The Big Lebowski (BFI Film Classics) by J.M. Tyree, Ben Walters
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Book Summary Author: Ben Walters, J.M. Tyree Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2007-06-27 ISBN: 1844571734 Number of pages: 123 Publisher: British Film Institute |
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Book Reviews of the The Big Lebowski (BFI Film Classics)
Customer Review: "Sometimes there's a man..."
Summary: 4 Stars
Sometimes there's a man who just fits in to his time and place. And of course, it is the Dude, the Little Lebowski, we are talking about here. Although it was a flop at the box office, The Big Lebowski is now deservedly a cult classic, with a following to match that of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Just in my hometown of Cleveland recently there was a Lebowski bowl-a-thon preceding a midnight showing of the movie.
It is not surprising then that the British Film Institute would publish one of its monographs on the movie. It is pretty good, too. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (and I am talking about the book here) is broken down into four sections. The first explores the incongruities within the movie that make it a bit confusing the first time around. Such incongruities are both large (just how did a laid back dude from the '60s get to be such good friends with the uptight, everything-is-about-'Nam Walter?) and small (a picture of Richard Nixon in the Dude's apartment). Such juxtapositions are tied into the Coen brothers' overall catalogue and tied together for the reader, just like the Dude's rug (which got the whole story rolling) tied his room together.
The second section looks at The Big Lebowski in the context of older film noir, including The Big Sleep based on the Raymond Chandler movie. As the authors point out, The Big Lebowski is also a crime movie, similar to though different from such classic noir. Despite its humor, The Big Lebowski is not merely a spoof. Nor is it an homage. Rather, it is a pastiche, with modern characters laid over the classic ones. The Dude is quite different from Philip Marlowe, Chandler's famous detective. Whereas Marlowe was smooth, the Dude has difficulty completing a sentence even when no one is interrupting him. Yet similarites are recognizable below the surface.
The authors miss a bit in the third chapter, discussing the concept of masculinity in the movie as well as the Coen brothers' other works. A clumsy attempt to tie the movie into the presidency of Ronald Reagan comes off as more of an amateur's attempt to take a sucker punch at the former president. Further, underneath some otherwise good points, there is a slight undertone of misandry (hatred or belittlement of men), such as when the authors state that the Dude, rather than trying to be a man, can focus instead on being a human being. Just the nice type of false dichotomy used to denigrate a class of people while giving the persons making it some type of plausible deniability as to their doing so.
This is especially noteworthy given that the character Maude Lebowski is basically begging for such an analysis herself. Self important, arrogant, clear issues with men, patronizing attitude towards those she thinks are not as smart as herself (which is almost everyone), with not the slightest insight into her own personality defects, she is a walking bullseye of the gender theories of feminists. Yet the authors do not touch this. No doubt criticizing women, let alone feminists, does not win one accolades in the academy or the media, where our two authors live their lives. Denigrating men is so much better for the career and the ego.
The book wraps up with a chapter on laughter and what the important things in life really are. Bowling plays such a large part in the movie because it is a place where people can go, be themselves and have a good time. The Coen brothers often have movies with characters who enjoy their lives and characters who do not. This plays especially large in The Big Lebowski, with the laid back Dude on one side and the nihilists and the Big Jeffrey Lebowski himself on the other.
Overall, THE BIG LEBOWSKI is a solid contribution to the BFI series. It is especially so for any fan of the movie. Any political missteps by the authors are not serious enough to detract from the larger analysis provided. Add it to your collection. Then go bowling.