Semiotic Codes (page 4)

The movie O' Brother Where Art Thou, directed by the Coen brothers, is filled with the three different types of semiotic codes.
A cultural code is evident at the very beginning of the movie. In the initial scene, James Carter and The Prisoner's Po Lazarus lets the audience know exactly where they are. We understand that we are watching a chain gang as one man sings slave lyrics, while the rest of the men keep the beat with their pick ax's. The audience immediately makes the connection between the song and the main characters predicament without a word being spoken. Later in the movie, as the three main characters are standing in the woods, Alison Krauss's sweet and melodic Down to the River strikes at the audiences' preconceived notions of church music. The sweet harmony, "O sister, let's go down … down to in the river to pray," instantaneously lets the audience know that the spirit of God is close.

A great example of a musical code in the movie O Brother Where Art Thou, is when the main characters sing I am a man of constant sorrow. This scenes sole purpose is to focus the audience's attention on the music. The plot yields as viewers listen to the song for its musical value.

There are also numerous examples of filmic codes in the movie. For example, at the end of the film the main characters are about to be hung when one of the black men digging their graves sings the traditional song, Lonesome Valley. The song helps explain the emotions felt by the characters as they look directly into the cold face of death. It portrays their feelings of hopelessness and despair as they finally realize they are going to die. The old slave song helps the audience put themselves in the shoes of the main characters.
The movie O Brother Where Art Thou is filled with semiotic codes that help direct the audiences' attention, and portray the character's emotions.

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