![]() Each film is a unique view, a unique voice and a unique example of how the Coen Brothers will not succumb to the cohesion of writing a single-faceted genre film. Although they have tried a film in practically every genre that Hollywood recognises, none have been specifically related to the genre itself. Between these you’ll find westerns ( No Country For Old Men, True Grit), gangster films ( Miller’s Crossing), surreal comedies ( The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou) and a few films which seem to deny a rooting to any specific genre, instead fusing them together to form a pastiche view of the world ( Fargo, Barton Fink). ![]() It paved the way for 30 years of filmmaking, writing and directing numerous films which range in genre from the screwball comedy homage of the 30s like Raising Arizona and Intolerable Cruelty to the intricate twisting of The Man Who Wasn’t There. Their first film, Blood Simple, written in 1984, was a take on the noir thriller but was fused with sardonic black comedy. Their films are often a post-modern homage to the genre film, taking the formula but re-interpreting it through their own idiosyncratic minds. They do both agree however, that they never argue regarding this process. Their coy answers, common amongst interviews with them, often hint at a refusal to explain these methods of writing, and indeed, this awkwardness is understandable as the creative process can be personal, even if it is shared between two writers. Ethan describes it as “ basically just us sitting around in a room, moping for hours.” ![]() For many this would be an extremely difficult process however the Coens describe it as more of an organic process. ![]() They write their scripts together and continue on to produce, direct and edit the projects themselves. Importantly, over these 30 years, the ability to write original screenplays together, concocting this distinctive style of writing, and developing their films has never waned, and interestingly, has never been subject to influence from anybody outside their own two heads. The lead roles the Coen Brothers have created are dense and quirky but none-the-less utterly unforgettable, with one character, that of The Dude from their 1997 film The Big Lebowski, gaining his own religion, Dudeism. Often darkly humorous, drenched in satire and black irony, and filled with unforgettable characters that are heavily characterised regardless of their importance to the overall film, with even the smallest roles standing out with distinctiveness and influence. These two brothers from Minnesota have, over the course of their careers, been responsible for creating a genre onto themselves their films are Coen-esque – in some ways the simplest way to describe them. Joel and Ethan Coen – Source: įor over 30 years, Joel and Ethan Coen have created some of the most unique and undeniably curious films to grace the cinema screens of the world. Can you tell a story? Can you make us laugh? Can you make us cry? Can you make us want to break out in joyous song? Is that more than one thing? Okay! – Jack Lipnik, Barton Fink – Written by Joel and Ethan Coen, 1991. We’re only interested in one thing, Bart.
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