History Film / TheBalladOfBusterScruggs

* "The Gal Who Got Rattled": A sheltered young woman (Creator/ZoeKazan) faces various challenges while traveling by caravan.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The mysterious and quasi-supernatural overtones of "The Mortal Remains." [[spoiler:Thigpen looks rather Mephistophelean while the Irishman, the last of the passengers to speak, is kindly and paternal -- the two of them openly refer to themselves as [[TheGrimReaper reapers of souls]] at one point. The Trapper, the Lady, and the Frenchman are archetypal characters who seem unlikely to share the same coach, and while they speak at length about life and human nature, how and why they're headed to Fort Morgan is left largely unclear, other than the Lady's insistence that she'll see her husband there -- and he's said to have been in poor health. The coachmen never stops and his face is never seen, and he wears a long black coat and a tall black hat, while the coach is pulled by four black horses.]] The lighting of the story is even quite gloomy, dark and greenish, and the coach is stark, clean, and artificial, compared to the dusty, worn-down, sunlit outdoors of each other story.

* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: [[spoiler:After being shot by the kid, Buster Scruggs' soul]] grows wings and flies into heaven playing a harp.

* {{Fingore}}: Buster Scruggs shoots off every finger of Curly Joe's brother.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs is killed by the Kid, a younger musical gunslinger. The text on the final page of the short story implies that the Kid himself will probably be killed by a young challenger at some point, perpetuating the cycle]].

* SilenceIsGolden: There are long stretches of silence in several shorts. In "Meal Ticket," the Impresario and the Artist never speak to each other.

* ShaggyDogStory: Many of the stories go out of their way to demonstrate the vicious, pointless moment-to-moment violence of life in the Old West. [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs parodies the idea of the wandering gunslinger being killed by someone looking to take their reputation for themselves, "Near Algodones" is a series of unlikely vignettes that end with the nameless cowboy's death, "Meal Ticket" shows how quickly the world loses interest in the supposed classics in favor of the latest novelty (not to mention how easily an artist's patrons will turn on them), and "The Gal Who Got Rattled" dies a senseless death while an aging trail boss gets to live another day. The closest thing to a (non-esoteric) happy ending is in "All Gold Canyon", and the old prospector has had to wait his whole life, despoil the untouched beauty of the valley, get shot in the back and kill a claim-jumper to strike it rich.]] All of which puts the audience in just the right mindset to assume that [[spoiler:"The Mortal Remains" is about characters who are already dead and on their way to the afterlife, though that twist ultimately [[TheUnreveal never comes]].]]

* ManInBlack: Several of them, including the Kid, the sheriff in "Near Algodones", various morticians (of course), and the coachman from "The Mortal Remains".

* AnthologyFilm: the film comprises six short films all set in TheWildWest. Four are based on short stories written by the Coens over a 25-year period. "All Gold Canyon" is directly based on a short story by Creator/JackLondon. "The Girl Who Got Rattled" is credited as being InspiredBy a story by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Edward_White Steward Edward White]].

* BountyHunter: the Englishman and the Irishman in "The Mortal Remains" eventually reveal that they are bounty hunters, though they dislike the term.

* {{Cowboy}}: Buster Scruggs is a parody of the "singing cowboy" trope of Golden Era Westerns. He's introduced singing "Cool Water" while riding his horse through Monument Valley. He actually seems to be an outlaw gunslinger. He's later challenged by another musical gunslinger who plays a harmonica.
* CrazyPrepared: The bank teller in "Near Algodones" has booby traps behind his desk and a suit of homemade armor just in case he's robbed.

* DecoyProtagonist: If you didn't already know that the film is an anthology, you would be forgiven for assuming that Buster Scruggs is the protagonist of the whole film, since he's the protagonist of the first short and his name is on the title of the movie. [[spoiler:"The Girl Who Got Rattled" has Miss Alice Longabaugh as its title character, and builds up the expectation that Billy Knapp is the returning hero depicted the colored plate at the beginning of the story, but it's actually the laconic Mr. Arthur who gets the segment's big action setpiece, singlehandedly fending off a whole Indian war party -- even though it's not enough to save Miss Longabaugh.]]
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: "Meal Ticket" and "The Gal Who Got Rattled" both end on a decidedly downbeat note. "All Gold Canyon" is really the only short that ends on a high note]].

* InjunCountry: The caravan in "The Gal Who Got Rattled" travels through it and gets attacked.
* JustAFleshWound: The prospector gets shot in the back, but [[spoiler:it goes straight through and "didn't hit anything important," allowing the prospector to fight his attacker, mine the rest of the gold and return to civilization]].

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The mysterious and quasi-supernatural overtones of "The Mortal Remains." [[spoiler:Thigpen looks rather Mephistophelean while the Irishman, the last of the passengers to speak, is kindly and paternal. The Trapper, the Lady, and the Frenchman are archetypal characters who seem unlikely to share the same coach, and while they speak at length about life and human nature, how and why they're headed to Fort Morgan is left largely unclear, other than the Lady's insistence that she'll see her husband there -- and he's said to have been in poor health. The coachmen never stops and his face is never seen, and he wears a long black coat and a tall black hat, while the coach is pulled by four black horses.]] The lighting of the story is even quite gloomy, dark and greenish, and the coach is stark, clean, and artificial, compared to the dusty, worn-down, sunlit outdoors of each other story.
* TheMusical: "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is a musical, parodying old Western musicals. "All Gold Canyon," "The Mortal Remains" and "Meal Ticket" also feature characters singing, though they aren't musicals.

* ShaggyDogStory: Many of the stories go out of their way to demonstrate the vicious, pointless moment-to-moment violence of life in the Old West. [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs parodies the idea of the wandering gunslinger being killed by someone looking to take their reputation for themselves, "Near Algodones" is a series of unlikely vignettes that end with the nameless cowboy's death, "Meal Ticket" shows how quickly the world loses interest in the supposed classics in favor of the latest novelty (not to mention how easily an artist's patrons will turn on them), and "The Girl Who Got Rattled" dies a senseless death while an aging trail boss gets to live another day. The closest thing to a (non-esoteric) happy ending is in "All Gold Canyon", and the old prospector has had to wait his whole life and kill a claim-jumper to strike it rich. All of which puts the audience in just the right mindset to assume that "The Mortal Remains" is about characters who are already dead and on their way to the afterlife, though that twist ultimately [[TheUnreveal never comes]].]]

* StylisticSuck: Most of the shorts contain singing. In "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" and "The Mortal Remains," the singing is very good. On the other hand, the impresario's drunken rendition of "Weela Weela Walya" in "Meal Ticket" is quite terrible, and as the Artist's performance, as the crowds shrink, becomes less nuanced and more strident with each repetition. Even in their early performances, the Impresario makes no attempt to conceal himself when providing sound effects.

* WantedPoster: Buster Scruggs shows off one of his own.

* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs' soul grows wings and flies into heaven playing a harp]].
* YouAreAlreadyDead: {{Exaggerated|Trope}} [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]] when the title character is [[BoomHeadshot shot through the head]]. He hears the shot, takes a full ten seconds to stare at the gunman, slowly takes his hat off, looks at the entry and exit holes, cheerfully says "Well, that ain't good", [[OverlyLongGag looks at his forehead in a hand mirror to confirm]], and then finally drops.

* AffablyEvil: Buster Scruggs, a friendly and golden-throated singing cowboy who cheerfully guns down anyone who threatens him and is a wanted outlaw in at least one county. Fittingly for the trope, he objects to being labeled a "misanthrope" on his wanted poster, since he likes people.

---

* "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs": An affable singing cowboy navigates several confrontations with gunslingers.
* "Near Algodones": A would-be bankrobber gets himself into various predicaments.
* "Meal Ticket": A limbless orator and his impresario find their fortunes dwindling.
* "All Gold Canyon": An aged prospector attempts to locate an elusive pocket of gold.
* "The Gal Who Got Rattled": A sheltered young woman faces various challenges while traveling by caravan.
* "The Mortal Remains": Five strangers converse on a stagecoach ride.

* DecoyProtagonist: If you didn't already know that the film is an anthology, you would be forgiven for assuming that Buster Scruggs is the protagonist of the whole film, since he's the protagonist of the first short and his name is on the title of the movie. [[spoiler:"The Girl Who Got Rattled" has Ms. Alice Longabaugh as its title character, and builds up the expectation that Billy Knapp is the returning hero depicted the colored plate at the beginning of the story, but it's actually the laconic Mr. Arthur who gets the segment's big action setpiece, singlehandedly fending off a whole Indian war party -- even though it's not enough to save Ms. Longabaugh.]]

* ImprovisedArmor: In ''Near Algodones'', Stephen Root's teller bursts out of the back of the bank covered in an assortment of pots and pans. James Franco's nameless cowboy can't get a shot in even as the man closes to point-blank range and bludgeons him unconscious with the butt of his scattergun.

** Mr. Knapp offers to help Miss. Longabaugh even if she rejects his proposal so as not to exploit her desperation.
* PrettyLittleHeadshots: [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs and Alice Longabough]] each receive one. [[spoiler:Self-inflicted in the latter's case.]]

* YouAreAlreadyDead: {{Exaggerated|Trope}} [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]] when the title character is [[BoomHeadshot shot through the head]]. He hears the shot, takes a full ten seconds to stare at the gunman, slowly takes his hat off, looks at the entry and exit holes, cheerfully says "Well, that ain't good", [[OverlyLongGag looks at his forehead in a hand mirror to confirm]], and then finally drops.

** The Englishman in "Mortal Remains" is a ruthless bounty hunter who particularly enjoys watching men die. He's also quite a cheery fellow and a lovely singer. His Irish partner is likely similar, but he doesn't speak as much, so we don't get as clear a picture of his personality.

* AnthologyFilm: the film comprises six short films all set in TheWildWest. Five are based on short stories written by the Coens over a 25-year period. The other one is based on a Creator/JackLondon short story.

* DecoyProtagonist: If you didn't already know that the film is an anthology, you would be forgiven for assuming that Buster Scruggs is the protagonist of the whole film, since he's the protagonist of the first short and his name is on the title of the movie.

* {{Fingore}}: Buster Scruggs shoots off every finger of a man he's dueling with.

* IceCreamKoan: The Trapper in "Mortal Remains" keeps insisting that "people are like ferrets" without ever explaining exactly how they are like ferrets or what exactly people's resemblance to ferrets is supposed to mean.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: There is a somewhat mysterious and quasi-supernatural overtone to "The Mortal Remains."

* PrettyLittleHeadshots: [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs and Alice Longabough both receive one]].
* TheSavageIndian: The Native Americans in "Near Algodones" and "The Gal Who Got Rattled" are presented as either unsympathetic, or faceless aggressors.

* ShootTheRope: A cowboy - who later turns out to be a cattle rustler - rescues James Franco's nameless bank robber this way.

* StylisticSuck:
** Most of the shorts contain singing. In "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" and "The Mortal Remains," the singing is very good. On the other hand, in "All Gold Canyon," the prospector (played by Tom Waits) gives a very rough and amateur performance, and the impresario's drunken rendition of "Weela Weela Walya" in "Meal Ticket" is quite terrible.
** The Artist's performance, as the crowds shrink, becomes less nuanced and more strident with each repetition. Even in their early performances, the Impresario makes no attempt to conceal himself when providing sound effects.

* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: [[spoiler:Buster Scruggs' soul grows wings and flies into heaven playing a harp]].

* ShootTheRope: A cowboy rescues James Franco's nameless bank robber this way.

* VillainousRescue: In "Near Algodones," the Cowboy is rescued from execution by an Indian attack. They don't cut the rope, though, and so he's left to choke for longer.

* VillainousRescue: In "Near Algodones," the Cowboy is rescued from execution by an Indian attack.

* BountyHunter: the Englishman and the Scotsman in "The Mortal Remains" eventually reveal that they are bounty hunters, though they dislike the term.

* TheMusical: "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs" is a musical, parodying old Western musicals. "All Gold Canyon" and "The Mortal Remains" also feature characters singing, though they aren't musicals.

* {{Cowboy}}: Buster Scruggs is a parody of the "singing cowboy" trope of Golden Era Westerns. He's introduced singing "Cool Water" while riding his horse through monument valley. He actually seems to be an outlaw gunslinger. He's later challenged by another musical gunslinger who plays a harmonica.

* VillainousRescu: In "Near Algodones," the Cowboy is rescued from execution by an Indian attack.

''The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'' is a [[TheWestern Western]] AnthologyFilm by Creator/TheCoenBrothers. It was released on November 16, 2018 on Creator/{{Netflix}}. The film tells six unconnected stories set in TheWildWest, with a "framing narrative" of a disembodied hand flipping through a book of short stories of the same name, which includes pictures for each chapter.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: The Indians in "The Gal Who Got Rattled" don't hit a thing, though they ''are'' galloping on horseback while shooting.

* PetTheDog: The prospector realizes that he's stealing eggs from an owl, so he puts all but one back. [[spoiler:This might be why he's injured but not killed by the bullet to the back]].

''The Ballad of Buster Scruggs'' is a 2018 {{Western}} Anthology Film Written and directed by TheCoenBrothers. It is Compromised of Six Short Films:

'''The Ballad of Buster Scruggs:'''

Outlaw Buster Scruggs (TimBlakeNelson) is a travelling {{cowboy}}, with a guitar and a six shooter. The Short follows him as he goes from locale to locale, interacting with locals with hilarious, musical, and bloody results.

'''Near Algodones:'''

A Cowboy (JamesFranco) attempts to rob an out of the way bank. After being foiled by the CrazyPrepared Teller (StephenRoot), the Cowboy is nearly executed, and saved. He is then caught again for a crime he didn't commit, and then executed.

'''Meal Ticket:'''

This short follows a performer lacking both arms and legs, Harrison (Harry Melling) and his Impresario (LiamNeeson). They travel from town to town, performing Shakespeare, Great American Speeches, and other oratorios to increasingly dwindling crowds. As the crowds grow slimmer, the Impresario begins looking for a new attraction with less maintenance than Harrison.

'''All Gold Canyon:'''

A prospector (TomWaits) begins to mine riverside for a gold deposit, and his claim to fortune. While he inches toward success, a young man attempts to rob him. The Prospector does everything in his power to keep his claim. Based on a Jack London short story.

'''The Gal who Got Rattled:'''

A young woman (ZoeKazan), travelling with her brother and ill mannered helper on the trail to Oregon, is faced with the harsh realities of the american frontier. While striking violence builds around her, she must juggle an unruly servant, a marriage proposal, and attacking natives while hoping to survive.

'''The Mortal Remains:'''

Five Strangers, an Englishman, an Irishman, a Frenchman, a Trapper, and a Lady, are locked up together in a stage coach. On the Way to their Hotel, they discuss philosophy, humanity, and love.

The Film was originally conceived as a miniseries, however became shortened to the roughly 2 hour film during development. It was released in theaters on November 9th, 2018. It was released on {{Netflix}} the following week, Novemember 16th, 2018.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a 2018 Western Anthology Film Written and directed by TheCoenBrothers. It is Compromised of Six Short Films:

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs:

Outlaw Buster Scruggs (TimBlakeNelson) is a travelling cowboy, with a guitar and a six shooter. The Short follows him as he goes from locale to locale, interacting with locals with hilarious, musical, and bloody results.

Near Algodones:

Meal Ticket:

All Gold Canyon:

The Gal who Got Rattled:

The Mortal Remains:

The Film was originally conceived as a miniseries, however became shortened to the roughly 2 hour film during development. It was released in theaters on November 9th, 2018. It was released on Netflix the following week, Novemember 16th, 2018.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a 2018 Western Anthology Film Written and directed by The Coen Brothers. It is Compromised of Six Short Films:

Outlaw Buster Scruggs (Tim Blake Nelson) is a travelling cowboy, with a guitar and a six shooter. The Short follows him as he goes from locale to locale, interacting with locals with hilarious, musical, and bloody results.

A Cowboy (James Franco) attempts to rob an out of the way Bank. After being foiled by the crazy prepared Teller (Stephen Root), he is nearly executed, and saved. He is then caught again for a crime he didn't commit, and then executed.

This short follows a performer lacking both arms and legs, Harrison (Harry Melling) and his Impresario (Liam Neeson). They travel from town to town, performing Shakespeare, Great American Speeches, and other oratorios to increasingly dwindling crowds. As the crowds grow slimmer, the Impresario begins looking for a new attraction with less maintenance than Harrison.

A prospector (Tom Waits) begins to mine riverside for a gold deposit, and his claim to fortune. While he inches toward success, a young man attempts to rob him. The Prospector does everything in his power to keep his claim. Based on a Jack London short story.

A young woman (Zoe Kazan), travelling with her brother and ill mannered helper on the trail to Oregon, is faced with the harsh realities of the american frontier. While striking violence builds around her, she must juggle an unruly servant, a marriage proposal, and attacking natives while hoping to survive.