Fargo

Fargo (1996)

Timing: 1:38 (98 min)

7.849/10
9006

7.636/10
142676

8.1/10
783000

All about film

Video 20

Photo 123

Actors and characters

Release date

1996-03-08

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Production

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films

Genre

Crime, Drama, Thriller

Budget

$7 000 000

Revenue

$60 611 975

Website

Director

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Actors

Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Harve Presnell, John Carroll Lynch, Kristin Rudrüd, Bruce Bohne, Steve Reevis, Steve Park
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Producer

Ethan Coen, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Operator

Roger Deakins

Composer

Carter Burwell

Artist

John David Paul

Audition

John S. Lyons

Editing

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
All team (53)

• The film was shot in February-March 1995 in the state of Minnesota.
• The snow-covered fields and highway are one of the editing special effects.
• This is one of the few films in Hollywood history where the events take place only 9 years before the film's release.
• A whole year was spent on the editing of 'Fargo' (1995).
• The snowplow that drives past the motel at the end of the film was not part of the script. Special signs warned motorists that filming was taking place, but a state employee ignored them.
• Joel Coen and Ethan Coen did not want frequent mentions in the credits (screenwriters, directors, producers), so they invented an editor named 'Roderick Jaynes,' who was subsequently nominated for an Oscar. The brothers wanted to have Albert Finney portray Jaynes, but members of the Academy dissuaded them.
• The scene where a couple argues with Jerry at the car dealership precisely mirrors a scene that happened to Ethan Coen in real life.
• Initially, the directors wanted to give William H. Macy a small role, but after the audition, they asked him to read for the part of Jerry Lundegaard. Still undecided, they auditioned other actors as well. Finally, Macy flew to New York and began pursuing the brothers, trying to convince them to cast him in the lead role. He repeatedly stated that he would shoot their dogs if they refused.
• The role of Carl was written specifically for Steve Buscemi.
• The film is set in winter, but the crew encountered abnormally warm weather at the shooting locations, so they had to find new landscapes with snow. Filming ultimately took place in Minneapolis and its surroundings. These locations were chosen because that's where the film's directors spent their childhood. Artificial snow had to be used in many scenes.
• Some film critics call this a typical postmodern film, and, by the way, 'Fargo' (1995) contains numerous borrowings from 'Pulp Fiction' (1994), which was released a year earlier.
• Just before the film's release, Joel and Ethan Coen stated in all interviews that it was based on a true story. According to them, in 1987 they read a note in a newspaper about a man in Connecticut who put his own wife in a wood chipper. However, the text contained no mention of a car dealer, kidnapping, or hired criminals. In another interview, the brothers said they heard the story from a friend in Minnesota. Later, Ethan confessed to his old friend and assistant, William Preston Robertson, that most of the film was fictional and that even their film 'The Big Lebowski' (1998) contained more truthful elements than 'Fargo'.
• Joel and Ethan Coen did not want frequent mentions in the credits (as screenwriters, directors, producers), so they invented the editor "Roderick Jaynes," who was subsequently nominated for an Oscar. The brothers wanted to have Albert Finney portray Jaynes, but members of the Academy dissuaded them.
• Some film critics call this film a typical postmodern picture, and, by the way, "Fargo" (1995) features numerous borrowings from Quentin Tarantino’s "Pulp Fiction" (1994), which was released a year earlier.
• Just before the film's release, Joel and Ethan Coen stated in all interviews that it was based on real events. According to them, in 1987 they read in a newspaper a note about a man in Connecticut who put his wife into a wood chipper. However, the text contained no mention of a car dealer, kidnapping, or hired criminals. In another interview, the brothers said they heard the story from a friend in Minnesota. Later, Ethan confessed to his old friend and assistant, William Preston Robertson, that most of the film was fictional and that even "The Big Lebowski" (1998) contained more truthful elements than "Fargo."