No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007)

[pemmican]

I'm not the biggest Coen brothers fan. I loved BLOOD SIMPLE. I liked MILLER'S CROSSING, but then discovered that it was in many regards a plagiarism of THE GLASS KEY, which DESERVED to be credited as source material. I haven't unequivocally liked anything else they've done -- there's some brilliant stuff in BARTON FINK, but I agree with Jonathan Rosenbaum that it's an anti-intellectual film that appears to have contempt for socially committed artists -- I'm really not sure what its value is. There's nothing else by them -- including FARGO, which seems to really snidely mock some of its characters -- that I really would pay attention to, at this point. (Yeah, sure, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY was a cute take on Capra, but I just don't care, really).

It scares me that they've been handed the reigns on NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. I admire Cormac McCarthy, but I don't think this film could survive postmodernisation or smart-ass irony; it's got a real tone of grieving for lost possibilities in American life, and a heavy despair about greed/corruption, which I really really doubt the Coens will be able to handle. In fact, the only filmmaker who I could imagine being able to "do" this novel justice is a dead one -- Sam Peckinpah, who in many ways seems to share much of McCarthy's worldview and spirit. There was an essay by Roger D. Hodge in Harper's last February on the book -- it's really worth checking out. There's some writing about it online here. Apparently you can buy the article online, too.

Can the Coens possibly do anything but ruin this material? I'll be very impressed if they do. By the way, has anyone heard anything about the rumour that Tommy Lee Jones was going to direct an adaptation of BLOOD MERIDIAN...?

[rs98762001]

There's nothing else by them -- including FARGO, which seems to really snidely mock some of its characters -- that I really would pay attention to, at this point.

Obviously you're not a golfer.

[Kudzu]

Can the Coens possibly do anything but ruin this material? I'll be very impressed if they do. By the way, has anyone heard anything about the rumour that Tommy Lee Jones was going to direct an adaptation of BLOOD MERIDIAN...?

This is all I could find but it doesn't seem quite reliable. Given that he didn't shy away from grotesqueries and harshness in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, it would seem a fit for him. Can you imagine all the spit takes, though?

[pemmican]

Thanks, I hadn't seen that one before, tho' rumours have been floating around for years.

I actually need to see BLOOD MERIDIAN made into a film about as much as I need to see PARADISE LOST adapted... but I'd go.

A.

[Antoine Doinel]

Oddly enough, in Ebert's review of The Proposition last weekend on his show, he said it made him believe an adaptation of Blood Meridian was possible and something he would want to see.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

From Empire online:

Brolin Finds No Country For Old Men
Josh joins the Coens' latest
Source: Variety

Josh Brolin has jumped aboard the new Coen brothers film.

He'll star alongside Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem in the previously announced No Country For Old Men, based on Cormac McCarthy's Texas-set novel.

Brolin will play the man who kicks the plot into gear – a Vietnam vet who discovers a bundle of cash he finds at the site of a drug deal gone wonky.

and some more from Empire:

We reported yesterday that the Coen Brothers No Country For Old Men was due to go into production in May. Today comes the news that Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones are in talks to lead the cast.

The story of a young man who takes a fortune in cash from a dead body he finds near the Rio Grande, only to find himself at risk from drug dealers and hit men. We're guessing that Bardem and Jones are down to play the bad guy and local sheriff respectively, but we'll keep you up to date as we learn more.

Bardem is predominantly known for his excellent dramatic work in Before Night Falls and The Sea Inside, but he had some comedy roles earlier in his career, so the Coens could really bring out his lighter side.

Recently the Coens have been skewing a little too close to mainstream - not that popularity and quality are mutually exclusive but bigger budgets seem to have diluted the creativity they had when they were working with a 48p and as much John Turturro as they could carry. Here's hoping this sees them back on form.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Where can I find Rosenbaum's writings about the Coen Brothers?

[Titus]

I'm optimistic, if only because they're heading into more serious territory for the first time in several years, but my opinion on the Coen's seem to veer quite wildly from yours (and they certainly part ways with Rosenbaum's feelings on them--I think he's probably the best film critic in America, but I don't think there is a filmmaker I disagree with him about more drastically than the Coen Brothers).

I would've preferred to seem them work with material they'd penned themselves--I haven't read the novel or any of McCarthy's books, but from what I've gathered about his style and favored themes (as well as Peckinpah's name constantly being brought up as the ideal filmmaker for an adaptation of his work) causes the skeptic in me to raise it's head a bit. I think the Coen's are more than capable of tackling serious concerns, but they have a fundamental playfulness that they need to alleviate in some way--traditionally this has been done by fiddling around with genre convetions and weaving in line after line of (somewhat) subtely hilarious dialogue, which probably wouldn't fit with this story. Their knack for meticulous compositions and polishing the look of their films to a fine sheen seems to run counterpoint to what you'd expect out of material like this, as well. I've definitely got reservations but, as I already mentioned, I'm more than ready for them to attempt something worthwhile again, as opposed to the filler their last two films have been.

[gubbelsj]

Where can I find Rosenbaum's writings about the Coen Brothers?

AMB, here's a few examples of Rosenbaum's slightly more favorable opinions on the Coen Bros.

Essential Cinema: On The Necessity of Film Canons contains some additional in-depth comments on their work, and expands further on his dislike of their films (a fantastic book). He seems to have cautiously enjoyed Fargo and Lebowski, and considered O Brother to be by far their worst. Hope this helps a bit.

[godardslave]

I haven't unequivocally liked anything else they've done -- there's some brilliant stuff in BARTON FINK, but I agree with Jonathan Rosenbaum that it's an anti-intellectual film that appears to have contempt for socially committed artists -- I'm really not sure what its value is.

I would suggest Barton Fink and the big lebowski are their masterpieces so far. They encapsulate the two primary apsects of the Coen's appeal, their intelligence and their non-conformity respectively.

[pemmican]

Rosenbaum's most harsh criticism of the Coens that I've read is in PLACING MOVIES, in reference to Barton Fink. If you're a member of the University of California, you can access it free, apparently -- I can't

He suggests the film has contempt for art, intellectual endeavor, and ultimately itself and its audience, and also remarks -- interestingly -- that for Jews, the Coen's sure do dabble in anti-Semitic caricature a whole lot (see also Turturro in MILLER'S CROSSING).

The novel is a very fast, very engaging read -- it's an extremely intelligent sort-of thriller with serious intent. I'd recommend it, tho' it's by far McCarthy's lightest read, and probably, really, his weakest work, tho' it's still worthwhile. (For an even better introduction to him, see CHILD OF GOD, about a dispossessed hillbilly who turns to murder and necrophilia...).

A.

[jorencain]

I haven't unequivocally liked anything else they've done -- there's some brilliant stuff in BARTON FINK, but I agree with Jonathan Rosenbaum that it's an anti-intellectual film that appears to have contempt for socially committed artists -- I'm really not sure what its value is.

I would suggest Barton Fink and the big lebowski are their masterpieces so far. They encapsulate the two primary apsects of the Coen's appeal, their intelligence and their non-conformity respectively.

For me, "The Man Who Wasn't There" is the best Coen brothers film. It feels like their most mature work, while at the same time they experiment with genre conventions, show that they still had fun with some things, write their trademark great dialogue, and use music (the Beethoven piano sonatas) beautifully. The cinematography, as well, is fantastic. I love many of their films, but this is their pinnacle so far.

[Antoine Doinel]

I think Miller's Crossing and Fargo are the unequivocal Coen masterpieces, striking a balance between comedy and drama that they don't quite hit with as much accuracy, style and verve as they do here.

Closely following them are Raising Arizona and O Brother Where Art Thou. All that said, the last few Coen brothers movies have been outright failures (The Ladykillers was awful and Intolerable Cruelty was too in love with itself to be effective). I really hope No Country For Old Men is the film that gets the Coens back in stride.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

He suggests the film has contempt for art, intellectual endeavor, and ultimately itself and its audience, and also remarks -- interestingly -- that for Jews, the Coen's sure do dabble in anti-Semitic caricature a whole lot (see also Turturro in MILLER'S CROSSING).

J. Hoberman is also one of their biggest critics and uses the anti-Semitic caricature as a stick to beat them with. So much so that apparently they made Walter in The Big Lebowski agressively Jewish in a tongue-in-cheek response to this criticism.

I really love the Coens films with Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink being their best IMO. Both films are beautiful constructed in terms of plot and story with incredible dialogue. But probably the film of theirs I watch the most is Lebowski with its insanely quotable dialogue.

Of course, I also like to champion The Hudsucker Proxy which left a lot of people cold. But even I can't really defend Intolerable Cruelty or The Ladykillers which are low points for them.

[Antoine Doinel]

Yeah, I'm a pretty huge Hudsucker Proxy fan myself. One of my favorites by the brothers Coen as well.

[The Invunche]

It is certainly the best Anna Nicole Smith movie.

[cdnchris]

J. Hoberman is also one of their biggest critics and uses the anti-Semitic caricature as a stick to beat them with. So much so that apparently they made Walter in The Big Lebowski agressively Jewish in a tongue-in-cheek response to this criticism.

3000 years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax, you better believe it!

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Those links were very helpful; thank you!

[Fletch F. Fletch]

From Latino Review:

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Coen brothers have lassoed Woody Harrelson and Stephen Root for their contemporary Western thriller "No Country for Old Men." Based on the acclaimed Cormac McCarthy novel, the story deals with the battle between good and evil and the importance of choice and chance in shaping destiny. Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, the film stars Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem.

[bufordsharkley]

I liked MILLER'S CROSSING, but then discovered that it was in many regards a plagiarism of THE GLASS KEY, which DESERVED to be credited as source material.

Yojimbo didn't have a screen credit for Hammett, either. Does this make it a lesser film?

...Unless you're referring to some scenes that are almost lifted intact from the Ladd-Lake-Donlevy adaptation of The Glass Key, which is worth mentioning, if only barely.

Myself, I couldn't be more of a fan of the Coens' first nine features. O Brother is a bit slight, and Blood Simple is occasionally rough, but overall, they're as flawless as could be hoped.

Raising Arizona, in particular, is a beautiful film.

...As for Barton Fink, in re: Rosenbaum, I'd argue that it's not anti-intellectual, anti-art, or anti-social consciousness. Yes, Barton Fink is a socially conscious, intellectual artist. More importantly, though, Fink is a lousy human being.

The sins the movie attacks (self-importance, hypocrisy, mainly) aren't virtues to the intellectual establishment; not remotely.

I mean: presenting an Odetsian bleeding-heart, who cries out for "the common man," but ignores his uber-common next-door-neighbor-- is that an attack on hypocrisy? Surely.

An attack on Odets? Possibly. (Which is why Odets fans hated the film.)

An attack on artists? I don't see it.

[Scharphedin2]

There are several of McCarthy's novels that I think would be more worthy candidates for a film version, and I am actually surprised that they have not happened a long time ago.

Peckinpah would very likely have made a good film of BLOOD MERIDIAN. Yet, in a somewhat different manner, I could see Oliver Stone's sentiment being paired successfully with that of McCarthy, if that book were to be made into a film today.

And, Terrence Malick might do a wonderful take on THE BORDER TRILOGY (although of course Billy Bob Thornton already did the first book -- have not seen this in fact, is it any good?), or, even SUTTREE.

[Antoine Doinel]

I think Suttree is far too lyrical to be made into a movie, but I concur about the Border Trilogy. I haven't seen All The Pretty Horses either, but by most accounts, it's not supposed to be very good. From what I recall it was also a box-office failure which may have made studios hesistant to revist McCarthy on celluloid.

Does anyone know if the rights even been sold for his other books?

[souvenir]

All the Pretty Horses had the potential to be good, but apparently Weinstein wouldn't release Billy Bob Thornton's 3 hour plus original cut and the movie suffers greatly by being shortened to just under 2 hours

[Antoine Doinel]

I was just checking out Cormac McCarthy's website and apparentally he has written a screenplay for No Country For Old Men but according to IMDB the Coen's themselves have the sole writing credits. Does anyone know if they adapted the book themselves or are tweaking McCarthy's script?

As for Thorton's 3+ hour cut, most reviews I've read for All The Pretty Horses said that even at 2 hours the pacing was lethargic at best. I can't imagine a longer cut would actually improve the picture, but it would be interesting to see what was left on the cutting room floor.

[pemmican]

Holy Shit, is YOJIMBO lifted from Hammett? Apparently so, from RED HARVEST!

I didn't know that! All the same time, I don't know, there's one thing to be said for translating a plot into a radically different idiom (while I haven't read RED HARVEST, I doubt there are samurai in it) and doing what the Coen's did -- to make a gangster film which is 80% identical to Hammett's gangster novel, and not acknowledge it. YOJIMBO may steal an idea, but MILLER'S CROSSING steals its characters, situations, theme, and probably even some of its language from THE GLASS KEY. It goes far beyond lifting a plot device. But who knows, maybe if I read RED HARVEST I wouldn't think the same way of Yojimbo...!