The Coen Brothers: The Iconic Filmmakers and Their Work

Masters of Cinema

by Ian Nathan

Through in-depth and informative text written by film journalist Ian Nathan, The Coen Brothers Archive re-examines the brothers' most famous work including Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men and True Grit. Plus, some of their cult films, like The Evil Dead, Paris je t'aime, and A Serious Man.

Packed with stunning images from the Kobal archives, this book will also highlight their surprising involvement in recent films like Bridge of Spies and Unbroken, as well as looking at those who they frequently collaborate with.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In, Biography, Pop Culture

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2012

About the author

Ian Nathan is the popular, London-based author of Anything You Can Imagine: Peter Jackson and the Making of Middle-earth, The Coen Brothers: The Filmmakers and their Films, Alien Vault, Terminator Vault, and many other books, many of which have really long titles.

He is the former editor of Empire Magazine.

If you live in the UK, you may also know from from the Discovering Film series on Sky Arts television extolling the virtues of classic film stars and directors, and he can also be heard on Talk Radio every Friday afternoon, mostly berating the state of current movies. He is just about younger than this makes him sound.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When people ask me what my favorite movies are, I list off directors instead...and the Coen Brothers are at the top of my list. I have seen every one of their movies multiple times. They are brilliant writers and directors in my opinion and if they are involved in a film then they can have all my movie-watching money.

The Coen Brothers: The iconic filmmakers and their work is a self-explanatory title that tells you exactly what you're going to get when you open the cover. It offers a biography of Joel and Ethan Coen, shares insight into family dynamics, covers pretty much all of their movies in chronological order, summarizes the storylines, talks about the inspirations - how the setting or events relate to real-life experiences, discusses the importance of particular scenes, incorporates reasoning behind actor choices, gives a look inside the business of filmmaking, and so forth. Overall, this book shed new light on the various films which I wholeheartedly appreciated. I suppose you can spend a few hours researching this information on your own but the author has already organized all of it in this one place with vibrant photographs on almost every page to serve as visual aids. The result is a very deserving centerpiece for any fan's coffee table or bookshelf.

As I write this review, Christmastime is closing in and although the appropriate activities are listening to seasonal music, baking cookies, and wrapping gifts, all I can think about right now is watching some sort of overcomplication of humanity's flaws and all the blood-soaked Minnesota evil I can muster. "Comedy flows from the horror, the horror bleeds out of the comedy." ...and another Coen Brothers' marathon is my present to myself. Merry Christmas!

My favorite quote:
"Taking part in an onstage Q & A for Israeli television, the Coens were asked why they treated their characters so poorly. They grinned at one another, and it was Ethan who was the first to reply: 'I can't imagine a story where nothing bad happens to the characters. What would such a story be? And if something bad happens to a character, and that's interesting, something even worse happening would be even more interesting.'
You can't fault the logic."


(source: consequenceofsound.net)

Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of The Coen Brothers: The iconic filmmakers and their work. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Ian Nathan
Publisher: Quarto Publishing Group - Aurum Press
Genres: Entertainment
Pub Date: November 2, 2017

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The results so far :


Blood Simple 1984 Great

Raising Arizona 1987 Great

Miller’s Crossing 1990 Hmmm

Barton Fink 1991 Too silly

The Hudsucker Proxy 1994 Silly but funny

Fargo 1996 Great

The Big Lebowski 1998 Wildly overrated

O Brother Where Art Thou? 1999 Weird but good

The Man Who Wasn’t There 2001 Not seen

Intolerable Cruelty 2003 Awful

The Ladykillers 2004 Awful

No Country For Old Men 2007 Great

Burn After Reading 2008 Great

A Serious Man 2009 Awful

True Grit 2010 Great

Inside Llewyn Davis 2013 Okay I guess

Hail Caesar 2016 Not seen

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs 2018 Not seen

6 greats to 3 awfuls

***

Here is another cool Masters of Cinema book rammed with pix, a straightforwardly chronological account going up to True Grit. Ian Nathan, the author, has a little too much film critic hifalutinness about him for my tastes, but no matter, it’s the Coens that count, and with them you never know what you’re going to get next, they ricochet from two beyond-nonsense like Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers to two stone classics and back again. You take what you need and you leave the rest.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading and will nearly always pick reading over watching. Therefore when I do watch something I’m very selective that said I’ve seen everything the Coen brothers have done.
For me this book was an informative look into their lives and how they started down this road. I’m not saying there’s much here for diehard fans or people looking for a more in-depth look. But for a fan of their films who previously knew very little about them I found it interesting.
I discovered how they started a lawn mowing business to earn the $400 required to buy Vivatar super-8. And their film making career was launched.

There’s some lovely pictures and quotes and as a huge fan of their films I really enjoyed it. Talking of their films I’ve been trying to narrow the list and pick my favourite but I’ve decided it’s an impossible task.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Aurum Press.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coen Brothers are a recognised name. When associated with a movie you feel it will be a success and one you want to see. This is based on their experience and films produced; a least one will be in anyones DVD collection.
It is the breadth of the projects they have undertaken and the casting that mark the movies as special. Making critics feel that everything the Coens touch turn to gold.
We will all have our favourites and that attachment to this franchaise have endured over decades.
Miller's Crossing is a film I never tire of watching. However, Fargo blew my mind and Ian's insight and carefully chosen stills enhance those memories and make you want to fish out the DVD and watch it all over again.
the Big Lebowski is on everyone's great films of the late 90's but it is 2007 No Country for Old Men that classic comes to mind and is another must watch film.
As Ian Nathan has a background in journalism his writing is crisp and to the point. This helps the reader to keep focused and remain fully immersed in this magical world of making movies.
Above all the book will provide answers to questions you didn't even know you wanted to ask and introduce you to films you didn't appreciate the brothers were involved with. Hopefully like me it will give you insight into new must see movies or buy DVD special editions to become more consumed by this film phenomenon.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the Coen brothers for over 30 years, this book was an absolute delight to find. The photos, the writing - everything a Coen fan could ever want or need in a book. I recommend this book to any fan of the Coens (obviously) but also anyone who is not familiar with their array of works and would be interested in knowing more about them and what drives them to make epic films.

[Josh Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I can't imagine a story where nothing bad happens to the characters. What would such a story be? And if something bad happens to a character, and that's interesting, something even worse happening would be even more interesting." - Ethan Coen

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little light, but a fine starting point for their work.

[Victoria Peipert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read about the Coen brothers and their contribution to film. Great behind the scenes pictures and stories make this a worthwhile read for film junkies/Coen brother fans!

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coen Brothers are my favorite film makers, and their films speak to me for different reasons. The first film Blood Simple was filmed in my hometown of Austin, TX, and we are all Jewish so there are parts of their inside jokes and storytelling that hit home. For example, the scene in the Big Lebowski where John Goodman's character say that he doesn't "roll on Shabbos." Ian did a wonderful of capturing their dynamic relationship, as well as their quirky sense of humor. I would recommend this book to any film buff.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Coen Brothers Ian Nathan Whether or not you actually know who the Coen Bothers are or not I am sure you have seen several of their films. A few of them are Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men and True Grit. Bet you know who they are now. They are a team of 2 brothers who are writers and directors of some of the most popular films around.
This book takes you on a tour of them personally. How they live, how they play, and how they work. The book is filled with photo's and information about both brothers. It shows you the brothers as children growing up in Minnesota, how they broke into the world of motion pictures and more.
The book is a fun read as well. It is very candid to. It is not just the writer's point of view, it is their point of view.
I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is full of fun tidbits and behind the scenes information plus lots of great pictures.

While I am a fan of the Coen brothers movies I would not really classify myself as a "Coen-head" so I can't say with absolute certain that mega fans will find any new information here but I discovered many new things I did not know (Heath Ledger was the original choice to play Llewelyn Moss) as well as things that contradict what I thought I already knew (in the book they say that Jeff Bridges wardrobe from The Big Lebowski was acquired at various thrift stores and that the infamous Jelly shoes had to be special purchased from another country while in an interview I saw some years ago Jeff Bridges said most all of it, including the shoes, came from his own closet). Fun book!

There is a brief biography section followed by different sections dealing with specific films. The reader will come away with a better understanding of the films, and a glimpse into the creative process behind those films. Unfortunately, the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, simply seem to defy any deep revelations about themselves. While there may be lots of things going on underneath those quiet exteriors they simply are unable or unwilling to give voice to any coherent process... what you see is what you get.

I enjoyed this book. I believe even a casual fan would find something interesting in here and recommend it without any reservations to all movie fans.

***Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title.

[Krisztina Papp · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book if you are new to them, not the book for you if you are looking for a deeper analysis.

[DJNana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid overview of my favourite filmmakers.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-illustrated book with a reasonable overview of all the Coen Brothers' movies up to Hail Caesar. Unfortunately, the editing isn't up to the mark, and besides a number of repeated points, there are typos and other errors. Secondly, the use of dark colours on pages with text makes it hard to read at times.
Still, it's an interesting book because the Coens are interesting - although the oft-repeated that the Coens can't be understood becomes tedious long before the end. Surely someone must know more than we find here, however much they go into retreat mode when interviewed.
Ian Nathan is a prolific film-writer, and plainly knows huge amounts about the movies. When he writes well here, he writes very well, but some of the films seem to receive just a little less than they deserve.

[Steven McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of the Coen brothers since watching Blood Simple many years ago, indeed I loved the film so much that I pestered the guy in my local video store to give me the poster off his wall. Ian Nathan follows their career from their early Super 8 movies right up to present day and has sound bites from people closest to them. A good book that has some great behind the scenes info and tries to get behind what makes the brothers tick.

[Zaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and interesting