h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Films of the Coen Brothers - A708851
Author: Giford - U187177

This is rather long, I know. Any suggestions on how/where to split it would be appreciated.

Gif

Great entry, Giford. I need to go back and finish reading it in a minute, but I wanted to remind you of the explanation for that "inexplicable" title: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

It comes from the 1942 film "Sullivan's Travels" by Preston Sturges, about a director who tries to live as a hobo, as research for his dramatic movie that he plans to call "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" Throughout the movie, the director Sullivan tries to convince people that comedy is horrible escapism, only distracting people from the important things in their life. He wants to show poor people, gritty realism [a lot of the territory that Barton Fink talks about with his "fishmongers" and all that stuff]. In the end, he realizes that for some people, comedy and escapism can be their only respite from an otherwise painful life.

So there is a massive inside-joke in that title.

...Now I have to go back and finish reading. Looks great so far.

For more info about Sullivan's Travels, see http://us.imdb.com/Title?0034240

Weren't you listening? I just said this entry is too long, and now you go and give me more info to work into it!

Seriously, thanks for the explanation, I'll squeeze it in somewhere. Mind you, the actual title still doesn't mean anything much, does it?

Is the link just a down-and-out prisoner who turns out to be wealthy(ish)? Or are they trying to say that this is the film Sullivan ended up making? If so, it might be another link to TMWWT, as that is made to look as though it was filmed in ~1942. The Coens have that frustrating ability to make it look as though they've put more meaning into their films than is really there, so perhaps that's a link too far ... I haven't seen Sullivan's Travels, so let me know your opinion.

I know there's a lot of stuff I missed in-jokes-wise, e.g. the OPE/POE letters in Raising Arizona being taken from Dr Strangelove. But since this one is the title of the film, it obviously should be in there. It's another link to the 1940s too ...

Gif

Not too long at all, an excellent Entry and one that's structured into nice bite-size chunks.

Jimster
(who, it has to be said, might *just* be trying to get more people to write big entries so his own don't look so cumbersome ... )

I like this, although I feel you may have restricted yourself a bit by looking for common themes and repeated motifs. I find that each Coen film tends to stand on its own, and while there may be some intertextuality, it's not too simple. Minor niggle, though

I think, but I'm not sure, that Kapra is actually Capra. Also, this entry may quickly go out of date - I'm sure I've heard rumours of other films in the pipeline. I wonder if splitting the entry would prevent it going out of date... could always add entries later...

Just a brief bit : in the footnote about Sam Raimi, might be worth mentioning A Simple Plan, which is probably his best film recently (I seem to remember him being up for a few awards for it), or prhaps you could mention Spider Man in passing....

Okay, so I need to read the full item a bit more thoroughly, but what I've seen so far is pretty good

Haven't read the Sullivan's Travels links, but just to show off, the studio want him to make 'Ants in his Pants' instead...

How deep is the Sullivan's Travels link? I think it's probably superficial. I doubt this is supposed to be *exactly* what Preston Sturges would have filmed, but more like the Coens took that title and worked backwards to write a story around it.

But the moral of Sullivan's Travels was not missed by the Coens: that comedy and escapism can sometimes be much more helpful to people than serious or "important" dramas. The hero of Sullivan's Travels would tell all the critics of the Coens' pictures to stop taking themselves so seriously.

Anyhow, if they were trying to parody the exact kind of movie that Preston Sturges would have done, they'd have filmed it in Black & White and hired Jennifer Jason Leigh to do her fast-talking Girl Friday again.

If you can't find anything interesting at the video store some time, look around for some Preston Sturges movies. He was similar to Frank Capra, the kind of themes he covered. Maybe not quite as awesome as Capra, but nothing to sneeze at.

Thanks for this entry on my favorite filmmaking family.
I too think you should talk about each film on its own rather that as it relates to common themes.

Good entry though. Nice job.

OK, a reasonably major revision.

I have removed the sections on repetition, opening shot etc. from each film and instead added sections at the end of the article. I have also included a little more cast info, not just actors who have been in more than one Coens film. Hopefully that returns the emphasis to each film, not the links between films.

I haven't put in anything more about Sam Raimi. Sorry, but though the three are friends, this is an article about the Coens, not Raimi!

I can't do much about the fact that this will inevitably be out of date when they release their next film, I'm afraid.

Gif

I don't know how it has been done with other Edited Guide entries, but I'm sure they will be willing to update it now and then. Part of the advantage of this Guide over paper guides is that this one can be updated with every change for years to come.

Is there a scout or sub-editor lurking who can answer this question? -- How does one request updates to an Edited Guide entry?

Even if the Editors didn't like your suggestions, an easy workaround would be to post your updates in a conversation thread on that entry.

Giford, to protect the ignorant do explain what you mean by 'PI'. I might guess it's a Private Investigator, but then again I might guess wrong, and it would be nice to take the guesswork out of it

Thanks for the advice on updates.

The entry was looking a little short of footnotes, so I've added one stating what PI stands for. You might be right Belshazzar I'm sure it will be removed if/when this gets to sub-editing anyway ...

Gif

I like this a lot more now you've updated it - nice work

Great entry on some of my favorite movie writer/directors! Thanks for writing it!

A very subtle spelling error that I thought I'd point out, in case the subs miss it. In a couple places (including a footnote) the word "role" is spelled "rôle" ... it might be my ignorance, but I'm pretty sure the plain ol' "o" is what goes there.


- JD (not a scientist)

Technically the hat-thing in role is correct. It's actually there because I wrote this in Word then cut-and-pasted, and Word automatically changes it. Collins Gem Dictionary (the only one I have to hand) offers both as valid spellings, so I guess it's a question of house style and therefore a matter for the sub-eds.

Gif

Well blow me down! "role" certainly can be spelled with that little hat thingy over the "o." I'd never seen it spelled like that before. So, yes, it was just my ignorance. Spell it either way! Sorry 'bout that.


- JD (not a scientist - nor a spellchecker)

A factual error in the section on 'Crimewave':

"Bruce 'Evil Dead' Campbell getting further and further implicated for crimes committed by the rat-like exterminator brothers until he is eventually rescued from the electric chair by the last-minute intervention of his girlfriend. "

It wasn't Bruce Cambell - he played a secondary character. I forget the actor who played the lead and it's years since I saw it.

And I must take issue with: "The result, while possibly their weakest film as directors" from 'Raising Arizona'. I think RA is actually one of their strongest. Certainly one of the most distinctive.

Or maybe it's just my favourite. I know it's an odd choice - my wife hates it.

You're not odd, Jim, but perhaps your wife is...unique. Raising Arizona is so cute and cuddly, it's practically a chick movie.

...Unless your wife hates it because the kid repeatedly gets left in the middle of the road, after falling off the roof of the car?