How is this a reference?

[Irene Manor]

If you all look at the IMDb, you understand that they will list "movie references" -- Where under a movie title, they will list all movies connected to it.

Often, I have a hard time figuring out how the movies are related, and just think the IMDb is full of it.

So I decided I would take my wonder over to Joblo.com, and look for some answers.

For my first one:

How is The Graduate (1967) referenced in O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)?

[movieDUDE68686]

I think a reference means like if you enjoyed this movie... you will like this one. Like if someone liked Traffic , a good reference would be Requiem For A Dream

[Irene Manor]

I disagree with the meaning there, movieDUDE.

A reference is like in KINGPIN when they redo THE GRADUATE scene with Woody Harelson standing in the doorway and the camera framing him between the landlady's leg.

Or in Rushmore when Max says to charge the dynamite to Brady Demolition, Tuscon -- That's a reference to HEAT.

Another good example are the Star Wars Saga references throughout Kevin Smith movies.

Just because you liked to movies doesn't mean they reference one another -- A reference is when one movie includes something that is taken from another movie (or something worded better than that. http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif )

[herculeez]

Yeah i was kinda thinking what movie dude basically said, but then after reading it i came to the conclusion that i don't necessarily believe that the majority of people who if they like The Graduate would then like O Brother Where Art Thou.
So i would have to agree with Irene, but im not all that familiar with IMDB so im not exactly sure as to why they do the reference thing, but yeah same thing as what Irene said basically.

[Irene Manor]

Nah -- A reference is like in DONNY DARKO when they recreate the bike riding scene, and DOnny has a hooded sweatshirt and skeleton costume identical to Elliot's.

What movieDUDE is talking about is recommendations -- and the IMDb has a seperate catagory for that -- "If you like this, we recommend...."

Here is the partial list of references from O Brother, and I included where I think the reference comes into play:

Monkey Business (1931) - old-style slapstick
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) - homage to the movie
It Happened One Night (1934) - classic road trip movie
Night at the Opera, A (1935) - similar set-up where goofballs enter the music biz/slap-stick
Moby Dick (1956) - Ulysses talks about the book.
Crossroads (1986) - Old guitarist sells soul to devil
Raising Arizona (1987) - Coen Bros antics
Perfect Storm, The (2000) - George Cloony dealing with massive waters.

I'm trying to still find where the graduate falls in there...

A good example of a reference to The Graduate, with out direct homage is in RUSHMORE.

[Irene Manor]

Damn, this is sad.

Okay, I'll try this....

Here is a list of movies referenced in LORD OF THE RINGS: FOTR

Let me know which scenes reference these movies --

King Kong (1933)
Wizard of Oz, The (1939)
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Ten Commandments, The (1956)
Moby Dick (1956)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Birds, The (1963)
Sound of Music, The (1965)
Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)
Deliverance (1972)
Marathon Man (1976)
Star Wars (1977)
Lord of the Rings, The (1978)
Shining, The (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Highlander (1986)
Bad Taste (1987)
Predator (1987)
Willow (1988)
War of the Roses, The (1989)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
Total Recall (1990)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Braindead (1992)
Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Forrest Gump (1994)
First Knight (1995)
Peacemaker, The (1997)
Relic, The (1997)
Starship Troopers (1997)
Titanic (1997)
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Mummy, The (1999)
Matrix, The (1999)
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Hollow Man (2000)
X-Men (2000)

[Professor Falk]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Irene Manor:
Nah -- A reference is like in DONNY DARKO when they recreate the bike riding scene, and DOnny has a hooded sweatshirt and skeleton costume identical to Elliot's.

What movieDUDE is talking about is recommendations -- and the IMDb has a seperate catagory for that -- "If you like this, we recommend...."

Here is the partial list of references from O Brother, and I included where I think the reference comes into play:

Monkey Business (1931) - old-style slapstick
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) - homage to the movie
It Happened One Night (1934) - classic road trip movie
Night at the Opera, A (1935) - similar set-up where goofballs enter the music biz/slap-stick
Moby Dick (1956) - Ulysses talks about the book.
Crossroads (1986) - Old guitarist sells soul to devil
Raising Arizona (1987) - Coen Bros antics
Perfect Storm, The (2000) - George Cloony dealing with massive waters.

I'm trying to still find where the graduate falls in there...

A good example of a reference to The Graduate, with out direct homage is in RUSHMORE.</font>


I looked on the IMDB page yesterday, and I couldn't see a heading for "References". Could you give us directions to where it's located?

A couple for O, Brother... that I noticed when watching it: When they rescue Tommy from the KKK, that is a direct visual homage to The Wizard of Oz, specifically the scene where the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman tackle the three guards and steal their uniforms. The Klan is doing the same "Oh-we-oh...Yoooo-oooh..." chant. The Moby Dick reference is also a visual one, when the coffin bobs up after the flood for them to float to safety on. This happens to Ishmael in the book, and is depicted in the 1956 John Huston film version. The common basis for the story in Crossroads and O, Brother..., is the long-standing legend about Blues singer/guitarist Robert Johnson, who played with such greatness that people said he must have sold his soul. Why he's called "Tommy" Johnson in the film is a mystery to me, unless the Johnson family objected. Incidentally, O, Brother, Where Art Thou is the name of the film the guy is making in Sullivan's Travels.

[Irene Manor]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Professor Falk:

I looked on the IMDB page yesterday, and I couldn't see a heading for "References". Could you give us directions to where it's located? .[/B]</font>


If you are on a movie's page, look to the left, and you'll see a topic headed "movie connections" under Fun stuff.

Good call on the Wizard of Oz!

[Professor Falk]

Okay, thanks for the directions, Irene. Some of those are pretty esoteric. The only connection I can see betwen this film and All The King's men, is the crooked Governor that Charles Durning plays for laughs ("I'll press your flesh, ya dimwitted sumbitch!!") The reference to The Defiant Ones is, again, a scene that was originally dramatic (Curtis and Poitier shackled together trying to make the train), that is played for laughs (the scene near the beginning where they keep almost getting into the boxcar.) Many of these other "references" are tenuous, at best, IMHO. I DO know that the Coens had Sullivan's Travels in mind when they wrote this, because (as I wrote before), that's where they got the film's title. http://us.imdb.com/Title?0034240