Comments on Getafilm: A Conversation with the Coens & a Look at Their Fi...

Apologies for my brief absence here; thanks for th...

2009-09-29T14:48:55.437-05:00

Apologies for my brief absence here; thanks for the thoughts, all.

Hokahey, a Hudsucker fan! I thought this could bring some praise out of the woodwork. I'm not really sure why people don't like it, though I've heard it "lacks heart", which I don't entirely agree with. I love the beginning and like you I really enjoy Leigh in what was probably one of her best roles. She really nailed the period dialogue, like you say.

Thanks, Sam, I'm just trying to keep up with you and all of your encounters out there! Seems like you've met pretty much everyone who's come through NYC in the last year. Yeah I really was impressed with Mitchell; the man was just on top of every reference the Coens through out, and in a genuine, knowing way.

Tony, it's a date! We should see ASM this weekend maybe? I think you're right, sadly, about the Coens' expected response. They probably would have answered my question with a question or something annoying like that, or like you suggest, tell me that I'm missing the point and that it doesn't matter, it's all about Tommy Lee Jones, etc., etc. I also agree that it is not at at all sloppy. You'd have to be crazy to call anything they've done in any movie sloppy, in my opinion.

Craig, to some extent I agree that overexplanation or philosophizing about one's work can be annoying and/or unwelcome (see: Errol Morris), but in this case it was a little frustrating that they didn't let loose just a bit more. As Tad Simon says in that write-up (I really recommend reading it), they "played the part of humble geniuses, often giving the impression that they don’t quite know how they do what they do—they just do it." He's right, but it's annoying because it's not true! Obviously they put a lot of thought and meaning into their decisions, so for them to play it all off as casual and spontaneous was a little disappointing.

Jason, you are a catalyst behind that question of course (everybody else, click on the link I provided to see Jason's incredible dissection of the scene), so it's funny to hear that you'd rather not find out. I guess it was fate that I was left without an answer; maybe they sensed me inching toward them or overheard me asking Mitchell. Still, I would have liked to see their reaction to it - probably eye-rolling. Anyway, The Big Sleep/Lebowski connection is interesting as well - have you seen this interview, in which they address it directly, or at least mention it directly? Sounds like they used The Big Sleep as broad justification to make Lebowski deliberately complicated, as opposed to specifically picking at bits from it. At least that's my understanding.

Thanks, Shubhajit - might be a little late in coming as I've just been swamped at work this week, but my personal "deadline" for the last two overviews is the end of retrospective here on 10/17.

Can't wait for your views on the Coens' second dec...

2009-09-29T10:11:07.288-05:00

Can't wait for your views on the Coens' second decade of movie making.

Despite my fascination with the "Where's Chigurh?"...

2009-09-28T17:28:20.984-05:00

Despite my fascination with the "Where's Chigurh?" mystery, if I was at an event and the Coens were asked that question, I'd plug my ears so as not to hear the answer. Similarly, I have no desire to turn up the volume at the end of Lost In Translation to be able to hear the whisper. And I've never watched the deleted scenes of various movies like Unfaithful that -- as I understand -- shed some light on their ambiguities. It's good that it's a mystery. Not to mention that if the Coens wanted us to know without a doubt, well, they should have been more explicit in how they filmed it. I presume that scene is as direct as they want it to be.

So, what would I ask them? Good question. Probably something about The Big Lebowski and its relation to The Big Sleep. Perhaps they've already discussed the subject extensively, but I'd just be curious to hear their thoughts on what they reimagined and ignored there.

I'm jealous, but also secretly glad they were cryp...

2009-09-28T13:57:52.131-05:00

I'm jealous, but also secretly glad they were cryptic, inscrutable and relatively unhelpful in analyzing their films. They make for boring interviews, but seeing artists who genuinely like to let the work speak for itself is very refreshing.

Dude, I didn't know you talked with Elvis. You le...

2009-09-28T11:37:22.299-05:00

Dude, I didn't know you talked with Elvis. You left that out when we saw you on Saturday. That's great. He was one of my favorite critics when he worked for the Times.

BTW, I think the brothers would have said something along the lines of "it doesn't matter where he was" in response to your question. That was my take on the scene. I think he was next door, but the reaction of Bell to his 50/50 choice of rooms was all that we needed to know as a viewer.

Some people called this series of events at the motel "sloppy" by the directors. I saw it as a clue that the plot details in the first 2/3 of the movie were not as important as the themes of fate, death, the arc of society in the early 80's, violence, and eventually the loss of physical and spiritual energy of an old man.

But we can talk about this some other time, preferably over a tall lager and a bowl of mixed nuts.

Congrats Dan! This was an absolutely fantastic ex...

2009-09-27T22:17:24.228-05:00

Congrats Dan! This was an absolutely fantastic experience here! Yes the Chigurh question is precisely the one we would have all wanted to ask. As I've stated elsewhere my favorite Coens film is FARGO, but HUDSUCKER and several others are loved too. I am looking forward to A SERIOUS MAN. That's terrific that you had a conversation with Mitchell too, who writes for THE NEW YORK TIMES! A weekend to remember indeed!!!

Just a quick response to say - how exciting! I don...

2009-09-27T19:53:22.409-05:00

Just a quick response to say - how exciting! I don't know what I would have asked them, but at least the Chigurh question was a great one to consider.

As for the films you cover here - I've seen all of them and, as surprising as it may seem to many, my favorite is The Hudsucker Proxy. What amazing writing! What a wacky surrealistic world - a darkly comic Kafkaesque bureaucracy. Tim Robbins is amazing. Jennifer Jason Leigh is phenomenal. I've shown this to a couple of senior English classes just for the dialogue - and because teenagers these days are not used to hearing an actor or actress speak that many words. Leigh's facility for her rapid-fire dialogue - kind of a throwback to 30s movies with Jean Arthur - is just amazing! Amazing!