The Coen Brothers

I note that the maverick team of Joel and Ethan Coen has had some success at Cannes with their latest film, "No Country for Old Men", and I do hope this marks a return to form, since their last two, "Intolerable Cruelty" and "The Ladykillers" were just not up to scratch -- particularly the latter, for anyone who has fond memories of the original Ealing production.

I've been something of a fan since their first film back in 1984, the neo-noir "Blood Simple", and having re-viewed both "Miller's Crossing" (1990) and "Barton Fink" (1991) quite recently, I've been thinking about their output.  Although Joel is usually credited as the director and Ethan as the producer, it is well-known that they share both functions and also both write and edit their movies (it's when they've worked from outside sources that they've been least successful).  They have a wonderful way of putting their own spin on various genres, whether it be screwball comedy ("Raising Arizona"), the gangster flick, or regional humour (from the lilt of the accents in "Fargo" through down-South idiocy in "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou".)  They also are able to bring out the quirkiness and goofiness in actors normally thought of in straighter ways, like Tim Robbins in "The Hudsucker Proxy" (a movie many hated, but I loved -- once I was able to ignore Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Jeff Bridges in "The Big Lebowski".  If one adds the genuine noir of "The Man Who Wasn't There" to the above-mentioned, you have a truly remarkable body of work.  Then there are the actors who form something of a repertory company in their films: John Goodman, Jon Polito, and especially John Turturro who is more human in their movies than otherwise in his roles.  That's "human" in the sense of being imperfect, with all the doubts, conceits, and foibles of modern man, whether as a 20's wiseguy, a pretentious screenwriter in the Hollywood of the 40s, or a spandex-clad bowler.  Modern films would in general have been a lot less fun without the Coens' remarkable contributions.

Just a footnote: my counter (which has packed in more than once!) tells me that today is my two-year anniversary of sharing my weird viewing habits with you.  I haven't quite lost the enthusiasm yet, although I have slowed down (that's in writing, not -- goodness forbid -- in watching), so hopefully I'll still be about in ayear's time to thank you all again for bearing with me.  Cheers!

Tags: Film, Coen Brothers