John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson and George Clooney appear in a scene from “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, the next movie in the New Ulm Film Society’s review of Coen Brothers movies. (imdb.com)

NEW ULM — The New Ulm Film Society’s series of Coen Brothers’ films continues this week with a screening of their folk-comedy-drama “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

The screen starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10 at the New Ulm Public Library. This is the third film the New Ulm Film Society has screened in the Coen Brothers series.

“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” is a 2000 comedy/drama set in the 1930s deep south. The story is about three escaped convicts played by George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson who are searching for hidden treasure while being pursued by the police.

The film is something of a departure for the Coens. Many of their films have borrowed from previous stories and genres, but “O Brother, Where Art Thou” borrows from one of the the world’s oldest stories as it is heavily inspired by Homer’s “The Odyssey.” The Coens intentionally borrowed from the ancient poem when writing the script and ultimately decided to give Homer, the long-dead poet, a writing credit for the film.

The clearest example between this film and The Odyssey is with the main character. George Clooney plays Ulyssess “Everett” McGill. The name Ulysses is a Roman translation of Odysseus, the title character from the Odyssey.

In both stories, Everett and Odysseus are trying to lead their companion’s homes while dealing with dozens of obstacles, some of which are caused by their own arrogance. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” even features a villainous cyclops character played by John Goodman. The Sheriff Colley character, played by Daniel von Bargen, also has similarities to the wrathful Poseidon.

Even after returning home, Everett must deal with his wife’s new suitor, similar to how Odysseus had to challenge Penelope’s suitors.

The Coen’s also pays homage to “The Wizard of Oz,” “Sullivan’s Travels” and “Cool Hand Luke.” By borrowing from different sources, the Coens have created a film that feels more like a folk legend than a movie.

The folk tale aspect of the film carries over into the music. All the music used in the film is folk songs that were appropriate to the 1930s. The song “Man of Constant Sorrow,” featured in the film, became a major hit after the movie was released in 2000, leading to a folk music revival in the early 2000s. The movie’s soundtrack would eventually win a Grammy.

“O Brother, Where Art Thou,” is probably best remembered for its music, but the film also has a place in history for its use of digital color grading. In order to give the film an old-timey look, the entire film was digitally scanned and adjusted to give it a sepia-tinted look.

Cinematographer Roger Deakins said the color tinting was necessary because the film sets were “greener than Ireland” and digital alterations were the only way to get the desired effect.

“O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was released over 20 years ago, but thanks to the dedication of the Coen Brothers, the film looks and sounds timeless.

The screening begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, in the New Ulm Public Library meeting room. The film screening is free to the public. Members of the New Ulm Film Society will be on hand to discuss the film and cultural impact.