The dark and cold weigh down everything, and in the middle, in their warm cocoon, are Chief Marge and her hubby, Norm, the painter of ducks. Without them, Fargo might have been In Cold Blood laced with unseemly humor. The Coens sometimes seem to scorn their characters, but their love for Marge redeems Fargo. Marge is the catalyst, and her speech at the end is Shakespearean in the way it heals wounds and restores order: “There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’t you know that? And here you are. And it’s a beautiful day.”
- Roger Ebert on Fargo
Norm: They announced it.
Marge: They announced it?
Norm: Yeah.
Marge: So?
Norm: Three-cent stamp.
Marge: Your mallard?
Norm: Yeah.
Marge: Oh, that’s terrific.
Norm: It’s just a three-cent stamp.
Marge: It’s terrific!
Norm: Hautman’s blue-winged teal got the 29-cent. People don’t much use the three-cent.
Marge: Oh, for Pete’s sake. Of course they do. Whenever they raise the postage, people need the little stamps.
(Source: rogerebert.suntimes.com, via mysocksareonfire)
