Kinda... It's important as far as Cohen Brothers adapting old stories goes, but not so much with respect to the "shlemiel" concept at the center of this video. Odysseus/Ulysses is nearly the opposite of a shlemiel: he's clever, crafty, supernaturally lucky at times (literally in god's favor), with a generally cheerful outlook, and usually succeeds in his plans, even if it didnt go how he originally wanted. Perhaps it would have been good to bring up for contrast, but not really because it fits in with the other characters featured.
@@DeLaSoul246 definitely! that makes sense, and is probably why they didnt include it. i was just saying that they have a history of adapting classic dramas/tragedies like that.
@@DeLaSoul246 I would say they basically turned Odysseus into a shlemiel. Everett is a manipulative low life whose charm is about as tacky as his pomade. Yes, he's a bit clever and crafty, but not so much as he perceives himself to be. While he perceives himself to pretty much be the smartest person in the room, most of his plans would fail were it not for sheer dumb luck. And like many famous shlemiels, he fails to learn the proper lessons from any of his experiences. Case in point, after praying to God for a miracle to save him from his impending hanging, the river is dammed and the valley floods. While the men who were going to hang Everett, Pete and Delmar seem to have died, the three of them miraculously survived. Instead of contemplating any deeper philosophical meaning or metaphysical explanation of what happened, Everett immediately shrugs it off. If anything, adapting Odysseus into Everett is one of the the most Coen-brothers-esque things the Coen Brothers have ever done. And that definitely would have been relevant to bring up in this Wisecrack video.
Oh the schlemeil. One thing I think it’s important to mention is the schlemeil’s scene partner, the schlamazel, who is unwittingly pulled into the schlemeil’s antics in the course of performing his normal duties. Thus, as my father used to say “the shlemeil spills the soup, the schlamazel gets the soup spilled on him”
I believe it's actually the other way around 😂. Schlamazal means "unlucky one" so he'd have the soup spilled on him by the schliemeil who's the clumsy one
Fun fact: the Coen brothers grew up in a predominantly Jewish suburb (Saint Louis Park) next to the beautiful Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Great video. The genius of this Macbeth for me was the casting of much-older actors as the leads; it really emphasizes the schlemiel aspect - instead of being a feisty younger man brought down by his ambition, he's a has-been/never was who has already led a second-banana life due to his lack of confidence. When he is free from self-doubt, he is a radical ass-kicker, but the moment he can no longer rely on the comfort of prophesy, he crumbles. Coen has turned Macbeth into a medieval Death of a Salesman.
That was a very fascinating video! I am not Jewish, so I was unfamiliar as to what a Schlemiel was outside of the term mentioned in the theme to "Laverne and Shirley"... lol...
In grad school, I did a thesis on The Big Lebowski, and after watching this, I realize that I completely missed the big question: *Why didn't he just clean the rug and move on?* Answer: because he wanted to be a hero (of sorts).
thats certainly a way to describe MacBeth. The thing is its really not his plan whatsoever, its a prophecy that becomes self-fulfilling after Lady MacBeth eggs him into expediting the process.
i think the point of llewyn davis is that he DOES have the talent!!! but the system of musical “success” in this country is not built around talent, it’s built around marketability. this is proven by the scene where he sings for the club owner and it’s so starkly moving and beautiful, it gave me chills and almost brought me to tears, and the owner’s reaction is just that it’s not what the kids want to hear these days. that so much brilliant art and talent will never be seen or appreciated because of, well, capitalism.
I agree that he had the musical talent. He might have lacked a certain amount of good sense in other areas of his life, but he was also foiled by a lot of bad luck. I'm not even sure his music was unmarketable either. The musician who takes the stage after Llewyn at the end to sing a song with very similar lyrics to the one he just played is supposed to be Bob Dylan. I guess the implication is that success was absolutely possible for him if he'd been in the right time and place.
@@cavalrycome like all indie pop "stars" these days. Praised by music critics, have their fans, but completely unknown and uninteresting for mass audience.
Llewellyn's theft was far from "hair brained." He got away with it. It was his conscience that got him killed, when he returned to the scene that night to give a dying man a drink of water. Llewellyn was fairly capable and cunning. If he'd been more cold blooded, they never would have caught him. God, I miss Jared.
I don’t know I view the No Country for Old Men protagonist as a schlemiel in the truest sense, but overall it is in an interesting thread throughout their filmography that was obvious for its writing, but not origin for a gentile at least.
I've heard the term *schlemiel* before, but I never bothered to try to understand its meaning. But after watching this, I get it now, and I recognize lots of protagonists now who could be described as schlemiels, even though I din't know it before.
It’s an old but persistent superstition. It’s said that if you speak the name “Macbeth” aloud in a theater (outside of like, the actual script) you’ll somehow doom the production, so they refer to it as “The Scottish Play” instead
Hello Helen … Macbeth is quite logical for ONE Coen brother to tackle. Why? Aside from the interesting Schlemiel discussion, doing Macbeth is the highest respected play in all of Shakespeare! This is the play that i saw Dame Judith Dench do in a one person show a million years ago. Don’t ask me how bit she did. It’s the holy grail of actors. That’s why.
All this talk of schlemeils is giving me flashbacks to my 10th Grade English class, where I first heard the word. I am going to have nightmares from this 😅.
what makes the Coen brothers different? I could name a bunch of fantastic films like Miller's crossing, Fargo, the big lebowski, inside Llewin davis, burn after reading, and even Hail Caesar! but no country for old men is one of the best films ever made, hands down. no country is what makes them different. fun fact: Francis mcdormand has been married to Joel Coen since 1984.
The Schlemeil happens in any economy. Not sure I would extend it to the US and I certainly would not say that the United States was a loser after World War II. You’re welcome.
6:35 - I'm not an American but this quote does not seem to describe accurately the reality of USA after WW2. The Americans had no reason to "experience itself as a "loser"". They won the war, right?
The schlemeil is just the Jewish take on the same archetype common to many civilizations of the divine fool, child. In the Tarot philosophy he is each and one of us in this journey we call life. We start this journey as total beginners and fools, every journey that we embark on starts this way. We learn quite some along the way, but we all make mistakes along the way, and danger is always lurking for us around the corner. And as we progress and become wiser and more experienced, we transform into the other archetypes - the magician, the sage, the king, etc. - but we should never stop evolving and learning more and more of the infinite experiences that the universe provides, thus always remaining the original fools that we are, open for more to learn and embrace.
Denzel Washington playing a British nobleman I am all for..... Next let's have Shaka Zulu played by a by Mathew Perry! Show me the inconsistency, please!.......Please........ please
Dear person reading this, A Wise old man was talking to a boy and said , " There are two wolves always fighting inside me . 🐺 One is filled with anger , hate , jealousy , shame and lies ❗️ the other wolf is filled with love , joy , truth and peace ✨. this battle rages inside of you and all men " The boy thought for a moment and asked " Which wolf will win ? 🥺 " The old man answered " The one you feed "🌈 Hope this message helps you🙏 Love From a Small TH-camr💛🖤.
the fact that o brother where art thou was a pretty direct adaptation of the Odyssey feels relevant to this topic
A big miss in this video for sure
Kinda... It's important as far as Cohen Brothers adapting old stories goes, but not so much with respect to the "shlemiel" concept at the center of this video.
Odysseus/Ulysses is nearly the opposite of a shlemiel: he's clever, crafty, supernaturally lucky at times (literally in god's favor), with a generally cheerful outlook, and usually succeeds in his plans, even if it didnt go how he originally wanted.
Perhaps it would have been good to bring up for contrast, but not really because it fits in with the other characters featured.
@@DeLaSoul246 definitely! that makes sense, and is probably why they didnt include it. i was just saying that they have a history of adapting classic dramas/tragedies like that.
@@DeLaSoul246 I would say they basically turned Odysseus into a shlemiel. Everett is a manipulative low life whose charm is about as tacky as his pomade. Yes, he's a bit clever and crafty, but not so much as he perceives himself to be. While he perceives himself to pretty much be the smartest person in the room, most of his plans would fail were it not for sheer dumb luck. And like many famous shlemiels, he fails to learn the proper lessons from any of his experiences. Case in point, after praying to God for a miracle to save him from his impending hanging, the river is dammed and the valley floods. While the men who were going to hang Everett, Pete and Delmar seem to have died, the three of them miraculously survived. Instead of contemplating any deeper philosophical meaning or metaphysical explanation of what happened, Everett immediately shrugs it off.
If anything, adapting Odysseus into Everett is one of the the most Coen-brothers-esque things the Coen Brothers have ever done. And that definitely would have been relevant to bring up in this Wisecrack video.
@@kodyk124 Especially because they have an entire section on Hubras and don’t even mention Everett or Odysseus in that part.
Oh the schlemeil. One thing I think it’s important to mention is the schlemeil’s scene partner, the schlamazel, who is unwittingly pulled into the schlemeil’s antics in the course of performing his normal duties. Thus, as my father used to say “the shlemeil spills the soup, the schlamazel gets the soup spilled on him”
Awesome saying!
Ah, those two terms are in the Laverne and Shirley theme song.
Because there's always some schmendrick who has to make a joke of it even a schlomo will understand.
was your father named Ron Swanson?
I believe it's actually the other way around 😂. Schlamazal means "unlucky one" so he'd have the soup spilled on him by the schliemeil who's the clumsy one
Love Wisecrack. They are always introducing me to new concepts. Today it is "Schlemeil"
Right?! I had no idea about this concept in writing. It explains a lot about the Cohen brother's films, but also tragedies in general.
And how Macbeth might be a Schlemiel. That's one to chew on, indeed.
Yeah, that concept could be applied to everyone in this modern days ha ha
About time they started to make me "think" again, I was getting worried for a little while there
Fun fact: the Coen brothers grew up in a predominantly Jewish suburb (Saint Louis Park) next to the beautiful Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
Great video. The genius of this Macbeth for me was the casting of much-older actors as the leads; it really emphasizes the schlemiel aspect - instead of being a feisty younger man brought down by his ambition, he's a has-been/never was who has already led a second-banana life due to his lack of confidence. When he is free from self-doubt, he is a radical ass-kicker, but the moment he can no longer rely on the comfort of prophesy, he crumbles. Coen has turned Macbeth into a medieval Death of a Salesman.
Comedy is merely tragedy happening to someone else - W. C. Fields
Wish the Coen brothers would get back together to make one more movie, one last time
Didn’t they do the Ballad of Buster Scruggs together?
They aren't like...split up or retired lol. I'm sure they'll work together again.
@@paisan8766 yeah. That was before the tragedy of Macbeth.
@@LT1 Ethan left filmmaking
@@paisan8766 yeah. I heard he makes stageplays now.
I love how they have background in philosophy!
That was a very fascinating video! I am not Jewish, so I was unfamiliar as to what a Schlemiel was outside of the term mentioned in the theme to "Laverne and Shirley"... lol...
In grad school, I did a thesis on The Big Lebowski, and after watching this, I realize that I completely missed the big question: *Why didn't he just clean the rug and move on?*
Answer: because he wanted to be a hero (of sorts).
Cos the aggression will not stand man
Because that rug really tied the room together..
Now that "The Expanse" has concluded for the time being I'll be expecting a full report.
Hope the transmission delay isn't too bad.
thats certainly a way to describe MacBeth. The thing is its really not his plan whatsoever, its a prophecy that becomes self-fulfilling after Lady MacBeth eggs him into expediting the process.
This is a pretty good hypothesis to explain Coen's movies
The Tragedy of Macbeth was so spectacular.
i think the point of llewyn davis is that he DOES have the talent!!! but the system of musical “success” in this country is not built around talent, it’s built around marketability. this is proven by the scene where he sings for the club owner and it’s so starkly moving and beautiful, it gave me chills and almost brought me to tears, and the owner’s reaction is just that it’s not what the kids want to hear these days. that so much brilliant art and talent will never be seen or appreciated because of, well, capitalism.
I agree that he had the musical talent. He might have lacked a certain amount of good sense in other areas of his life, but he was also foiled by a lot of bad luck. I'm not even sure his music was unmarketable either. The musician who takes the stage after Llewyn at the end to sing a song with very similar lyrics to the one he just played is supposed to be Bob Dylan. I guess the implication is that success was absolutely possible for him if he'd been in the right time and place.
Yeah. He does have talent. I think they missed the point here.
@@cavalrycome like all indie pop "stars" these days. Praised by music critics, have their fans, but completely unknown and uninteresting for mass audience.
Yep.
Ah yes, marketing is such a necessary evil in a world of endless options.
The Coen brothers just know what they're doing
Without question, Scotland, PA is my favorite retelling of MacBeth. Speed Levitch is AMAZING in it across from Andy Dick.
The shlemiel spills his soup
The shlmazel get soup spilt on him
Llewellyn's theft was far from "hair brained." He got away with it. It was his conscience that got him killed, when he returned to the scene that night to give a dying man a drink of water. Llewellyn was fairly capable and cunning. If he'd been more cold blooded, they never would have caught him. God, I miss Jared.
Thank you for catching that. I was like "hair brained"? Get outta here...
I'm just glad this isn't another video about wide angle lenses.
I don’t know I view the No Country for Old Men protagonist as a schlemiel in the truest sense, but overall it is in an interesting thread throughout their filmography that was obvious for its writing, but not origin for a gentile at least.
*WAIT A MINUTE*
Wait a got dang minute...
This video isn't sponsored. There's no forced advertisement within the video.
My god. That's wonderful.
Helen your hair is absolutely fire today
Empty man needs a wisecrack of its own!
I love it! Thanks for the new concept/lens through which to view Cohen bros characters!
America as a whole felt like a “loser” after World War II? I thought that was the last war America as a whole felt like it won?
How would you apply this to Miller's Crossing?
I can’t watch the ones Helen hosts cuz I become distracted by how lovely she is
I like the smoking a joint before Hebrew school line
the last statement shocked me cos i was actually smoking a joint while watching this video
No Country is my favourite Coen brothers movie.
I've heard the term *schlemiel* before, but I never bothered to try to understand its meaning. But after watching this, I get it now, and I recognize lots of protagonists now who could be described as schlemiels, even though I din't know it before.
Tragedy of Macbeth has to be one of the favorite filmes of 2021. Top 5 for sure.
Ethan and Joel Coen. oh hell yes, masterful, delightful, terrifying.
why cant someone say the title "The tragedy of macbeth" in the theatre?
It’s an old but persistent superstition. It’s said that if you speak the name “Macbeth” aloud in a theater (outside of like, the actual script) you’ll somehow doom the production, so they refer to it as “The Scottish Play” instead
To claim the common thread between all of Coen Brothers "heroes" is excessive hubris is quite a stretch.
Wonderful content. Simply wonderful. Thanks!
I appreciate that the Coen Brothers don't show violence towards women.
Other than that slap Eddie Mannix gives that actress lady in Hail Caesar.
The "schlemiel", I love that word. I'll use that for calling idiots lovingly from now on.
I was in A Serious Man. Got to see them work firsthand. I was an extra so you have to pause the movie and zoom in to see me!
My only question is what do Laverne & Shirley have to do with any of this?
Schlemiel feels like a word Rick would say.
What Rick?
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy Rick & Morty
@@Naedyn okay. Figured.
You should read it as Shlo-me-el Shlo(like shoing a dog), Me, el( like el dorado)
Hello Helen … Macbeth is quite logical for ONE Coen brother to tackle. Why? Aside from the interesting Schlemiel discussion, doing Macbeth is the highest respected play in all of Shakespeare! This is the play that i saw Dame Judith Dench do in a one person show a million years ago. Don’t ask me how bit she did. It’s the holy grail of actors. That’s why.
You guys make some of the best intellectual content on TH-cam.
I always thought Llewyn Davis had a lot of talent as a folk singer. He just didn’t want to sell out like Bob Dylan.
In Hebrew we actually say it “shlum•ee•el”
This video should have more likes!
I learned something today. Lol
"Hit that subscribe button like you're smoking a joint before Hebrew school" < Is this a common thing?!
No Its just a loose connection of the material covered by the writers to make a witty send of to remember the video and it worked.
Fascinating stuff.
As along as they stick the landing.
And they usually do.
Schlemeil. Schlimazel. Hassenpfeffer Incorporated.
Excellent video... But tbh I liked as soon as I your mug pair with the fact it's a coen brothers analysis.
All this talk of schlemeils is giving me flashbacks to my 10th Grade English class, where I first heard the word. I am going to have nightmares from this 😅.
love the summary of mcbeth
what makes the Coen brothers different? I could name a bunch of fantastic films like Miller's crossing, Fargo, the big lebowski, inside Llewin davis, burn after reading, and even Hail Caesar! but no country for old men is one of the best films ever made, hands down. no country is what makes them different. fun fact: Francis mcdormand has been married to Joel Coen since 1984.
The Schlemeil happens in any economy. Not sure I would extend it to the US and I certainly would not say that the United States was a loser after World War II. You’re welcome.
Love the coen brothers
Well that's just like... your opinion man.
This was really fkn interesting
Can You Talk About Kaitou Joker?
*The Coen Brother‘s are the greatest directors Hollywood has to offer*
Paul Thomas Anderson is another one
Edgar Wright, Lord and Miller, Taika Waititi, David Fincher. Just to name the ones you missed.
brad pitt: "we have your.. shit"
6:35 - I'm not an American but this quote does not seem to describe accurately the reality of USA after WW2. The Americans had no reason to "experience itself as a "loser"". They won the war, right?
SY ABLEMAN?!
I think I'm looking forward to this new movie and I need to go back and watch more coen brothers movies cause I have not seen enough of them
Can ya'll do a breakdown of the show Jujutsu Kaisen? The concept of persevering towards your own death for the betterment of humanity?
The schlemeil is just the Jewish take on the same archetype common to many civilizations of the divine fool, child. In the Tarot philosophy he is each and one of us in this journey we call life. We start this journey as total beginners and fools, every journey that we embark on starts this way. We learn quite some along the way, but we all make mistakes along the way, and danger is always lurking for us around the corner. And as we progress and become wiser and more experienced, we transform into the other archetypes - the magician, the sage, the king, etc. - but we should never stop evolving and learning more and more of the infinite experiences that the universe provides, thus always remaining the original fools that we are, open for more to learn and embrace.
What would a Coen Brothers Spider-Man look like?
Helen is a dimer, godbless america
Hipsters love them
TIL I am a Schlumiel...
It's all just Sound and Fury right?
“Ari Shaffir: Jew” is a shemele charater
What about Caspar Milquetoast??
Justinian was a good guy. Long live the Greeks
That's just like your opinion man! LOL, jk, the Big Lebowski the favorite movie of both my dad and I.
they just keep coen
I think one is bigger and the other is funnier.
where is jared ?
Their ability to troll audiences?
Llewyn had the talent. And Llewelyn's theft wasn't "hare brained". This analysis has a lot of holes...
Denzel Washington playing a British nobleman I am all for..... Next let's have Shaka Zulu played by a by Mathew Perry! Show me the inconsistency, please!.......Please........ please
Shlumiel is a basic comic thing, its basically a man whos clumsy. שלומיאל
To me, Coen brothers movies never go anywhere. I don't like most of them for that reason. I'm always missing their point. Might just be me I guess.
Yeah, you're definitely missing the point.
I'm with you man. Their stories are so silly and non - complex....... Except their character writing is appealing.
What happened to Michael Burns philosopher videos? Those were way better
Helen
The Philosophy behind Megan Fox.........
Hello dream woman
is this the same watch mojo lady?
The Schlemiel = The Fool?
It's pronounced Sch-lu-mi-el goddammit.
Of all the accomplishments, none of the Coen brothers films hold up to James Wan's Aquaman
Bruh.
Wisecrack Helen is a cooler and smarter version of Emma Watson.
Do a lot of murder???
Leave it to wisecrack to make up their own definition of hubris in order to make more fallacious claims about old movies
and why are you so different from your twin Hermione Granger?
Rather after Vietnam, not WWII... Henceforth American decline...
Do they have to swear so much though?
"The fuck are you talking about?"
she be cute
Dear person reading this,
A Wise old man was talking to a boy and said , " There are two wolves always fighting inside me . 🐺
One is filled with anger , hate , jealousy , shame and lies ❗️
the other wolf is filled with love , joy , truth and peace ✨. this battle rages inside of you and all men " The boy thought for a moment and asked " Which wolf will win ? 🥺
" The old man answered " The one you feed "🌈
Hope this message helps you🙏
Love From a Small TH-camr💛🖤.
Enjoyed your post, although the over use of emojis is distracting and is not really needed.