One thing about the book I haven’t heard mentioned is that all of the men Moss, Chigur, Bell, and Wells (even Bell’s uncle) were all war veterans. Moss, Chigur, and Wells were all special forces in Vietnam and came home without any commendations or honor. They described how Moss is even spit on at one point. We know Bell was awarded a Bronze Start in WWII for what we learn is an act of cowardice that the military (and government) knows the truth of then forces Bell into accepting and tell him if he even thinks of telling the truth of what he did they would imprison him for revealing. One very important part of the book that doesn’t make it into the movie is we learn no one even hired Shigur for any of this. He does it all on his own then shows up in the cartel’s legitimate office front with the money & makes his deal with them for more work later. He even apologizes for the missing $200,000 Moss took to use over the course of the novel.
Love the part where you talked about the distance between your current self and the past. I totally get what you’re saying. I’m in my later 30s now and there absolutely is a sadness to realizing just how fast time is moving now. I was telling someone recently that I feel like I was in my mid twenties like 2 years ago, not 10. It’s wild. I think that sadness is absolutely something Cormac McCarthy is touching on in the book, since it’s definitely about a changing world leaving people behind. RIP to a legend
thanks! Yeah the first 18 years seemed to go so slow, then after that time is just speeding by! I'm glad to hear some of what I said resonated with people!
I think if you flipped a coin to see whether the movie or the book wins, that would've been perfect! @20:50 About the scene where Bell goes back to the motel where Moss gets shot: in the movie, it's a bit ambiguous whether Chigurh is even actually there or not. But in the book, Bell almost catches him, because he gets an idea that Chigurh might have gone back there. Chigurh sensing danger, sits in his car and lets Bell check out the room. Bell knows Chigurh has been there because of the vent being open. He then calls for backup but waits in his car up the road, waiting for anyone to leave. Other officers arrive in a few minutes and check the cars parked in the motel, they don't find anyone, meaning that Chigurh probably took off on his feet. It's a nice cat and mouse sequence in the book. I love the movie and I thought the way they wrote the script from the book is worth studying.
No Country is in my top 3. It’s hard to convince people that such an incredible movie is an even better book. Though Tommy Lee delivers the end dialogue really well, the book is so much more powerful. Great vid.
Great video! Love the book and movie. I actually did see There Will Be Blood in theaters as a 13 year old and I remember it being one of those turning point movies for me where I thought, “Huh, I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Would love to see a screening of it again in the future.
I recently finished the book and absolutely loved it. It’s also cool to see someone talking about it, even if it’s a bit of an older video, considering how most people seem to focus so much more on the movie. I’ve seen the movie more times than I can count, but even so I think I also have to lean more towards the book being better having finally read it. Mainly because of the scenes between Moss and the young hitchhiker. I feel like those scenes gave us a little bit of a deeper feel for Mosses character, and I liked how it felt like a bit of downtime to break up the constant sense of tension in the book. I also feel like the fact that the hitchhiker ended up dying along with him, being so young and optimistic about her future, also added a whole extra layer of tragedy and felt really in line with the larger themes of the story in a grim way.
Yes, very timely review indeed. I agree with you, that the book wins. I mean, when you think of one guy, sitting alone with a typewriter/computer, a blank piece of paper/screen, and from that, comes this book, those characters, those ideas. BTW: "Blood Meridian" is one of the most unforgettable books I've ever read. It's probably a masterpiece, but I'm not smart enough to determine that, haha!
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought that at the end of the movie when Chigurh goes to Carla Jean and offers the coin toss she refuses to do so? I remember that being really interesting because she essentially just poked a gaping hole in his ironclad “principles”, forcing him to break them since it’s heavily implied he kills her anyway. Great video btw!
Now feel like after death CM will be pushed to heights further than before especially with Wendigoon. He did a 5 hour breakdown of BM now and has 3 million views
14:32 hang on, we don’t know that he went to her room. I just heard a notion that had he went to her room, he wouldn’t be killed, but by doing the right thing and Not cheating on Carlajean, he was ambushed in his room. Like doing the right thing and bringing water to the wounded man got him in trouble earlier
I really love this book, and I think the film is almost flawless. Probably because I spent so much time reading classic literature, I have a theory that the book is meant to be read like a Homeric epic. It has 24 chapters like the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid. Sheriff Bell's introduction to each chapter could be read as the classic invocation of the Muse, but of course set in the modern, disjointed, and godless world they are somewhat aimless and pessimistic. In light of that, I see Chigurh as a psychopath who has surrendered himself to the Greek ideal of the Fates. He sees himself as an instrument of a higher power, as he hints to Wells in his monologue in the book. When he flips the coin, it's because he's not sure what to do and he's looking for a sign. In the case of the gas station owner it turns out well, but for Carla Jean the omen was bad. My theory also turns Lewellyn into more of a tragic hero, like Hector in the Iliad; the guy who has good intentions but by circumstance is rendered obsolete by the twists of Fate I think The Road was written shortly after this book, and I see that novel as an exploration of Bell's dream at the end: a father carrying a fire in a hopeless storm and trying to lead his son to the light
It’s very close for me, but I think I lean towards the book. Specifically cause Chigurh has SUCH great lines in the book that were taken out of the adaptation, and I understand why, but he had SUCH great dialogue in the book.
Thank you for some great insight on my favorite Cormac McCarthy novel. There is shockingly little about this book. Cormac McCarthy's fans seem to disregard this gem. (Actually this is tied with Outer Dark for my favorite)
If you think his writing is sparse, read Blood Meridian. The most deep, challenging book I've ever read. Stunningly violent though...be warned. Considered unfilmable and simply one of the best novels I have ever experienced. No Country is one of my favorite films and I do enjoy the book as well which was supposed to be a script, hence being so sparse. Watching in the theater (No Country)was amazing but I've grown to love it more as I've aged. But back to Blood Meridian; I had tried to read it during college and just couldn't get going. When I turned fifty I told myself I had to and I remember finishing the book and just being gobsmacked. May have ruined many future reads for me. I hope someday they complete the film, but they have to stay true and that will be very difficult to do these days as many will find it too violent, and difficult to deal with(if it stays true to the novel). Anyhow love your channel, as I am very new to it. Great stuff.
I definitely need to read Blood Meridian! In fact I just got it from the library so I'll be reading it soon! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I'm glad you like the channel 😊
27:21 Considering we're already starting to do that at least here in Canada where Im from I would say we're screwed. Personally I'm very awkard when someone calls me Sir just because IM 28 but I don't have a college degree and live on disability so IMO I don't feel like I've earned the title Sir (which OG sir was a title given to first the knights in Medieval Europe and then in Victorian/Elizabethan eras Sir was applied to anyone who was male and wealthy) that I feel u either get nowadays via your job (teacher Police etc) or by age (50 plus)
@@WhytheBookWins I agree. This is why in a lot of stores etc for a female they use Miss because u don't know if they're married badly divorced separated etc. For me I usually judge it by age (is that ageist? Apologies if it is I just mean if a lady is a senior they're probably more expecting ma'am) so if I think they might be older I'll use Ma'am because that's what they're used to. I've been corrected too ironically! I used it at a mall and the lady said "thanks for the compliment young man but I never married." Same with my HS anicent History teacher. She never married but didn't really care if we said Ma'am or miss.
Great job. This is arguably my fav movie of all time and the author Is my fav as well. The movies is very faithful to the book, I think, in part because Cormac McCarthy started no country as a screenplay initially and then it turned into a novel. If you get a chance in the near future, please do all the pretty horses, also by the same author. Thanks for the great content
Glad you liked the video! And that makes sense, I hadn't known that he started it as a screenplay though. But i did know he has written screenplays (specifically I knew he wrote the counselor which I saw in theaters and honestley thought was pretty terrible lol). And thanks for the recommendation! I have Child of God I will read soon, and after that probably Blood Meridian. Then after that I'll check out All the Pretty Horses
Read the book a while back because I love the film. Can’t remember much from the book but I will re-read it soon. I do remember thinking the book reminded me of both Ernest Hemingway and Elmore Leonard because of its tight sentences. I also felt like the book read as an author consciously hoping to sell the film rights to his novel and writing it accordingly. In any case the book is quite good. A big clue to this story is in the title, “No Country For Old Men.” This story is about sailing. Specifically, about sailing to Byzantium. ‘Sailing To Byzantium’ is a poem by Yeats poem the first line of which is ‘That was no country for old men.’ Sheriff Bell is the old man sailing away from his past and current realities finally well aware that he’s sailing towards Death, as we all are. Can’t go into the Yeats too much because of the density of the poem but I believe the choice of title being borrowed reveals much. The Coen Brothers are very into the Classics, as in Homer and the like. The Iliad and The Odyssey are added on to many centuries later by Virgil with The Aeneid - in part, a foundation myth attempt to legitimize the injustices of the Roman Empire and it would be used later to justify the British Empire and later still the American Empire... “Roman, remember by your strength to rule Earth’s peoples - for your arts are to be these: To pacify, to impose the rule of law, To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.” -- The Aeneid, Book VI, 1151 to 1154. There’s a lot going on in the movie. There are no throw away bits of dialogue. Carson’s jokes at the office manager’s expense about validated parking and too many floors for instance are revealing that he’s being hired by the CIA, see ‘Con Air’ for more info about the CIA running heroin out of Vietnam in the 70’s and having to find a new supplier after the war ended. They fund there Black Ops with the proceeds. Pretty sure that’s why Afghanistan was so long of a war. Thanks for making videos eh.
oh wow! thanks for sharing! so many layers to this book and movie
5 месяцев назад
Hello beautiful lady 🤦♂️😄 I do think the scene when Bell and Shigr nearly meet at the scene of Moss's murder is in the book... What do you think about doing an episode on the limitless film versus it's novel (the dark fields by Alan glynn) I personally feel the film is worlds better! Anyway that's my 2 cents and if I lived in the states I wish I was your boyfriend 😄🫠
I have covered Limitless! It is on my youtube channel but it is just the audio from back when this was just a podcast.
5 месяцев назад
@WhytheBookWins alrighty I will have a listen! What di you think of them both? Personally what made me sit up and say "huh?" Was seeing that it was it was produced by Virgin! (The first of the Virgin production company I think). Anyway the other thing I noticed was that it was bases on a book. Needless to say I went on the hunt for the book for a year. I much prefer the film's ending and yourself?
5 месяцев назад
@WhytheBookWins I did find it quite remarkable that the novel's writing style mirrors the protagonist's mindset. For example, in the book his writing style and diction reflect his mentality as his brain shuts down from withdrawal.
Really enjoy your channel which I discovered few days ago. You remind me of myself 30 years ago. A voracious reader. Sadly the internet came along around 1995 and my book reading days pretty much ended. Loved this movie. My takeaway was simple. If you find a case of money transfer it to a new bag with no transponder and lay low for a year before spending anything. Then move away, start over with a new you and prove Carson McCarthy wrong. All the best.
Saw No Country in the theatre when it came out. On my way home, I bought the book, read it, and went back to see the movie again the next day.
One thing about the book I haven’t heard mentioned is that all of the men Moss, Chigur, Bell, and Wells (even Bell’s uncle) were all war veterans.
Moss, Chigur, and Wells were all special forces in Vietnam and came home without any commendations or honor. They described how Moss is even spit on at one point. We know Bell was awarded a Bronze Start in WWII for what we learn is an act of cowardice that the military (and government) knows the truth of then forces Bell into accepting and tell him if he even thinks of telling the truth of what he did they would imprison him for revealing.
One very important part of the book that doesn’t make it into the movie is we learn no one even hired Shigur for any of this. He does it all on his own then shows up in the cartel’s legitimate office front with the money & makes his deal with them for more work later. He even apologizes for the missing $200,000 Moss took to use over the course of the novel.
Love the part where you talked about the distance between your current self and the past. I totally get what you’re saying. I’m in my later 30s now and there absolutely is a sadness to realizing just how fast time is moving now. I was telling someone recently that I feel like I was in my mid twenties like 2 years ago, not 10. It’s wild. I think that sadness is absolutely something Cormac McCarthy is touching on in the book, since it’s definitely about a changing world leaving people behind. RIP to a legend
thanks! Yeah the first 18 years seemed to go so slow, then after that time is just speeding by! I'm glad to hear some of what I said resonated with people!
I think if you flipped a coin to see whether the movie or the book wins, that would've been perfect!
@20:50 About the scene where Bell goes back to the motel where Moss gets shot: in the movie, it's a bit ambiguous whether Chigurh is even actually there or not. But in the book, Bell almost catches him, because he gets an idea that Chigurh might have gone back there. Chigurh sensing danger, sits in his car and lets Bell check out the room. Bell knows Chigurh has been there because of the vent being open. He then calls for backup but waits in his car up the road, waiting for anyone to leave. Other officers arrive in a few minutes and check the cars parked in the motel, they don't find anyone, meaning that Chigurh probably took off on his feet.
It's a nice cat and mouse sequence in the book.
I love the movie and I thought the way they wrote the script from the book is worth studying.
That would have been so perfect! I wish I would have thought of that lol. And good point about that scene! Yeah, such a brilliant book and movie
No Country is in my top 3. It’s hard to convince people that such an incredible movie is an even better book. Though Tommy Lee delivers the end dialogue really well, the book is so much more powerful. Great vid.
Yeah both are amazing!
Great video! Love the book and movie. I actually did see There Will Be Blood in theaters as a 13 year old and I remember it being one of those turning point movies for me where I thought, “Huh, I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Would love to see a screening of it again in the future.
Thanks! And yeah, such a fantastic movie, I'm jealous you see it in theaters!
I recently finished the book and absolutely loved it. It’s also cool to see someone talking about it, even if it’s a bit of an older video, considering how most people seem to focus so much more on the movie.
I’ve seen the movie more times than I can count, but even so I think I also have to lean more towards the book being better having finally read it. Mainly because of the scenes between Moss and the young hitchhiker. I feel like those scenes gave us a little bit of a deeper feel for Mosses character, and I liked how it felt like a bit of downtime to break up the constant sense of tension in the book. I also feel like the fact that the hitchhiker ended up dying along with him, being so young and optimistic about her future, also added a whole extra layer of tragedy and felt really in line with the larger themes of the story in a grim way.
Yeah the scenes with her and Moss were so good!
Yes, very timely review indeed. I agree with you, that the book wins. I mean, when you think of one guy, sitting alone with a typewriter/computer, a blank piece of paper/screen, and from that, comes this book, those characters, those ideas. BTW: "Blood Meridian" is one of the most unforgettable books I've ever read. It's probably a masterpiece, but I'm not smart enough to determine that, haha!
Yeah so true! I've heard so much about Blood Meridian, definitely one I will be reading soon!
Great review! Please make a video about Lonesome Dove!
Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought that at the end of the movie when Chigurh goes to Carla Jean and offers the coin toss she refuses to do so? I remember that being really interesting because she essentially just poked a gaping hole in his ironclad “principles”, forcing him to break them since it’s heavily implied he kills her anyway. Great video btw!
Yes that is what happens! And I totally agree with what your say about it poking a hole in his principles.
Now feel like after death CM will be pushed to heights further than before especially with Wendigoon. He did a 5 hour breakdown of BM now and has 3 million views
I'd never heard of that channel before, I just looked though and seems interesting
14:32 hang on, we don’t know that he went to her room. I just heard a notion that had he went to her room, he wouldn’t be killed, but by doing the right thing and Not cheating on Carlajean, he was ambushed in his room. Like doing the right thing and bringing water to the wounded man got him in trouble earlier
ohhh, interesting! that would definitely fit
I really love this book, and I think the film is almost flawless. Probably because I spent so much time reading classic literature, I have a theory that the book is meant to be read like a Homeric epic. It has 24 chapters like the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid. Sheriff Bell's introduction to each chapter could be read as the classic invocation of the Muse, but of course set in the modern, disjointed, and godless world they are somewhat aimless and pessimistic. In light of that, I see Chigurh as a psychopath who has surrendered himself to the Greek ideal of the Fates. He sees himself as an instrument of a higher power, as he hints to Wells in his monologue in the book. When he flips the coin, it's because he's not sure what to do and he's looking for a sign. In the case of the gas station owner it turns out well, but for Carla Jean the omen was bad. My theory also turns Lewellyn into more of a tragic hero, like Hector in the Iliad; the guy who has good intentions but by circumstance is rendered obsolete by the twists of Fate
I think The Road was written shortly after this book, and I see that novel as an exploration of Bell's dream at the end: a father carrying a fire in a hopeless storm and trying to lead his son to the light
Thanks for sharing! And I love that idea that The Road reflects that dream from the end!
It’s very close for me, but I think I lean towards the book. Specifically cause Chigurh has SUCH great lines in the book that were taken out of the adaptation, and I understand why, but he had SUCH great dialogue in the book.
How timely! Great video
Right?? So crazy he passed away yesterday
Great video, great thoughts and interpretations!
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it 🙂
Thank you for some great insight on my favorite Cormac McCarthy novel. There is shockingly little about this book. Cormac McCarthy's fans seem to disregard this gem. (Actually this is tied with Outer Dark for my favorite)
Glad you liked the video! Yeah the book was fantastic
If you think his writing is sparse, read Blood Meridian. The most deep, challenging book I've ever read. Stunningly violent though...be warned. Considered unfilmable and simply one of the best novels I have ever experienced. No Country is one of my favorite films and I do enjoy the book as well which was supposed to be a script, hence being so sparse. Watching in the theater (No Country)was amazing but I've grown to love it more as I've aged. But back to Blood Meridian; I had tried to read it during college and just couldn't get going. When I turned fifty I told myself I had to and I remember finishing the book and just being gobsmacked. May have ruined many future reads for me. I hope someday they complete the film, but they have to stay true and that will be very difficult to do these days as many will find it too violent, and difficult to deal with(if it stays true to the novel). Anyhow love your channel, as I am very new to it. Great stuff.
I definitely need to read Blood Meridian! In fact I just got it from the library so I'll be reading it soon! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I'm glad you like the channel 😊
@@WhytheBookWins Can't wait to hear your thoughts on BM. Such amazing prose.
And yes, I really enjoy your approach to discussing these books and films. No idea why it took me so long to come across your channel. Glad I did.
I swear you remind me of the beautiful Jennifer Grey from “Dirty Dancing.” Probably not the first to say that, but it’s uncanny.
I have been told that before, but I always love hearing it!
27:21 Considering we're already starting to do that at least here in Canada where Im from I would say we're screwed. Personally I'm very awkard when someone calls me Sir just because IM 28 but I don't have a college degree and live on disability so IMO I don't feel like I've earned the title Sir (which OG sir was a title given to first the knights in Medieval Europe and then in Victorian/Elizabethan eras Sir was applied to anyone who was male and wealthy) that I feel u either get nowadays via your job (teacher Police etc) or by age (50 plus)
Yeah I would feel weird having people call me ma'am lol, but ultimately it just represents respecting each other in general
@@WhytheBookWins I agree. This is why in a lot of stores etc for a female they use Miss because u don't know if they're married badly divorced separated etc. For me I usually judge it by age (is that ageist? Apologies if it is I just mean if a lady is a senior they're probably more expecting ma'am) so if I think they might be older I'll use Ma'am because that's what they're used to. I've been corrected too ironically! I used it at a mall and the lady said "thanks for the compliment young man but I never married." Same with my HS anicent History teacher. She never married but didn't really care if we said Ma'am or miss.
Great job. This is arguably my fav movie of all time and the author Is my fav as well. The movies is very faithful to the book, I think, in part because Cormac McCarthy started no country as a screenplay initially and then it turned into a novel. If you get a chance in the near future, please do all the pretty horses, also by the same author. Thanks for the great content
Glad you liked the video! And that makes sense, I hadn't known that he started it as a screenplay though. But i did know he has written screenplays (specifically I knew he wrote the counselor which I saw in theaters and honestley thought was pretty terrible lol). And thanks for the recommendation! I have Child of God I will read soon, and after that probably Blood Meridian. Then after that I'll check out All the Pretty Horses
Read the book a while back because I love the film. Can’t remember much from the book but I will re-read it soon. I do remember thinking the book reminded me of both Ernest Hemingway and Elmore Leonard because of its tight sentences. I also felt like the book read as an author consciously hoping to sell the film rights to his novel and writing it accordingly. In any case the book is quite good.
A big clue to this story is in the title, “No Country For Old Men.” This story is about sailing. Specifically, about sailing to Byzantium. ‘Sailing To Byzantium’ is a poem by Yeats poem the first line of which is ‘That was no country for old men.’ Sheriff Bell is the old man sailing away from his past and current realities finally well aware that he’s sailing towards Death, as we all are. Can’t go into the Yeats too much because of the density of the poem but I believe the choice of title being borrowed reveals much.
The Coen Brothers are very into the Classics, as in Homer and the like. The Iliad and The Odyssey are added on to many centuries later by Virgil with The Aeneid - in part, a foundation myth attempt to legitimize the injustices of the Roman Empire and it would be used later to justify the British Empire and later still the American Empire...
“Roman, remember by your strength to rule
Earth’s peoples - for your arts are to be these:
To pacify, to impose the rule of law,
To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.”
-- The Aeneid, Book VI, 1151 to 1154.
There’s a lot going on in the movie. There are no throw away bits of dialogue. Carson’s jokes at the office manager’s expense about validated parking and too many floors for instance are revealing that he’s being hired by the CIA, see ‘Con Air’ for more info about the CIA running heroin out of Vietnam in the 70’s and having to find a new supplier after the war ended. They fund there Black Ops with the proceeds. Pretty sure that’s why Afghanistan was so long of a war.
Thanks for making videos eh.
oh wow! thanks for sharing! so many layers to this book and movie
Hello beautiful lady 🤦♂️😄 I do think the scene when Bell and Shigr nearly meet at the scene of Moss's murder is in the book...
What do you think about doing an episode on the limitless film versus it's novel (the dark fields by Alan glynn) I personally feel the film is worlds better! Anyway that's my 2 cents and if I lived in the states I wish I was your boyfriend 😄🫠
I have covered Limitless! It is on my youtube channel but it is just the audio from back when this was just a podcast.
@WhytheBookWins alrighty I will have a listen! What di you think of them both?
Personally what made me sit up and say "huh?" Was seeing that it was it was produced by Virgin! (The first of the Virgin production company I think).
Anyway the other thing I noticed was that it was bases on a book. Needless to say I went on the hunt for the book for a year.
I much prefer the film's ending and yourself?
@WhytheBookWins I did find it quite remarkable that the novel's writing style mirrors the protagonist's mindset. For example, in the book his writing style and diction reflect his mentality as his brain shuts down from withdrawal.
Deakins didn't win an Oscar for this movie. Elswit won for your more favorite flick: TWBB!
Oh I must have misspoke, because I knew Deakins didn't win one until Blade Runner 2049!
Dat's otay, I always misspeak. Sorry if I came off persnickety.
Would love to see response to The Princess Bride… in my humble opinion both are equally great
I definitely want to cover that one eventually!
blessings!
You really need to read Blood Meridian
I'll be reading it either later this month or next month!
Ironic you're doing this video after the death of cormac mccarthy
Yeah pretty crazy timing
👁 👉🗯 ☠️
Really enjoy your channel which I discovered few days ago. You remind me of myself 30 years ago. A voracious reader. Sadly the internet came along around 1995 and my book reading days pretty much ended. Loved this movie. My takeaway was simple. If you find a case of money transfer it to a new bag with no transponder and lay low for a year before spending anything. Then move away, start over with a new you and prove Carson McCarthy wrong. All the best.
That's a good takeaway 😆 Glad you like my channel!
The Road was terrible. It got its praise bc of No Country so every pundit simpleton praised it.
I appreciate it if you don't like The Road but your comment is totally nonsensical.