Journal-- Blood Simple

1)      Find a related article and summarize the content.

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/09/30-years-of-coens-revisiting-blood-simple/379743/

     This article discusses how Blood Simple is a classic story of betrayal with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. The writer goes on to mention how the story is a classic “who’s on first” scenario because “The principal characters—Abby (McDormand), Ray (John Getz), Marty (Dan Hedaya), and Visser (Walsh)—all behave more or less rationally, but they are all working from incorrect or insufficient information” (Christopher Orr).

2)      Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

     The author of this article, Christopher Orr, discusses how the cast of the film was key to making the story so powerful. The film has many scenes where camera angles were key. “Especially notable is the scene in which Marty tries to drag Abby from Ray’s house and the camera rushes diabolically toward them as we hear the exaggerated panting of a dog. It was shot using Raimi’s “shaky cam” technique” (Orr).

3)      Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

     This film was powerful, edgy, and intense. It is the age old love triangle where someone ends up dead, YET the circumstances are far less mundane. The fact that Ray and Amy are the center of the love triangle, yet they are farthest apart throughout the whole movie because neither one really knows what is going on. Ray has covered up a murder to protect Abby, while she has no clue what has gone on. Add the backstabbing PI into the mix, and it is truly a dark case of “who’s on first.” Intense camera angles also make the story great. A personal favorite moment in the movie is at the end when Abby has shot Visser, believing him to be her husband Marty. She tells him, “I’m not afraid of you Marty,” to which Visser responds, “Well, ma'am, if I see 'im, I'll sure give 'im the message." The irony is, this is the first moment where it is made to clear that there has been a serious lack of communication throughout the whole story.