing her job throughout. She was smarter than all the criminals involved, and was ultimately going to bring them to justice from the moment she was introduced into the equation. However, she would have never become involved, had it not been for the murders. Through the actions of the characters before her, she was brought into the situation. Without the actions of the other characters, she never would have gotten involved in the story, making her the least important character in the downfall of Jerry’s plan.

For the story as a whole, it can be regarded as the systematic deterioration of Jerry Lundergard’s plan. Although much of the screen time is dominated by Marge, she is merely a character in Jerry’s story. She is on the outside of the situation, trying to find the inside scoop, whereas all the other characters are actively participating in what they know is the plan. If Marge is not introduced into the story, it will continue and the plan will still be foiled regardless. On the flip side however, if Jerry is taken from the story, there is no story. He is the reason that there is a story to tell. It is his plan that has initiated the course of action driving the story line throughout the film.

Marge’s involvement is part of her daily life, a life that would continue whether she was part of the events or not. The audience is made to think that, although this is not standard procedure for Marge, she takes the situation within the realm of her everyday work. Jerry, on the other hand, is completely outside his normal operating means, as he has fallen into a situation he cannot handle. Therefore, the story is driven by his actions (and consequently the lack thereof) as he tries to manipulate, but falls ineptly flat on his face throughout the course of the proceedings that lead to his eventual arrest.