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The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time PDF

217 Pages·2012·81.89 MB·English
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(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi 06-C66583 #175 DTP:204 Page:1 (RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi #175 DTP:204 Page:2 Big T H E An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time by Jenny M. Jones (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi 06-C66583 #175 DTP:204 Page:3 “ This is not’Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.” (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi #175 DTP:204 Page:5 Contents A Note from the Author � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �9 The Three Faces of Walter Sobchak � � � � � � � � � � � � � �42 Prologue � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �10 Maude Lebowski and the Fluxus Movement � � � � � � � �43 The Lebowski Cycle, by Joe Forkan � � � � � � � � � � � �48 Part I The Anti-Hollywood: The Old Pornographers � � � � � � � �54 B.L.: The Coens before Lebowski � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �13 The Nihilists: Believing in “Nossing” � � � � � � � � � � � � �57 The Coen Brothers: The Early Years � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �13 Pot Culture and the Dude � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �59 Blood Not So Simple � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �18 The Dude Rolls � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �62 The Early Filmmaking Career of the Two-Headed Director Evolution of the Style: The Retro Look of Brunswick � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �25 Bowling and Googie Architecture � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �64 The Wide World of Bowling Sports � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �64 Part II The Jetsons Styling of Googie Architecture � � � � � � � � �69 The Seeds of Production: Origin of The Big Lebowski, Pulling the Disparate Pieces Together � � � � � � � � � � � �72 an L.A. Story � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �35 A Rug That Tied the Plot Together � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �36 Part III Welcome to the Hotel California: The Lebowski Characters The Making of The Big Lebowski � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �75 as Elements of L�A� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �40 Wordsmithing the Script � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �75 His Dudeness� Duder� El Duderino � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �40 Casting the Principal Players (The League) � � � � � � � � � � � �77 Jeff Bridges: The Elite Everyman, by Gail Levin � � � � � �82 Lebowski “Family” Tree � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �86 The Big Lebowski Production and Postproduction � � � � � � �92 Scene Scrutiny: Micturating Thugs, Flying Carpets, and Dancing Landlords � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �95 Roll Scene I: The Dude’s Bungalow � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �95 Cast Stories from the Bungalow Scenes � � � � � � �99 Roll Scene II: The Thief of L�A� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �102 Roll Scene III: The Danse Moderne / Marty the Landlord’s “Cycle” � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �106 (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi 06-C66583 #175 DTP:204 Page:6 Part IV The Rise of the Cult of The Big Lebowski � � � � � � � � � � � � �166 Genre-bending � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �111 Tales from the Little Lebowski Shop, by Roy Preston The Big Lebowski as Period Piece � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �111 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �167 The Dude’s Seinfeldian Lexical World, by Mark Peters What Have You � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �171 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �114 Rolling On, and On, and On � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �175 The Big Lebowski as Musical � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �125 Are You a Lebowski Achiever?: Awards and Acclaim What Happens When Kafka, Busby Berkeley, and Kenny � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �179 Rogers Meet in a Bowling Alley � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �125 Effect on Cast and Crew: Recognition, Résumés, and The Big Dance Number � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �128 Renown � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �180 Lebowski’s Music Condition, by Todd Martens What Makes a Cult Classic? � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �183 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �134 Repeated Viewings: Am I Wrong? Am I Wrong? � � � � �186 The Big Lebowski as Western � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �140 The Gospel According to the Dude: How The Big Once upon a Time in the Western: A Brief History Lebowski Inspired a Religion, by Oliver Benjamin of the Horse Opera, Oater, or Cowboy Picture � � � � � �143 � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �188 Out of the Past: A Cowboy Dude � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �148 The Quotability Quotient � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �192 The Big Lebowski as Noir � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �152 The Muse: Raymond Chandler � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �154 Part VI The Big Sleep-owski � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �155 A.L.: The Coens after Lebowski � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �197 The Precursor: The Long Goodbye � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �158 The Big Lebowski as � � � The Wizard of Oz? � � � � � � � � � � �160 Epilogue � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �205 Bibliography � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �206 Part V Acknowledgments � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �210 The Release and Its Aftermath � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �163 Index � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �211 Initial Audience and Critical Reception � � � � � � � � � � � � � �163 About the author � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �216 (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi 06-C66583 #175 DTP:204 Page:7 Ve Cut Off Your Chonson, by Visual Etiquette. Courtesy of Visual Etiquette ➤➤ (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi #175 DTP:204 Page:8 This Here Story I’m about to Unfold fi rst saw The Big Lebowski upon its 1998 Each showing reveals a little something new—a I release in a moderately full movie theater reference, a joke previously missed (because in a Portland, Oregon, mall. I left the the- laughing drowns it out), a parody, a philosophy. ater both confused and exhilarated, as well I’ll watch it and decide it’s about masculinity as a little wobbly—upon initial viewing, . . . no, friendship . . . no, language . . . no, just Lebowski’s sensibility can leave you feeling plain silliness . . . no, it’s a genre fi lm that turns off-kilter. the genre on its head. Well, it’s all these things, It’s a movie that I have now seen countless and more. times in a variety of settings: at White Russian This fi lm, created by those sly, witty insti- parties and packed movie houses and alone in gators who come from my home state of front of my TV (originally on VHS). Like the Minnesota, had a muted opening that has best literature and fi lms—for me Faulkner’s become a groundswell. Timed for the fi fteenth The Sound and the Fury and Coppola’s The anniversary of the movie, The Big Lebowski: Godfather—The Big Lebowski changes, An Illustrated, Annotated History of the expands, and deepens with time. I initially found Greatest Cult Film of All Time is a celebration Walter’s constant yelling abrasive; now I con- of all things Lebowski: the high and the low of sider his dialogue and Goodman’s delivery of it a fi lm that is now among the elite in the pop- to be the funniest and most interesting in the fi lm. culture canon. Jenny M. Jones, St. Paul, 2012 ➤➤ 9 (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi #175 DTP:204 Page:9 PROLOGUE What Makes a Man? Achieving vs. Abiding t the conclusion of The Big Lebowski, A the film’s narrator, the Stranger, says he takes comfort in the fact that the Dude “abides”—that is, he endures without yielding. That the Dude abides, which is the nature of his character, spirit, makeup—or to quote the Coen brothers’ Raising Arizona, his “goddamn raison d’etre”—is at the crux of the film. It’s a loving characterization, that of the Coens’ Dude, and this consummate ability to simply abide may be why this disheveled, An army of Dudes, by Dax Norman. foul-mouthed, paunchy layabout has become Courtesy of the artist, www.daxnorman.com an inspiration to legions of people worldwide. Despite operating through a fog of creamy alcohol and reefer smoke, the Dude is no “Lord save little children! The dummy. Off the cuff, he makes hilarious obser- wind blows and the rains are cold. vational quips: to Bunny Lebowski’s offer of a blowjob for a cool grand, he deadpans, “I’m Yet, they abide. . . . They abide and just gonna go find a cash machine”; he answers they endure.” the Big Lebowski’s question about what makes a man with “a pair of testicles”; and he jokes —Rachel, in The Night of the Hunter that he still “jerks off manually” to pornogra- (1955), a favorite of Joel and Ethan Coen pher Jackie Treehorn. Even when under threat, he manages to tell the thugs holding his head in the toilet that the money they’re looking for 10 ➤➤ (Text)(RAY) (Fogra 39) Job:05-28344 Title:MBI-The Big Lebowksi 06-C66583 #175 DTP:204 Page:10

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Whether contending with nihilists, botching a kidnapping pay-off, watching as his beloved rug is micturated upon, or simply bowling and drinking Caucasians, the Dude—or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing—abides. As embodied by Jeff Bridges, the main character of the 1998 Co
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