I see the cat as a symbol of domestication. Llewellyn seems to symbolize a feral cat who bounces from house to house without a real home. He scoffs at the idea of settling down in the suburbs which he sees as the end to adventure and opportunity. So him carrying around this domesticated cat for half the film is a representation of the only two realities he sees: domestication or folk freedom and balancing those two contradictions. The movie poster at the end of the film is a movie about domesticated animals that go on an adventure but still are able to return home. In that moment I see him shaking the false dichotomy of being feral or domesticated and sees that he can have both. Idk though I could be looking to much into it.
Oh I really love that interpretation! I did see the cat as being Llewyn himself but him being conflicted between his romance with his depression and stubbornness about how he approaches his art vs. settling or finding any compromise. It'd definitely add to the feral thing, when he brought a feral cat, the wrong cat (the wrong Llewyn) to the Gorfiends. Then abandoned that part of himself, potentially harming it before being ready to turn his back on music altogether.
Thought you were reaching until recalling the “homeward bound” movie poster. Love this - hard to deny there’s a connection there. The character and the movie put so much screen time into the cat plot.
Llewyn says "hes a house cat he cant feed himself" and yet that house cat RAN AWAY into the "cesspool" of lower nyc. (the metaphors in this film or shocking)
That's an excellent observation. I've read the theories about the cat representing Llewyn, but you articulated it more perfectly with the Domestication analogy. Perfect!
A stunning movie on every level. That mid point road trip is exceptional in the way its depicted as Llewyn travelling into the smoggy unknown and then that Kubrickian diner they stop at comes out of the haze and fog like an alien ship all bright and harsh. Very reminiscent of 2001. And John Goodman is on another level altogether too. Just a spectacular piece of cinema.
First time I watched this I was bored the whole way through and when it was over I assumed I'd forget about it right away, but it stuck with me for some reason and I ended up re-watching it multiple times. I connect with it and appreciate it the more I watch it. I consider it my favorite movie now.
I had a similar reaction; I was underwhelmed. Then I went back to it and have seen it about 5x and own it. It's a nuanced experience that grows and unfolds - has a quiet richness in many scenes, but also humor, and a biting disappointment sprinkled in throughout.
I didn't expect to like the music at all, but it was Cohens...had to see it, but turned out I loved it. Ended up buying the DVD and got the soundtrack. Watched it a half dozen times at least. Always a favorite.
I remember when i watched this movie at 14 is blew my damn mind. If it wasn't for this movie I honestly probably be the person i am today or going to film school
I watched Inside Llewyn Davis at the movie theater right when it came out. I clearly remember liking it, but also not being able to quite pinpoint many of the reasons why I thought the movie was excellent. Your analysis helped me to figure out some of the reasons why I think Inside Llewyn Davis is wonderful movie.
The Cat is Llewyns grief, depression and love for Mike. All of which forces Llewyn into a "wild adventure" that ultimately ends with his farewell song to his career as Bob Dylan takes the stage and Llewyn finally gets a real life lesson in the beating. Note, when he leaves the cat is when we realize the opening scene was the end but this time he sings Fare The Well...the song he and mikey used to sing. Mikey the cat. Also, Mike jumped off the GW bridge and the cat is also named after a president. Llewyn also HATES the Kennedy song but sings about Queen Jane who both died tragically. (The structure of this movie is soooooooo intricate) I highly recommend A Simple Man. Its like the brother movie to ILD.
I saw it when it came out and I enjoyed, but I just watched it again last night and gained a whole new appreciation for it. The irony of him financially not being able to afford going back to a normal job so he has to sing was funny to me.
I loved how the main character was described as “too ethnic” by an agent or producer at that time not subtly (“Stay out of the sun”) while the lily white trio was (basically) recording in the bkgd…
A wicked funny movie with great musical performances and great acting. John Goodman as a junkie, Justin Timberlake as a squeaky-clean folkie, so many more. And then there is "Please Mr. Kennedy..."
Great analysis! I disliked the movie when I first saw it, ten years ago. On rewatching it over the past few years, it has become one of my favorite films. Beautiful music, great images, and you are 100% on target about the philosophical underpinning.
Learning about Movies and btw your channel is amazing i enjoyed all of your videos and your insights and incredibly interesting and eye opening thank you for you’re doing
I loved it ! I guess I was kind of in this mood where I appreciated the film’s tone and feel. Oscar Isaac can with just his facial expressions and eyes. It’s depressing , but you’re rooting for the character throughout the film.
Sometimes I don´t find film and music too different in a sense, that you often don´t have to "understand" them on an intellectual level. You rather vibe and resonate with it or...not. So don´t press yourself too hard.
A very brilliant film actually but i just don't get the casting of Justin Timberlake on this to be quiet honest. I also don't get his casting on The Social Network which is one of my favourite films of all time. Timberlake is a great singer and performer but i'm just not feeling his acting skills and chops unfortunately. He was basically miscast in these amazing and iconic movies in general. 😥😥
I thought Timberlake was there to be made fun of, at least to make fun of his pop music persona. In the movie, his character writes the cheesy 60s folk-pop song that at first seems ridiculous, until it's stated late in the movie that it's become (or going to become) a hit. Of course Llewyn Davis, desperate for money at the time, just got an upfront payment instead of a royalty. Ouch! Not only is that the music business, down on your luck always, but Llewyn's great folk art is constrasted with that pop song. And probably no one has the cultural cache to make you feel the bite of that contrast, at least at the time, than Timberlake.
@@LearningaboutMovies for me one of the ideas in the movie is that Llewyn is not really a great artist, but a middle of the road one, and certainly one that wasn't touched by fortune. in that way it's what happens to those 2nd tier dreamers that don't make it and have to deal with harsh reality. a bitter pill, but one with its own beauty possible, but only by getting through and finding a new way and maturity. for Llewyn, we're left not knowing his ultimate fate in life
The fucking movie is cool only because of the TONE of the piece in terms of nyc at that time -- costumes, cars, locations, etc... The rest of it is pablum and pretty depressing throughout, but funny in a Coen bros sort of way. Otherwise...you see it once and, whatever.
This is one of those movies that you enjoy more the second time you watch it
definitely. It improves with multiple viewings.
That’s the Coen brothers for ya!
I see the cat as a symbol of domestication. Llewellyn seems to symbolize a feral cat who bounces from house to house without a real home. He scoffs at the idea of settling down in the suburbs which he sees as the end to adventure and opportunity. So him carrying around this domesticated cat for half the film is a representation of the only two realities he sees: domestication or folk freedom and balancing those two contradictions. The movie poster at the end of the film is a movie about domesticated animals that go on an adventure but still are able to return home. In that moment I see him shaking the false dichotomy of being feral or domesticated and sees that he can have both. Idk though I could be looking to much into it.
excellent. and that would go along with the commercial music vs. heartfelt (wilder/feral?) music that Davis wants to make.
Oh I really love that interpretation! I did see the cat as being Llewyn himself but him being conflicted between his romance with his depression and stubbornness about how he approaches his art vs. settling or finding any compromise. It'd definitely add to the feral thing, when he brought a feral cat, the wrong cat (the wrong Llewyn) to the Gorfiends. Then abandoned that part of himself, potentially harming it before being ready to turn his back on music altogether.
Thought you were reaching until recalling the “homeward bound” movie poster.
Love this - hard to deny there’s a connection there.
The character and the movie put so much screen time into the cat plot.
Llewyn says "hes a house cat he cant feed himself" and yet that house cat RAN AWAY into the "cesspool" of lower nyc. (the metaphors in this film or shocking)
That's an excellent observation. I've read the theories about the cat representing Llewyn, but you articulated it more perfectly with the Domestication analogy. Perfect!
A stunning movie on every level. That mid point road trip is exceptional in the way its depicted as Llewyn travelling into the smoggy unknown and then that Kubrickian diner they stop at comes out of the haze and fog like an alien ship all bright and harsh. Very reminiscent of 2001. And John Goodman is on another level altogether too. Just a spectacular piece of cinema.
amen, thank you.
yes that empty Fred Harvey Oasis looks amazing in black & white, and that was a real franchise, I looked it up ... that attention to detail, stunning
I love that Diner. Wish I could visit it.
I felt my heart sink for several hours after watching it
gut punch.
First time I watched this I was bored the whole way through and when it was over I assumed I'd forget about it right away, but it stuck with me for some reason and I ended up re-watching it multiple times. I connect with it and appreciate it the more I watch it. I consider it my favorite movie now.
I had a similar reaction; I was underwhelmed. Then I went back to it and have seen it about 5x and own it. It's a nuanced experience that grows and unfolds - has a quiet richness in many scenes, but also humor, and a biting disappointment sprinkled in throughout.
I didn't expect to like the music at all, but it was Cohens...had to see it, but turned out I loved it. Ended up buying the DVD and got the soundtrack. Watched it a half dozen times at least. Always a favorite.
I remember when i watched this movie at 14 is blew my damn mind. If it wasn't for this movie I honestly probably be the person i am today or going to film school
college students say the same. good for you.
I watched Inside Llewyn Davis at the movie theater right when it came out. I clearly remember liking it, but also not being able to quite pinpoint many of the reasons why I thought the movie was excellent. Your analysis helped me to figure out some of the reasons why I think Inside Llewyn Davis is wonderful movie.
thank you.
The Cat is Llewyns grief, depression and love for Mike. All of which forces Llewyn into a "wild adventure" that ultimately ends with his farewell song to his career as Bob Dylan takes the stage and Llewyn finally gets a real life lesson in the beating. Note, when he leaves the cat is when we realize the opening scene was the end but this time he sings Fare The Well...the song he and mikey used to sing. Mikey the cat. Also, Mike jumped off the GW bridge and the cat is also named after a president. Llewyn also HATES the Kennedy song but sings about Queen Jane who both died tragically. (The structure of this movie is soooooooo intricate) I highly recommend A Simple Man. Its like the brother movie to ILD.
Actor Stephen Payne played the silhouetted figure. His vocal timbre is similar to actor Ed Harris.
The cat makes this great🐈...
In my top 10 for sure.
'Inside Llewyn Davis' is a masterpiece that deserves more recognition 🎬🌟 #InsideLlewynDavis
As a big Dylan fan, i absolutly loved the movie.
I saw it when it came out and I enjoyed, but I just watched it again last night and gained a whole new appreciation for it. The irony of him financially not being able to afford going back to a normal job so he has to sing was funny to me.
Awesome channel!
thank you sir!
I loved how the main character was described as “too ethnic” by an agent or producer at that time not subtly (“Stay out of the sun”) while the lily white trio was (basically) recording in the bkgd…
A wicked funny movie with great musical performances and great acting. John Goodman as a junkie, Justin Timberlake as a squeaky-clean folkie, so many more. And then there is "Please Mr. Kennedy..."
Great analysis! I disliked the movie when I first saw it, ten years ago. On rewatching it over the past few years, it has become one of my favorite films. Beautiful music, great images, and you are 100% on target about the philosophical underpinning.
What a coincidence i watched it for the first time last night
great!
Learning about Movies and btw your channel is amazing i enjoyed all of your videos and your insights and incredibly interesting and eye opening thank you for you’re doing
I loved it ! I guess I was kind of in this mood where I appreciated the film’s tone and feel. Oscar Isaac can with just his facial expressions and eyes. It’s depressing , but you’re rooting for the character throughout the film.
Had some great music in it. The Aude Triangle was pretty cool, and I'm not a Justin Timberlake fan.
I'm still don't understand this movie haha, except No Country I think all the Coen brothers movies that I've seen are all quite hard to understand
that's okay.
Sometimes I don´t find film and music too different in a sense, that you often don´t have to "understand" them on an intellectual level. You rather vibe and resonate with it or...not. So don´t press yourself too hard.
I usually like Cohen brothers' films, but this one just did not do it for me. Your mileage may vary.
Agreed
nice sound and picture sync
thank you, I think.
A very brilliant film actually but i just don't get the casting of Justin Timberlake on this to be quiet honest. I also don't get his casting on The Social Network which is one of my favourite films of all time. Timberlake is a great singer and performer but i'm just not feeling his acting skills and chops unfortunately. He was basically miscast in these amazing and iconic movies in general. 😥😥
I thought Timberlake was there to be made fun of, at least to make fun of his pop music persona. In the movie, his character writes the cheesy 60s folk-pop song that at first seems ridiculous, until it's stated late in the movie that it's become (or going to become) a hit. Of course Llewyn Davis, desperate for money at the time, just got an upfront payment instead of a royalty. Ouch! Not only is that the music business, down on your luck always, but Llewyn's great folk art is constrasted with that pop song. And probably no one has the cultural cache to make you feel the bite of that contrast, at least at the time, than Timberlake.
@@LearningaboutMovies That's what i thought when i saw him in that movie. 😂😂
@@LearningaboutMovies I've always found Timberlake a good and convincing actor, including In Time as well.
@@LearningaboutMovies for me one of the ideas in the movie is that Llewyn is not really a great artist, but a middle of the road one, and certainly one that wasn't touched by fortune. in that way it's what happens to those 2nd tier dreamers that don't make it and have to deal with harsh reality. a bitter pill, but one with its own beauty possible, but only by getting through and finding a new way and maturity. for Llewyn, we're left not knowing his ultimate fate in life
Not knowing a thing about Timberlake, I thought everyone in the film did a great job. I love the Spaceman number.
The fucking movie is cool only because of the TONE of the piece in terms of nyc at that time -- costumes, cars, locations, etc... The rest of it is pablum and pretty depressing throughout, but funny in a Coen bros sort of way. Otherwise...you see it once and, whatever.
sounds like you kind of like it ... maybe give it another try
Of note, the cat’s name is revealed to be Ulysses.
yes!
Cat is named Ulysses it’s an Odyssey