I concur with KlutzyGirl. Raising Arizona was the first Coen film I saw that promted me to take note of the men behind the movie. While not my personal favorite to date, my initial reaction at that time was: here is something unique. Refreshing in many aspects, compared to the bulk of American mainstream cinema: complete with a witty, humorous and introspective script, unique filming style, obscure characters and situations, catchy dialogue, I immediately wanted to see it again and again. I hear you regarding Lady Killers - big disappointment. Yet, they quickly turn out redeeming gems with regularity, so I can't fault them for the occasional sub-par attempt.
To poster:
Just about every board thread I've ever read on iMDB regarding a popular film or artist has its share of people who "don't get it". Maybe you're not missing the point at all, but simply don't appreciate the overriding Coen vision, humor (at times explicit, at times tongue-in-cheek) visual stylings and existential underpinnings. I don't get a lot of films and novels others consider classics or required reading/viewing. That's art.
What I personally find enjoyable about the Coen style
On first viewing Raising Arizona, the one thing I found hilarious and unique is the use of language, specifically the paradoxical incorporation of colloquialisms not inherent to a certain class or demographic. Sometimes overt and sometimes subtle, the script is littered with little nuggets of well-spun phrases you normally would not expect the characters to utter given their educational and social background. In itself, this could fall short and fail to incite humor, but the Coen wit shines through here as well. This can be said of most of their films. A common denominator in just about every movie they make is that the dialogue is interesting and most often hilarious - they can really turn a phrase. The Big Lebowski is a classic for that reason; it's packed with memorable quotes. I am tempted to expound here on the religious references throughout the film, likewise in O' Brother (everyone's lookin' for answers), in which Clooney especially had such great dialogue handed him, and which he in my opinion delivered exceptionally. Even a low-key and underappreciated Coen film such as The Man Who Wasn't There had some great dialogue. Not to mention Barton Fink, which is among my favorites.
Despite initial appearances, there is also a deeper level of meaning operating in their work that can quickly go missed by the casual observer. Listening to the Coens and their collaborators in interviews helps zero in on this common thread infiltrating many of their films. One example is that in most of their scripts there is both at least one death and a birth or pregnancy. The cycle of life. Ethan studied philosophy at Princeton, and it is clear to me that even their light-hearted, zany comedies incorporate elements of humanism and existentialism.
Barring these threads of deeper meaning, I would still remain capable of observing the humor and poignancy unfold, laughing at the the fallibility and eccentric strangeness of the characters they create, while feeling compassion and pity for many of them. Even in a brutal story such as Fargo (based on a factual event... wink, wink), they manage to explicate the absurdity of the caper and the blundering witlessness of the perpetrators in a manner that leaves you feeling a bit sorry for them in the end. It is precisely that balance of humor and pathos I find unique and ingenious in their work. You never leave in tears, yet, ironically you are moved, in spite of the fact that many of their films are catalogued under the genre comedy.
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peace_fixation
12 years ago
@NobodysFool, you've articulated my feelings about the Coen Bros films too, and very well!
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NobodysFool
12 years ago
@peace_fixation. Thanks. It occurs to me, after rereading my posting, that I didn't comment much on O'Brother itself, for which the thread was created. It is an excellent film I've seen many times over and remains among my favorite comedies. My first viewing was in the theater where it was well received. The scene that created the most laughter was where the Soggy Bottom Boys were performing Man of Constant Sorrow in the final act. People were in tears.
The dialogue is typically Coen, with the silver-tongued Everett (Clooney) delivering so many fantastic screeds and utterances:
"Say... any you boys Smithies?"
"I'm the G*ddamned pater familius. I'm bonafide."
"Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity... two weeks from everywhere."
"My hair!"
In regard to Raising Arizona, the first film that got me hooked on the Coens, I recall the diaper run scene, which blew me away. The blocking is unique and exemplary; the camera placement, angles and tracking in this scene - in fact, throughout the film - are incredible. A mini mart robbery gone bad incites a foot chase leading H.I. into a supermarket (he is now intent on stealing Huggies from another store) while under fire and pursued by the police, a surly convenient store worker, an angry supermarket manager, a pack of dogs and H.I.'s incensed wife. It's not until the final shot of the scene, with H.I. arguing with his wife while navigating her driving, where he leans out of an open car to swoop up the package of Huggies laying in the road (the ones he intitially robbed and dropped after the botched convenient store robbery) that you realize H.I. is still focused on his mission of retrieving the diapers he initially set out after. And scene. Very creative, hilarious and spot-on filming.
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