Great Moments From Cinema - 6

A Beautiful Day
Movie: Fargo (Gramercy Pictures; 1996)
Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Major Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare

Film Synopsis: In the remote town of Fargo, North Dakota, Macy hires two thugs, Buscemi and Stormare to kidnap his wife, so that Macy can collect ransom from his rich father-in-law. From then things fall apart and once again, fate emphasizes how crime never pays. McDormand is the chief of police who works the case.

My Favorite Moment: McDormand, after arresting Stormare, asking him sadly, what was gained through this entire tragedy.

Why I Like It: Frances McDormand won the Academy Award as best actress for her role of a pregnant chief of police who is brilliant at her job, but would not look out of place as a simple housewife. When what started off as a silly kidnapping ends in mass murder, she just shakes her head, looks at Stormare through the rear view mirror of her police car and says, “There's more to life than a little money, ya know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are. And it's a beautiful day. Well. I just don't understand it.” The beauty of the scene is in the forlorn way in which she says this. It seems extremely sad to her that people can sink to such depths, just to earn a few extra dollars. You can see the sadness in her eyes as she reflects upon this unfortunate event. The fact that Stormare has committed cold-blooded murder is beside the point. Her question seems directed more towards humanity than a single person. Since she is about to bring a life into this world which still looks good to her, is perhaps why she says that she can’t understand all of this. Although Fargo appears like a place which is perpetually covered in snow, she can’t help but say that it’s a beautiful day because she is unable to look at life through any other way than optimism.

The cast led by McDormand is excellent. Although she comes across as a very pregnant woman who is always looking for a good buffet, McDormand is also a very smart cop who realizes very early on that the Macy may not be telling the complete truth. She is a simple person who gets firm with people only when required. Even then it sounds like an advice more than a reprimand. There is a moment when her not-so-competent colleague says something and she replies with, “I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou.”

Fargo stands outside any particular genre. It can be classified as a comedy as well as tragedy; a thriller as well as a character study. But whatever you may call the movie’s theme, it is one of the finest films of the 90’s and was selected by the American film institute as one of it’s 100 greatest films of all time. Coen brothers are known for making off-beat dark comedies, and with Fargo they proved that an interesting story can be told in any setting, even frozen tundra.