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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 207.237.89.3 (talk) at 12:17, 9 December 2013 (→‎Crime drama or Black Comedy?). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

References to use

Please add to the list references that can be used for the film article.
  • Gilmore, Richard Allen (2005). "The American Sublime in Fargo". Doing Philosophy At The Movies. State University of New York Press. pp. 57–80. ISBN 0791463915.
  • Leitch, Thomas (2002). "Fargo and the Crime Comedy". Crime Films. Genres in American Cinema. Cambridge University Press. pp. 265–288. ISBN 0521646715.

True story?

If this is based on a true story then was there really a million dollars left out there or was it found eventually?

Fargo is not based on a true story. The true story thing was a prank on their part. - A Link to the Past
I thought I recalled hearing about a story in the news in the late 1990's regarding the true "Jerry Lundegaard" and his comments from prison. Are you sure that this true story-thing was a prank? Any citation regarding that?Drdr1989 03:38, 29 November 2005 (UTC)[reply]
The story is fictional. The Cohens played a similar prank with O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), which they said in the opening was based on The Odyssey but later admitted that had never read (documented in Ies at the time theMDB but also other articl film came out, the film only includes elements that most literate people would've already heard of: cyclops, harpies, oracle). This became an added bit of humor when the film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. According the the Cohens, the openning title card in question was originally going to say "Based on Homer's The Odyssey, with other based on Moby Dick". Bobak 19:45, 1 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Claiming O Brother Where Art Thou was based on the Odyssey wasn't a prank - the prank was their later claim that they'd never read it, one you fell for. That film is chock full of references. Wait a second... I'm replying to a two and a half year old post! Never mind. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 169.229.109.115 (talk) 22:15, 3 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Yeah, its a completely made up story. There was a rumor that a Chinese woman froze to death searching for the money Steve Buschemi buries on the side of the highway. I know that there was a real woman who died, but it was disputed whether she was looking for the money or not. There's an article at www.snopes.com about it. Caesar 06:13, 29 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The lady that died was from Japan, it is now mentioned in the article. As for true story claims, in the special features on the DVD is a making of documentry titled "Minnesota Nice" that confirms clearly and to the point that the story is a work of fiction that is not based on a real life chain of events. They go on to state that all the events that occured in the movie were individually based off of stories that they have heard of happening, the wood chipper for example that had heard of someone being murdered in that fashion, when pressed on the subject of aunthentisity they researched it and found dozens of cases of bodies being disposed of in this manner. It is also stated that due to the warm weather they needed to make snow/truck it in. The Trivia section stating "Not a single scene of the movie was shot in or near Fargo, North Dakota." might not be entirely true, as in the documentry they explain that for the scene where the money is buried with the open snow covered field they needed to travel "almost up to Fargo"205.250.222.152 08:42, 2 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Some of the above (esp the O Brother Where Art Thou similarity) could be mentioned in the main article maybe. Ditto the following, if anyone can find a reliable source for it. William H Macy said in a TV interview (I think something like "100 Greatest Films Ever", or a similar Channel Four list show) that he when he first accepted the part, he read on the front of the script that there would be a title card stating that the film is based on a real event. Apparently he asked the Coen Brothers for more details on the events, or where he could research it and was told that, as the film was mainly fiction, and the card was in the film, the information on it could be fiction also.TimothyJacobson (talk) 16:25, 16 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Trivia edits

Removed the line in Trivia: "The only truth in the story is the fact that there actually is a Fargo, North Dakota" because it is just silly. By this criteria there are several other "truths" in the movie: there actually is a Brainerd, MN and Twin Cities and Bismarck, ND. Cars actually do travel on the right side of the road. Guns do really hurt people. Blood actually is red. There really are prostitutes in Minnesota, etc. It makes no sense.

I'm removing the Monsters, Inc. reference, because there actually is a machine in the movie called the shredder, which makes it unclear if that is a reference or not. Benandorsqueaks 23:51, 9 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

DVD release?

"The film was released on DVD on September 30, 2003." ... I'm pretty sure I first bought the DVD in 2000... Smoove K 02:13, 28 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed the first DVD release date. I remember buying it shortly after it was released myself. Chikinsawsage 07:12, 27 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Locations confirmation

A marker in the article questions accuracy of locations information. I know the King of Clubs info is correct (at least for the establishing shot, not sure about the interior). And it has been razed (it's now hospice housing I think). It was on Central Avenue NE just south of Spring St. IMDB has a few other locations. Notably: Edina police station for Brainerd Police interiors, and the Minneapolis Club ramp for the airport ramp. Anyone know of a vetted list of locations we can source from? Oops. Sorry.--Natcase 03:59, 8 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, but I know the article's assertion that much of the filming was done in North Dakota is inaccurate. The exterior shots that look like North Dakota were actually filmed near Foley, Minnesota.Brain Rodeo (talk) 02:55, 8 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Pretty Pictures!

I've added a ton of screenshots, but is it OK to have that many? Should I remove maybe the shootout one? I actually had a few more, such as one showing the state trooper being shot, and one showing Jean... D Marcescu 22:30, 17 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My opinion is that there are too many pictures, and I don't like how they create stackup problems within the article. I propose removing most of these pictures, or at least placing them in a gallery.
Hoof Hearted 15:35, 21 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Too many stills from a movie violates WP:FAIRUSE#Images. --Dhartung | Talk 08:52, 23 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Problems with a picture!

The picture of William H. Macy floats over the text. I cannot find out how to get it lower? Maybe it is only my browser, Firefox.

Tried to fix the snapshot layouts. It's still not that great but the text shouldn't be obscured by the pics any longer. Anyone else care to pretty up the pic layout? Chikinsawsage 01:11, 28 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Intro and the AFI

The intro mentions three AFI 100 years... lists. It seems a bit over the top, expecially given that no other examples of plaudits are given which would seem to imply that the AFI is the only authority on the worthiness of a movie. I would suggest mentioning other praise or reducing the mention to just the AFI 100 movies list. Unusual Cheese 13:44, 26 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Merger with Marge Gunderson

This section is for discussing the merger of the Marge Gunderson article into this article:

  • Support - The article on Margie is written in an unencyclopedic tone and is duplicative of material contained in this article. Additionally, very few articles link to it. — WiseKwai 17:46, 15 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Concern - would the image on that article pass fair use if moved to Fargo? Somehow doubt it. -- Guroadrunner 06:52, 2 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
    • I don't know of a reason why it wouldn't. It could fit in the plot section or cast section. Also, there isn't a preponderance of images in the Fargo article. I'm confident a fair-use rationale could be crafted to ensure the image of Marge would be okay. — WiseKwai 10:49, 2 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  • Merge. I think that separate character articles are only relevant for series like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, cases where there is a deep pool of knowledge to draw on. Furthermore, it looks like this is the only article for a character from Fargo. While Marge Gunderson is an outstandingly-written character, perhaps it would be better to just have a subsection within the main Fargo article (which may be warranted since the character was ranked on AFI's "100 Best Heroes & Villians" roster). --JD79 15:07, 4 September 2007 (UTC) (Cross-posted from the Marge Gunderson Talk page.)[reply]
The following discussion is an archived discussion. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

This article is totally unecessary, as almost all text is copied and pasted from the main Fargo article. Should we delete or try and expand? Arkyopterix 19:24, 22 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Delete. It provides no new information, and has no scope for expansion beyond that of the main Fargo article anyway. Yaldabaoth 00:12, 9 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Merge. I think that separate character articles are only relevant for series like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, cases where there is a deep pool of knowledge to draw on. Furthermore, it looks like this is the only article for a character from Fargo. While Marge Gunderson is an outstandingly-written character, perhaps it would be better to just have a subsection within the main Fargo article (which may be warranted since the character was ranked on AFI's "100 Best Heroes & Villians" roster). --JD79 15:07, 4 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've removed the crud and added relevant material. Please consider removing the warning box. Cratylus3 03:48, 20 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Inaccuracy with the plot

Grimsrud first kills Carl with a shovel... not an axe. I made the change. - tbone0204

No, it's definitely an axe. Most of the shot it's seen blade-on so it's hard to tell, but there's a clear shot just before Grimsrud raises it when you see the side of the axe head. --Dhartung | Talk 08:57, 23 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Pop culture

I removed the entire pop culture section today. Without getting into a debate about pop culture/trivia sections in general, I feel it is safe to say that these references were without value. Oppie and Anthony occasionally saying "dontcha know" is utterly trivial as is someone mentioning Steve Buschemi in one line of a song. I intended on just trimming the list down, but could find none that were actually significant. --Daniel J. Leivick (talk) 20:52, 19 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I disagree with the removal. If the article on the Odyssey mentioned it inspired a novel by James Joyce I don't think anyone would have a problem with that. The movie is part of pop culture so within the context references are not trivial. It's possible the whole thing is trivial in the grand scheme of things, but that is a separate issue. I hope more people will weigh in on this. Peter Reilly (talk) 19:42, 20 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
There is a difference between a trivial cultural reference and a significant one. We as editors have to use discretion to sort them out. Peter if you think some of the refs I deleted were significant by all means lets discuss, I have no issues with compromise, but like I say one line mentions and and occasional impressions are not in the same league as inspiring an entire novel. The reason there was such a backlash against trivia sections was that many were just like this one, useless little bits. There is absolutely no reason to list every time someone mentions Fargo, it would be like listing all the time someone used a number 2 pencil on TV on the Pencil page. --Daniel J. Leivick (talk) 19:49, 20 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I see what you mean. Of course we're both going over the top with our comparisons. I think the woodchipper ones should be considered. I think the woodchipper will be one of those things with a long life kind of like the Bates Motel. Peter Reilly (talk) 21:16, 24 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

BAFTA Awards

"The film also won the British BAFTA Award"

Which one? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.77.117.239 (talk) 22:27, 23 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Dutch?

It says in the article that the silent killer Grimsgud is Dutch. Any source for this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.172.143.205 (talk) 02:31, 27 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Judging by his name, Gaear Grimsrud (not "Grimsgud") is Norwegian -- although "Gaear" is an apparent anglification of "Geir". And there is a cultural stereotype that Norwegians are kinda quiet.76.113.104.58 (talk) 06:19, 21 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Comedy?

I just watched this movie... and found it quite disturbing. The only thing that I might find funny is the accent. How is this a comedy?

Also, the Cast and Characters section says Marge is "seemingly a simpleton". I didn't pick up on that either. --66.183.30.24 (talk) 08:28, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This film is a good example of dark comedy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_comedy Yokwephil (talk) 23:11, 17 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
When Fargo aired today, the Shaw Communications cable TV program guide called it a dark comedy. Two web sites list it as a dark comedy: http://listverse.com/2008/12/15/top-10-brilliant-black-comedies/ and http://www.imdb.com/list/Z7xFYHqTyXg/. David F (talk) 21:57, 19 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I added info from those two web sites to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo_(film)#Critical_response David F (talk) 00:18, 20 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Reception: US Government

I would like some clarification on this fact. The source used for this section is a book published in 1992 (Footnote 17). How would the woodchipper idea be "later reused" but cited in a book published four years prior to the release of the film? --Kchambers (talk) 07:37, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Nitpicking - opening text

The article quotes the opening "TRUE STORY" text:

"THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred."

In the film, the word "occurred" is spelled "occured". Should this be represented here? Perhaps with '[sic]'? Yokwephil (talk) 23:09, 17 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Allmovie

  • Fargo at AllMovie ... plot synopsis, review, cast, production credits, awards

Reference available for citing in the article body. Erik (talk) 20:13, 10 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Attacking and choice of weapon

To the anonymous contributor at IP address 68.192.130.189: I don't see any point in changing "he kills Carl" to "he attacks and kills Carl with an axe". The fact that Gaear uses an axe may be notable because it could reflect on his character, but the axe might also have been handy at the time, and the course of events isn't dependent on his choice of weapon. As for "he attacks", I think that's more or less implied. The summary is currently over 600 words, so I think it already has enough detail. —Codrdan (talk) 06:41, 30 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Snow globe?

Does anyone know any more about the snow globe that was released with the special edition VHS? I just altered the article to remove the reference to the wood chipper, because an anon. changed it to say it was the overturned car. Does anyone know which it was? ---RepublicanJacobiteThe'FortyFive' 00:21, 26 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Title/location

I removed the following unreferenced section and bring it here for discussion:

The title to the film is taken from the city of Fargo, North Dakota, which plays a small role in the beginning of the film, seen only in a wideshot for only a few seconds following a short scene set in a bar. Although a subtitle states the scene is set in Fargo, the actual shooting location for the bar was in northeast Minneapolis. The rest of the film is completely set around Minnesota, mostly in Minneapolis and Brainerd. However, due to the mild winter of Minnesota during production, much of the film was in fact shot in North Dakota. During an interview with Charlie Rose on the special edition DVD, the Coens stated that they titled the movie Fargo because it sounded more interesting than Brainerd.

As far as the title of the film is concerned, that seems rather obvious. The rest of this is, or should be, covered in the locations section. This is all simply redundant. ---RepublicanJacobiteThe'FortyFive' 16:02, 30 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Fact vs. fiction

I'm looking for some feedback on this revision about the origin of Jerry Lundegaard's name. Would any citation be sufficient to add this bit of trivia to the Wiki article? It seems rather well-supported to me. RepublicanJacobite, has removed the info twice now, hopefully someone else can weigh in. Unclevinny (talk) 01:09, 24 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The citation I read spoke to the existence of a Minneapolis film critic named Lundegaard, but didn't mention anything about a connection with Fargo, or the Cohen brothers. Not to read RepublicanJacobite's mind, but perhaps that's why they felt the citation was inadequate.

Willondon (talk) 02:48, 25 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Locations

The locations section is referenced almost entirely with the IMDB page, which is not considered a reliable source. I suggest items sourced in this way be removed, or better sources found. ---RepublicanJacobiteThe'FortyFive' 02:54, 5 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Merger proposal

I strongly suggest that we merge the List of Fargo characters into this article. Most of that article is devoid of content, with section headings for both major and minor characters empty after many years. In most cases, there is little that can be added, because very little is known. Since there is already a character section here, any of the relevant information in that article can easily be brought here --- in the case of Carl, Gaer, and Jerry, there is some good information, with sources. But, I see no reason why a film with such a small cast, and with so little solid character information, needs a separate cast article. ---RepublicanJacobiteTheFortyFive 16:26, 8 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Having received no response here in the past 2 weeks, I redirected the list article to the main article. There was nothing there that was worth merging. The only two sections that had content were Carl and Gaer, and the content consisted entirely of varying interpretations of their character and motivations. There is no section in this article where that content would have been appropriate, and these interpretations are of questionable value. I see no loss in simply redirecting. ---RepublicanJacobiteTheFortyFive 18:50, 22 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Crime drama or Black Comedy?

Please do not add or change content, as you did to Fargo (film), without verifying it by citing a reliable source. Please review the guidelines at Wikipedia:Citing sources and take this opportunity to add references to the article. Thank you. The Old JacobiteThe '45 04:26, 8 December 2013 (UTC)

What is the cited source for the "crime drama" descriptive term which I corrected and clarified? N.B.: This is why I no longer edit Wikipedia. I make an improvement; it gets reverted, requiring a "citation" when no citation exists for the original descriptive term. Who has time for this high-schoolish nonsense today? Allen Roth 207.237.89.3 (talk) 12:17, 9 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]
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