"Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", Parchman Prison, and Other Connections

This evening, I was watching the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", and noticed some connections to what we have been studying in class. The movie opens with a scene of prisoners working in the field, tied together in chains, singing the blues. The setting is Mississippi, and the prison is none other than Parchman. This opening reminded me of the documentary we watched in class as well as "Sing, Unburied, Sing." The movie showed the brutal work the prisoners were forced to complete, and they had their striped outfits, as well as armed guards. More than this, the movie highlighted the music and culture from the prison and surrounding area of Mississippi. The prisoners sing as they work, and the main characters even become big hits with a recording of a folk song they preform. Also as it did in the book "Sing, Unburied, Sing", the topic of racism came up in the movie; the political candidate running against the current mayor is racist and even a part of the KKK. Tommy, one of the members of the band and friend of the three escapees, is almost killed just because of his race. This reminded me of Given's murder. Lastly, the movie had elements of magic that reminded me both of "Sing, Unburied, Sing" and "One Hundred Years of Solitude". At one point in the movie, two of the characters think they are seeing their friend that they have lost when looking at a group of prisoners; this is due to their worry for his life and their guilt at having possibly left him alone in danger. This moment was almost like seeing a ghost, and I was reminded of the presence of ghosts in "Sing, Unburied, Sing". There are many events in the movie that are out of the ordinary and magical, yet are seen as normal and just a part of the setting. For example, a group of worshipers appear and walk through the forest, sirens trick the three prisoners, one character is the devil himself, to whom Tommy sold his soul for guitar skill, and there is a blind prophet whose end prophecy reminded me of the one in "One Hundred Years of Solitude". Overall, these instances and the characters' reactions to them reminded me of the magical realism in "One Hundred Years of Solitude" as well as the general air of magic and history that is present in the shared setting of "Sing, Unburied. Sing".