Fargo

From Fargo Filmmaking

Fargo (1996) is a neo-noir black comedy film created by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. It is set in the Upper Midwest (the opening and closing scenes are set in North Dakota and the rest in Minnesota) and tells the tale of a car salesman, who has hired two hit men to kidnap his wife for a ransom of $1,000,000, and the pregnant police chief who investigates the crime.

Fargo won two Academy Awards in 1996 for Best Screenplay and another for Best Actress for McDormand. The film also won the British BAFTA Award and several other international film awards, including the Award for Best Director (Joel Coen) at the Cannes Film Festival of 1996.

The film was ranked #84 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Movies" list and #93 on its "100 Years...100 Laughs" list. In addition, Marge Gunderson was ranked #33 on the AFI's list of greatest film heroes.

Contents 1 Main Details 1.1 Plot Summary 1.2 Production Information 1.3 Cast 1.4 Crew 2 Other Information 2.1 Film Festivals 3 External Links

[edit] Main Details

[edit] Plot Summary

A Minneapolis car salesman in desperate need of money makes a deal with two small-time thugs in Fargo to kidnap his wife, hoping to split the large ransom he expects her wealthy father will pay. Needless to say, things do not work out as planned.

[edit] Production Information

The role of Jean Lundegaard was played by Fargo actor Kristin Rudrüd, who has performed in many locally made films. While much of the film was shot in Minnesota, a number of scenes were shot in northeastern North Dakota. For a week in March 1995, the cast and crew set up a production office in the Grand Forks Holiday Inn, while driving further and further north each day of shooting to find someplace that still had snow. When the production crew had come location scouting the week before, a small blizzard was going on, but by the time everyone arrived for shooting, weather was sunny and temperatures were in the 30s to 40s. About the only scenes actually shot in or near Fargo were the motel scene with the prostitutes and the I-94 exit sign. During production of the movie, Christopher Jacobs served as an uncredited projectionist.

When the movie was released on DVD, MGM Home Entertainment held a party in Fargo, complete with several contests and give-aways. A large statue depicting Marge Gunderson was donated by MGM to the Fargo Theatre, and the statue currently resides on the theatre's second floor. For the tenth anniversary of the movie's release, the Fargo Film Festival made arrangements to show Fargo on the side of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Fargo.

[edit] Cast

• Frances McDormand.... Marge Gunderson
• William H. Macy.... Jerry Lundegaard
• Steve Buscemi.... Carl Showalter
• Harve Presnell.... Wade Gustafson
• Peter Stormare.... Gaear Grimsrud
• Kristin Rudrüd.... Jean Lundegaard

[edit] Crew

• Directed by Joel Coen
• Written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

[edit] Other Information

[edit] Film Festivals

• 2006 Fargo Film Festival.... Special Outdoor 10th Anniversary Screening

[edit] External Links

• Fargo at Wikipedia
• Fargo at the Internet Movie Database
• An Oscar Party in Fargo? You Betcha! at CNN
• 58102: The Fargo That Wasn't in the Movie at National Geographic Magazine