The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers
by Cathleen Falsani
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cathleen FalsaniEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-09-15
ISBN: 0310292468
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Zondervan
Book Reviews of The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers
Book Review: Required reading for a Coen Bros. film buff, whatever your spiritual stripe.
Summary: 5 Stars
Cathleen Falsani is religious - about God and the Coen Brothers. But you don't have to be religious about either to appreciate her analysis of the entire Coen Bros. body of work as she answers the question that plague many of us after watching a Coen Bros. movie-"what was that about?"
The Coens are too reticent (or cagey) to discuss the layers and meanings woven into their films. Falsani is not. She sifts through them for their spiritual (if not religious) meanings and explains the moral significance of each film in a way that the average reader (religious or not) can understand. There is no need to Netflix the Coens' catalogue to make this book work for you. Falsani conveniently structures it so that each film has its own chapter, and within each chapter each plot line and story arc is explained. The Coens Bros. plots are made simple. Given their intricacy, this was no easy task.
Despite Falsani's background as a "sometimes churchgoing Catholic-turned-Baptist-turned-freelance Episcolpalian," she doesn't look for meanings within only the Christian teachings. She also finds meanings in the Coens' work that are taken from teachings of Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Judaism (including Kabbalah), and of course the Church of the Latter-Day Dude.
The first Coen Bros. film I saw was Miller's Crossing - and I loved it, but always wondered what the deal was with the hat? After seeing Barton Fink, I had (and continue to have) a debate with my friend about whether John Goodman's character was the devil and was striking down all the narcissists of the world. Falsani gives the best explanation I've seen about the hat question (no, I'm not telling here). But the John Goodman-as-the-devil question? She falls more on the side of Nebuchadnezzar than Satan. I wouldn't have thought of good ol' Nebuchadnezzar without Falsani. I learned something and you will too when you read this book
The book has its quirky moments. For instance, when quoting dialogue, the expletives are not spelled out. Why protect the reader's sensibilities when the violence is described clearly? Maybe the author is preserving the opportunity for the book to be used in a high-school classroom. How great of a class would that be?
The only omission I noted was that no time was given to a discussion about why, as a general matter, the Coen Bros. wrap their moral messages in such extraordinarily violent packages.
Never mind that, though. Just go pop the corn, grab "The Dude Abides", and slip in the nearest Coen Bros. DVD.
Summary of The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers
Whether you've seen only a couple or every single one of their fourteen films enough times to quote them by heart, you know Joel and Ethan Coen make movies like no one else in cinema. The Oscar-winning Coen brothers' quirky and enduring films are rich with meaning---much of it hidden just beneath the surface, gems of spiritual and existential insight waiting to be excavated. Join award-winning religion columnist Cathleen Falsani as she explores the deeper truths found in these engrossing movies. Falsani examines each of the Coen brothers' films, from their debut, Blood Simple, to their latest, A Serious Man. Ranging from iconoclastic comedies such as Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski to an unblinking treatise on the nature of evil in No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers have created moral universes in which some of life's essential questions are asked---if not always answered. These queries run the gamut from the meaning of life and enlightenment, to the fundamental nature of truth and love. There is seemingly no question the Coen brothers are afraid to tackle, either with a wink and a smile or brutal honesty (and sometimes both). As Falsani examines the soul of the movies, she weaves her own experiences, impressions, and cultural and spiritual analysis with a journalist's keen eye for investigation and a film lover's passion for the cultural medium. By turns thought-provoking and entertaining, you'll come away with a new admiration for these sometimes bizarre, always clever, and unmistakably virtuoso filmmakers and their films.Movies Books
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