The Big Lebowski: The Making of a Coen Brothers Film

by William Preston Robertson, Tricia Cooke (Editor), John Todd Anderson (Illustrations)

A firsthand account of how this extraordinary cult movie was made by the Oscar-winning Coen brothers.

The Big Lebowski is a razor-sharp comedy thriller of mistaken identity, gangsters, bowling, kidnapping, and money gone astray, written by the Coens, directed by Joel Coen, and produced by Ethan Coen. In addition to Jeff Bridges, whose portrayal of The Dude has become iconic, and John Goodman, his bowling buddy, the film stars Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Willem Dafoe, Sam Elliot, and Ben Gazzara. Not given to talking publicly about their work, the Coens gave access to Tricia Cooke and William Preston Robertson to interview the cast and crew. In a prose style that complements the Coens filmic one, the book discusses the Coens oeuvre, the themes of their films, their atypical brand of humor, their craft, and their artistic vision. Several scenes of The Big Lebowski are examined closely to see how the movie goes from idea to reality, making this an ideal book for fans, filmmakers, and filmmaking students."

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Pop Culture, Comedy, Humor

226 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In old movies, Eve Arden often played the kind of jaded best friend who adored you, but could see through your bullshit and tell it to your face in a snarky way, without any repercussions apart from a nod of recognition and a begrudging laugh. This book's author, William Preston Robertson, a friend of the Coen Brothers and sometime film assistant, functions a bit like that here. There is a method to the Coens' madness, and Robertson is intent on sniffing it out; to understand it, in all its contradictions. He works at it like a bulldog investigator; unhappy with half-answers. The processes, both in the Coen's work and in Robertsons post-mortem of it, are equally fascinating, taking something seemingly inscrutable and wispy and laying it bare, nailing it down, and reveling in it.

The first thing I really loved about this gonzo-ish account of the Coen Brothers' making of their classic comedy, The Big Lebowski is Robertson's ability to tell the tale with incredulous humor, setting up his own punchlines as he examines their unique creative universe. In the hands of a lot of authors, this can come off as forced, but not here. I would cite as a model Joe Adamson's old and classic book on The Marx Brothers, Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Sometimes Zeppo as exemplifying the best way to integrate personal humor and perspective into the subject being examined. This book succeeds similarly. It's refreshing, and something not seen often because too many film writers are simply not up to the task.

Knowing the Coens' tendency to grunt and make half-regurgitated thoughts while completing each others' sentences in their typical tag-team interview set up, Robertson separated them police-interrogation style and tackled them mano a mano. Noting the Coens' tendency to be very quiet and convey their ideas to crew mostly by being mum, listening, or using some form of telepathy, Robertson tries to understand just HOW these crazy ideas get conveyed to collaborators, and yet somehow make it to the screen. We get exchanges like this, between Ethan Coen and Robertson discussing working with cinematographer, Roger Deakins:

Ethan C: "We could work with somebody else and talk volumes and nothing would work."

Robertson: "But WOULD you talk volumes... I mean REALLY?"

Pretty funny.

As it turns out, as Deakins reveals, Joel and Ethan Coen are a two-headed hydra; both heads completely in sync with the other. Ask either head what to do, and whatever answer comes will be amenable to both. Two heads, in this case, ARE better than one, at least from a logistical standpoint.

The Coens' clean working method, rigorously pre-planning and storyboarding everything in advance, keeps the shots efficient, the vision intact and the movies striking in appearance. They have a LOOK, unlike the hackery that marks so much cookie-cutter Hollywood product. The brothers' mastery of economic efficiency turns out to be like an insurance policy of sorts: if you can make weird movies on, or under, budget, you're more likely to be allowed to make more, or, as one of the brothers puts it: "the more you control your budget from the outset, the better tolerated your artistic eccentricity will be." A lesson that too many auteurs, surprisingly, have not deduced.

Robertson's journey of trying to capture the essence of the Coens' art and to hammer out the seeming inconsistencies is a rewarding one. His discussion with the brothers and Deakins over the seemingly contradictory perception effects of wide-angle lenses (so loved by the brothers) of distancing and intimacy, is an interesting one from both a technical and messaging standpoint.

This book was published in 1998, right on the heels of the movie, when there was nothing at all of the cult that would soon arise over it. Considering the tidal wave of books that have been published about the movie and its cultural imprint on the zeitgeist since, it's amazing how essential and illuminating this one still is. I'd recommend hitting this one first to gain a proper sense of grounding, as it captures a moment in time and hits while the iron was hot.

There's much more herein, including choice script excerpts, and ample concept sketches and storyboards. The interviews with the designers and costume artists impart great understanding about the visual aesthetics of the film, especially when the artists expound on how particular scenes were done, and why.

The insights into filmmaking make this one for my "masterclass" shelf.

I have to brag proudly on my hometown, Louisville, Kentucky USA -- a place frequently lauded for its weirdness -- for getting on the Lebowski train early on. In 2002, some enthusiasts of the film founded the first Lebowski Fest, an annual tradition now two decades old that has spread to other cities and events across the country. I'm not a fan to that degree, so have never been to one of these; in some ways the idea of joining mass movements like this undercuts my own relationship to art. I don't want to navel gaze the things I love to death; to putter and sink into pointless minutiae to the peril of the essence of the thing.

But I do adore the film -- it's a self-contained singular triumph, and perhaps the greatest comedy film of the last quarter century -- even though, like many at the outset, I was scratching my head a bit on first viewing. It's a movie that blooms with every new viewing, and that's the sign of a great film. Watching it a few years back with a then-girlfriend while high on weed and laughing our asses off was one of the supreme experiences of life.

What's great about this book is that it makes me see the film in new ways, but also catalyzes my own new observations about it. The Coens achieved the remarkable feat of recapturing Raymond Chandler's noirish and surreal LA in 1990s terms. Now when I watch the opening scene of the shabby, bath-robed Dude sniffing at a milk bottle in the middle of a flourescent-lit all-night grocery, I can't help but see a revisioning of Edward Hooper's classic painting, Nighthawks. But hey, I sees what I sees, and, anyway, yeah, well, that's just, ya know, like my opinion, man.

---
kr, eg '19

[Sophy H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I love the film, this book was like reading a giant wank-fest over the Coen brothers!!

Robertson can't stop pointing out how he spoke to the brothers on the phone or sat down for a beer with them or gave them advice (shit advice as it turns out, telling them Fargo was a big mistake! Er ok mate!)

There is nothing new to be gained from reading this book. Having read I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski, I feel I learned all there was to learn about the film and its making.

This book just feels superfluous and a flimsy reason for Robertson to make random flexes.

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably just for Coen fanatics/The Big Lebowski fans/John Turturro freaks (that'd be me)...
This book isn't the screenplay for The Big Lebowski but a film making guide as story-boarding, costumes, some of the script, too, a creative outlook in a book. If you're interested in different thought processes of an artist, this is a pretty cool look into the approach of the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.
One factoid that has stuck out in my mind is that the brothers won't work with anyone who doesn't see on their wavelength. As in, they don't want to have to explain every little thing they want to do. That would kill joyful spontaneity, sure, but also for communication shorthand. Mind reading on set? The brothers work together on both directing and screenplay (even if only one gets credit when it comes to meaningless awards), and there's also a bit on how they developed that relationship in their past to use influences and experiences to relate when wanting to know what they can put in a movie. That they manage to find other people to do that with is pretty amazing, to me. (I don't ever find people who could keep up with the kinda history my twin and I have.)
This book isn't an explanation of everything they did, but more like getting to look into the experience of doing it. I'd rather watch a story than yay we/they did it, which is why I don't read lots of set stuff, or even watch dvd special features. I appreciated that the tidbits about collective creative output became its own story.
I bought this book some time during the ten or so years of John Turturro fansiting (started in my teens). I flipped for the info most Turturro-centric first, of course, then read the rest of it. The Coens let John Turturro fly as Jesus Quintana. They had no idea he was going to lick that bowling ball before he did it. In my opinion, easily one of the most evocative moments in the film. Another cool tidbit is that Turturro wanted to do a Jesus Quintana prequel. (Much more recent interviews suggests this plan is an off-on again possibility. Hey, it DID take JT ten years to write the script for the breathtaking Romance and Cigarettes film.) I wish they would... Nobody fucks with the Jesus.

[Zedsdead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author explores the Coen filmmaking process through a series of interviews with the brothers and their repeat collaborators, with a focus on storyboarding (J Todd Anderson), cinematography (Roger Deakins), production design (Rick Heinrichs), and costume design (Mary Zophres). Filled with humorous reminiscences and anecdotes by the brothers and their preferred employees.

In short: the Coens, while overly educated and highly intellectual, operate by feel. That wickedly incisive line is there because it amuses them and not necessarily because it's a multilayered examination of this or that social construct. They're creatures of instinct who share a vision and a talent for storytelling. Their philosophy, as summed up by Ethan in the last line of the book: Nothing much makes sense. So, you might as well make whatever kind of movie you want. And hope for the best.

The last third reads like a light textbook, as the author selects four scenes and breaks them down by cinematography, production design, and costuming, then juxtaposes storyboards and corresponding stills. It's an effective, informative presentation.

Mary Zophres' interviews are the most illuminating. I had no idea costuming was so involved, so important to the creation of characters. Clothing is selected with an eye toward lifestyle, backstory, physical habits. She doesn't just select outfits. She artificially ages them. She makes them fit well or badly, sometimes both for the same character. She soaked John Goodman's vest in water then put a flashlight and swiss army knife in the pockets for three days, to stretch and shape them, because that's what his character carries around. For John Turturro she chose loud flashy underwear that Lebowski nemesis Jesus Quintana would wear. And it helped Turturro get into character.

By way of introduction to the Coens' signature style, the author included this entertaining table then applied it to each of their films to date:

A Handy Guide to Coen Motifs
(1) bellowing fat men--usually John Goodman
(2) blustery titans
(3) vomiting
(4) sudden violence
(5) dream sequences
(6) peculiar haircuts
And occasionally a film student will suggest "hats--the losing and putting back on of"

[Ross Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A playful first-hand, contemporary account of the making of a cult classic, in a style befitting of the Coens’ idiosyncratic sensibility with the underlying suggestion that everything they say may not be strictly accurate. It’s fascinating to read about this film from the perspective of before it becoming a bona fide cult hit was a foregone conclusion. It’s far from comprehensive but there’s lot of great information in here. William Preston Roberston is clearly in the Coens’ trusted inner circle and, as such, there’s a richness to their sometimes-affable, sometimes-tetchy interactions with him that can only come from being in a position like that. And Robertson makes full use of being able to pull at threads others mightn’t in the pursuit of understanding hypocrisies and contradictions. And having the whole thing edited by Ethan’s wife certainly helps capture a sense of the personal in the way it flows. It’s an insightful, technical look at the realities, processes and minutiae of making a film. The contributions from Roger Deakins, Mary Zophres, J. Todd Anderson, and Rick Heinrichs add a real layer of depth to the discussion of their respective areas of expertise. It runs out of steam somewhat towards the end as it races to a conclusion that ends long before its natural endpoint with the completion of the film (though, to be fair, this is acknowledged in Robertson’s afterword to the 2015 edition). Far more enlightening and serious-minded than might be expected given the shaggy dog nature of the film itself, but not without levity and a joyful way with words lacing the prose.

[Jordan Muschler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was about twelve or thirteen and never read it, but accidentally opened it a week ago and thought it was super informative in illuminating a specific, healthy filmmaking process! Especially great to read about the way they interact with their designers in pre-production; I kind of love how little focus on the actors there is, which is addressed as an accident but is refreshing considering how much attention they normally get (no offense actors).

And the book has only increased in stature considering the almost accidental importance of the movie it’s covering… the writing is wry and fun, the pace quick, and everything informative.

[Marcel de Leeuwe · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the Big Lebowski and are interested in moviemaking this is a must-read. It covers the whole film making process from the Coen brothers. It is maybe not the average approach to making films but that makes it such a funny book with a lot of insights. Reading this books make you aware of the craftsmanship, effort and engagement the Coen brothers put into their films.

[Richard Guion · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of the BIg Lebowski or the Coen Brothers, this book is a great fun read. Lots of nice anecdotes about working on the film, the Coen brothers seems like gonzo film fans who also write and direct. I read this on my Kindle Unlimited trial, not sure it is worth anything more than $1 or $2, but if you love inside film stories you will like it.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a book analyzing The Big Lebowski, and while it does include some stories and trivia about the film from behind the scenes, it is not focused on the film as such. Rather, it is a book in which Robertson describes his observations of the Coen Brothers and their crew as they work on making The Big Lebowski. Included in Robertson's text are parts of interviews he held with various members of the crew, and with the Coen Brothers themselves. We learn from costume designer Mary Zophres how the Dude's clothes had to be laundered and re-laundered in order to appear appropriately worn and aged for the film. Cinematographer Roger Deakins talks about filming at higher speeds for shots that will then be in slow motion when projected at normal frame speed, and about the difficulty of shooting neon lights in particular for such sequences. Perhaps the strongest part of the book for me was the discussion of the Coen Brothers' detail-oriented approach to storyboarding: at the end of the book, Robertson includes reproductions of storyboard drawings from two scenes in the film, juxtaposing the drawings with the corresponding stills from the movie.

With regard to the writing style, early in the book, there were times when it seemed to me that Robertson was trying too hard to be entertaining, as if he were under pressure. Further along in my reading, I became comfortable with the style, or found it less noticeable, perhaps particularly as my attention became more focused on the technical details being discussed.

Robertson's commentary makes some good points about the film, including how it alludes to a tradition that associates fictional detectives with the pastime of bowling (something that I found useful to know of, particularly with regard to the many references to bowling in the book I read after this one, the detective novel Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon).

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This account of the making of the classic cult comedy is befitting of a Coen brothers film. It is not a by-the-numbers explication of the events of the creation or filming of the movie, or an oral history written long afterward; it is a kind of gonzo journalistic meditation on the meaning of a life's work as told through the lens of a friend of the Coens who was given access to the making of the movie and wrote about his experience of knowing the Coens through his exploration of their making of The Big Lebowski.

It's the kind of Kaufman-esque meta-investigation that one might expect of a friend of the Coens, and it adds a lot to the reader's and viewer's understanding of not only Lebowski, but the Coens' entire filmography. There are a lot of interesting tidbits contained within about the Coens and the movie, which also make it worth reading for fans (like me) who are eager to glean whichever tidbits are made available, but I think the main value of this book is as a "primary source" about the Coens and their process, which would make it appeal to all cinephiles and not just Achievers.

[Justin KM · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received it as a gag gift, but I took it seriously because it is one of my favourite movies. It is what it says it is, so if you're not a megafan of the film or the Cohens generally, probably don't bother.

Biggest drawback was extended boring descriptions of scenes in the film. Like, bruh, obviously anyone who's picked this book up has the film essentially committed to memory by now.

Biggest upside was that it really explores and meditates on the creative process of filmmaking, collaboration among the crew, etc. in a way that is not always specific to the film or even the directors themselves. The film and directors are used as vehicles to explore these concepts generally, in a really interesting way. You end up learning a lot about filmmaking, is what I'm trying to say.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yes! Another book review from me about a book about the making of the 1998 movie: The Big Lobowski. This one written by a friend of the Coen Brothers so it's full of real behind the scenes writing. Goes into more depth on how they work together with their crew, and create scenes. How the sets are developed and all the hard work it takes to costume everyone! Great stuff. Maybe I need to write a spin-off or a sequel myself! I’ll get on it. 🎳🎳🎳🎳🎳 5 out of 5 strikes in a row!

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Big Lebowski is the only film I've watched so many times I literally killed the dvd, which I estimate took about 400 viewings based on how long I owned it and how frequently I watched it. Copy two is still going strong, as my frequency has sharply declined since marriage and kids.

So, you could say I'm the perfect target audience for this book.

[Cameron K]

Paperback
Shaker Mill Books in West Stockbridge, MA

[Valzebub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has some interesting behind the scenes glimpses, but not as much as I hoped. Worth a read for dans of the film and the Coen Bros.

[Tyler Rugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for the confirmed Dude fan. Which I am.

[Todd Melby · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Preston Robertson's writing is a delight. He tells long-winded, funny stories about interacting with the Coens and trying to decipher their elliptical way of speaking. Among the funniest bits here is when he tells Joel and Ethan not to make Fargo, their breakthrough hit that won two Oscars and a hit TV show. "Do not make Fargo," Robertson told them. "It’s the weirdest, most bizarre, most inaccessible of all of the things you’ve written! ... Even your most diehard fans aren’t going to know what to make of Fargo! You’re whittling down your audience from the marginal subset of egghead art-house moviegoers to only the members of the subset who live in or are familiar with upstate Minnesota! You’re making this movie for a demographic of seven people, tops! And what happens if one of them is sick of out of town when your movie opens?”

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yep, this is the one, if you have any interest in how the Coen Bros. work or about the genesis of Big Lebowski. Written by a friend of theirs and Ethan's wife, so yeah. There you are.

Includes some scripts pages, storyboards and costume designs. Sweet.

[ba · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Coen brothers' films, and loved reading about what they are like, and learning the process by which their films are made.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review on LibraryThing.

[Mr.]

2 COPIES

[Phil Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome account of what the Coen Brothers will do to make their vision a reality. Again, only for fans of the movie. I don't see this as a general interest book.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Behind the scenes with the Coen Brothers and their films including analysis and breakdown of how they created the Big Lebowski