The Coen Brothers

This Book Really Ties the Films Together

By: Adam Nayman

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

A playfully critical journey through the Coen brothers' filmography

From such cult hits as Raising Arizona (1987) and The Big Lebowski (1998) to major critical darlings Fargo (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Ethan and Joel Coen have cultivated a bleakly comical, instantly recognizable voice in modern American cinema. In The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together, film critic Adam Nayman carefully sifts through their complex cinematic universe in an effort to plot, as he puts it, "some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness." The book combines critical text--biography, close film analysis, and enlightening interviews with key Coen collaborators--with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens' singular mix of darkness and levity. Featuring film stills, beautiful and evocative illustrations, punchy infographics, and hard insight, this book will be the definitive exploration of the Coen brothers' oeuvre.

Very well done but...

Excellent if you're looking for a synopsis and critique of the Coen brothers films, but unfortunately I was hoping that this would be as much anecdote as analysis. I think the stories behind the making of the films would have been of more interest to me than an in-depth review of the films.

I Wish Every Director Got A Book Like This

I could have done without several of the interviews, but the deep analysis of the Coens’ filmography, told largely film by film in chronological order, was insightful and rewarding. Even when I disagreed with the author’s interpretation of something (which was rare) I still have to acknowledge that he gave me the tools to make my own meaning out of these beloved films.

If you are a Coen Brothers movie fan

This book details a lot of information about their films and how they go about making them I really enjoyed listening to the book.

Amazing and fun analysis

Incredible detail, insightful thematic connectivity between the films, and interesting interviews with many of their collaborators

Inside Joel and Ethan

A fantastic depiction inside the minds of two of the best America filmmakers ever! And yes, this book really does tie all the movies together!