The Coen Brothers’ Oeuvre
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Postmodernist Filmmaking:
– Mixing high and low cultural sources
– Blurring genres like noir and comedy
– Use of pastiche and anti-realism
– Commercial/independent films
The Maguffin (McGuffin)
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“[We] have a name in the studio, and we
call it the 'Maguffin.' It is the mechanical
element that usually crops up in any
story. In crook stories it is most always
the necklace and in spy stories it is most
always the papers.” – Alfred Hitchcock, 1939
lecture at Columbia University.
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“It might be a Scottish name, taken from
a story about two men in a train. One
man says, 'What's that package up there
in the baggage rack?' And the other
answers, 'Oh that's a McGuffin.' The first
one asks 'What's a McGuffin?' 'Well' the
other man says, 'It's an apparatus for
trapping lions in the Scottish Highlands.'
The first man says, 'But there are no lions
in the Scottish Highlands,' and the other
one answers 'Well, then that's no
McGuffin!' So you see, a McGuffin is
nothing at all.” – Alfred Hitchcock, 1966
interview with Francois Truffaut.
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What is the Maguffin in the classic film
noir pictures we watched? What is the
Maguffin in The Big Lebowski?
Janet Leigh and Alfred Hitchcock on the set of Psycho (1960).
The Setting: City of the Angels
Why is Los Angeles the ideal setting
for film noir crime/detective pictures?
Isolated, “ideal” place with an “unreal”
view of the world.
 How are American values represented
in The Big Lebowski?
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– Dude: average, apathetic, “tumbling
along with the tumbling tumbleweeds,”
attempts to become engaged are
thwarted by the system and the
powerful
– Big Lebowski: success, arrogance,
upper class conservatism
– Walter: religion, arrogance, average
citizen, war, rules, law, working-class
conservatism
– Stranger: western-cowboy, wisdom, big
brother to the world
– Jackie Treehorn: morality, excess
– Donnie: naïve, innocent, follower
– Bunny: young, dreamer, femme fatale
– Maude: mature, cynical, vaginal,
radical, postmodern, feminist artist
– Brant: effeminate, loyal valet
America & War: Unchecked Aggression
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The Dude’s prophetic Ralph’s check dated 9/11.
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President George H.W. Bush: “This aggression will not stand.”
Dude: “Woo peed on the rug” (a symbol of world hubris toward American
complacence). The Dude replaces the rug with one that appears to be of
Middle-Eastern origin. He's later seen practicing Tai Chi on the new rug.
Walter: “We’re talking about unchecked aggression here.... I’m talking
about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line you do not…”
The Big Lebowski: “I didn’t blame anyone for the loss of my legs. Some
Chinaman in Korea took them from me.”
Walter pulling his gun on a Smokey: "This is not Nam, this is bowling.
There are rules. Smokey, my friend. You're entering a world of pain."
Dude: “Walter, you can’t do that. These guys are like me, they’re pacifists.
Smokey was a conscientious objector.” Walter: “You know Dude, I myself
dabbled with pacifism at one point. Not in Nam, or course.” Dude: “And you
know Smokey has emotional problems!” Walter: “You mean—beyond
pacifism?”
Walter: “And let me point out—pacifism is not—look at our current situation
with that camelfucker in Iraq--pacifism is not something to hide behind.”
Walter: “Sure you’ll see some tank battles. But fighting in desert is very
different from fighting in canopy jungle. I mean Nam was a foot-soldier’s
war whereas, uh, this thing should be a fucking cakewalk. I mean I had an
M16, Jacko, not an Abrams fucking tank. Just me and Charlie, man, eyeball
to eyeball. That’s fuckin’ combat. The man in the black pajamas, Dude.
Worthy fuckin’ adversary…. Not a bunch of fig-eaters with towels on their
heads tryin' to find reverse on a Soviet tank. This is not a worthy, uh…”
Walter: “Those rich fucks—this whole fucking thing—I did not watch my
buddies die face down in the muck so that this fucking whore—this
strumpet..." Dude: “I don’t see any connection to Vietnam, Walter.” Walter:
“Well, there isn’t a literal connection.”
Walter: “Look, Larry... Have you ever heard of Vietnam? You’re entering a
world of pain.”
Dude to the Malibu Police Chief: “Ow! Fucking fascist!”
Motif: American Exceptionalism
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The Big Lebowski on rugged individualism: “Your ‘revolution’ is over,
Mr. Lebowski! Condolences! The bums lost! My advice is, do what your
parents did! Get a job sir! The bums will always lose…. I've
accomplished more than most men, without the use of my legs. What,
what makes a man? Is it being prepared to do the right thing,
whatever the cost?”
The Big Lebowski on foreigners: “Do you speak English? Parla usted
Inglese?.... I didn’t blame anyone for the loss of my legs. Some
Chinaman in Korea took them from me….
Walter on foreigners: “The Chinaman is not the issue!... Uh and also,
Dude, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature, uh, AsianAmerican. Please….. Fucking Germans! Fucking Nazis!" Donnie: "They
were Nazis dude?" Walter: "Oh c'mon Donnie. They were threatening
castration. Are we gonna split hairs here?"
Walter, on the Nihilists (who believe in nothing): "Say what you will
about the tenets of national socialism, at least it's an ethos."
The Dude drinks White Russians and Caucasians.
Dude: "Is that some kind of eastern thing?" The Cowboy: "Far from it."
The Dude listens to Credence, and is followed by VW (a German car).
A distraught Dude says, “I hate the fuckin’ Eagles, man” (arguably the
most representative band of mainstream, majority American culture)
and is kicked out of a cab by the type of person you NEVER see at an
Eagles concert.
Walter, the representation of the US armed forces, throws the
unprotected cripple onto the floor, while shouting "Achtung, baby!".
Motif: Law & Rules
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American Exceptionalism is largely predicated on its unique law/rule-based culture – which of
course is just a smokescreen for arrogance, intolerance, and selfishness.
If you do not obey/follow the law/rules, there are consequences.
Both the aggression of Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait and the Dude’s rug being soiled “will not
stand.”
The phrase “you see what happens” is repeated by characters (Treehorn’s blonde goon and
Walter) who are teaching the lesson of consequences.
Little Larry’s punishment for “fucking a stranger in the ass” is that his new Corvette will be
smashed up.
Walter on the rules and the law: “Over the line! This is not Nam. This is bowling. There
are rules. Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one here who gives a shit
about the rules? Mark it Zero!”
Later, Walter revisits the law: “The Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior
restraint…. These are our basic freedoms!”
Again, Walter: “Keeping wildlife, an amphibious rodent, for uh, domestic, you know,
within the city—that isn’t legal either.”
Detective Films
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How does this film relate to the
classic film-noir, hard-boiled
detective films?’
Is The Dude a detective?
DaFino: “I’m a brother
shamus! Let me tell ya
something - I dig your work.
Playing one side against the
other, in bed with everybody just fabulous stuff.”
Dude: “My thinking about this
case has become very uptight,
man.”
How is law enforcement
portrayed and how does this Jon Polito as Private Investigator DaFino. The Big Lebowski (1998)
relate to their portrayal in
classic film noir?
Motif: Religion
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John Turturro as Jesus Quintana.
The Big Lebowski can be seen as a
commentary on American religiosity
and its relationship to the world and
war. Hence, the backdrop of the Gulf
War (1990-1991).
Walter converts to Judaism when he
marries Cynthia yet continues to
practice despite his divorce: “I’m
shomer shabbos!”
Though a convicted sex offender,
the best bowler in the league is
named Jesus and “nobody fucks
with the Jesus.”
Walter likens the nihilists to Nazis,
perplexing The Dude. Later, Walter
bites off the ear of one of the
nihilists while calling him an antiSemite: “They were threatening
castration.”
The Detective as Morally Ambiguous Hero
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How does the Dude compare with the classic film noir
detective?
How does he compare with Philip Marlowe?
Could Marlowe have solved this case?
Do we root for the drug-taking, sexually promiscuous,
irresponsible, slacker? Why?
When Lebowski requests to be referred to as The
Dude, he is demanding non-confrontational yet equal
social status with other males, including the elitist Big
Lebowski.
One Lebowski explains to the other: “I’m not Mr.
Lebowski; you’re Mr. Lebowski. I’m the Dude. So
that’s what you call me. That, or Duder. His
Dudeness. Or El Duderino, if, you know, you’re not
into the whole brevity thing—.” The repetition of the
term “Dude” is important to the hegemonic male code
because of it’s equalizing intent; dude is expressed
from one peer to another, therefore neither male is
considered to have power over the other, eliminating
the need for conflict or competition. The term is
primarily used in male/male interactions to establish
cool solidarity, strict heterosexuality, and
nonconformity.
The Dude constantly orders White Russians - a
cocktail he refers to as a Caucasian. The White
Russian is a drink named after the losing army in
Russia’s October Revolution, therefore The Dude’s
beverage of choice is the drink of social failures, a
subtle reference to The Dude’s passive acceptance of
his social shortcomings.
Jeff Bridges as the Dude:
“All the Dude wanted was his rug back.”
Turning Motifs on Their Head: Sleuthing
At Jackie Treehorn’s Malibu beach
house, the Dude observes Jackie
writing down an address on a pad of
paper. Like the rest of us, the Dude
has seen classic film noir detective
films and therefore goes to the pad
to check the imprint to see what
Jackie has written. Instead of an
address, however, we find a
pornographic sketch! The sketch is
later found by the Malibu police chief
who roughs him up. Moral: when the
Dude attempts to use real sleuthing
techniques, he is thwarted but when
he descends into an endless sea of
White Russians and marijuana he is
successful.
Turning Motifs on Their Head:
Good Cop, Bad Cop
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The private detective always has a complex, two-sided relationship with the police.
They are at once friendly and friends while also angry and enemies.
Marlowe’s relationship with Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls.
The Dude’s interactions with Dafino, the LAPD, and the Malibu Sherriff illustrate this.
The LAPD send one “good cop” and one “bad cop” to the Dude’s house to report his
stolen car.
The Auto Circus Cop is initially helpful in discussing the Dude’s car but then turns
when the Dude pushes too far: “Leads? Yeah. I’ll just check with the boys down at
the Crime Lab. They’ve assigned four more detectives to the case, got us working in
shifts.”
Malibu Police Chief who the Dude later calls a “real reactionary:” “Mr. Treehorn draws
a lot of water in this town, Lebowski. You don’t draw shit. We got a nice quiet beach
community here… I don’t like you sucking around bothering our citizens Lebowski. I
don’t like your jerk-off name, I don’t like your jerk-off face, I don’t like your jerk-off
behavior, and I don’t like you, jerk-off…. Stay out of Malibu, Lebowski! Stay out of
Malibu, deadbeat! Keep your ugly fucking goldbricking ass out of my beach
community.”
Donny:
“I am the Walrus”
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Donny mistakes Vladimir Lenin’s for John Lennon.
Donny doesn’t know was a pederast is.
Donny wants to know “what tied the room together” and then says, “His name is Lebowski, that’s
you’re name, Dude!”
When Walter explains that Little Larry Sellers lives in North Hollywood near the In-N-Out Burger,
Donny again misses the point: “Those are good burgers, Walter” and then wants to make sure they
stop there.
Donny is always two steps behind, misunderstanding and misinterpreting events. Why? What does his
character represent?
Donny is a metaphor for the vast majority of the American people most of whom may have a pure
heart but due to their ignorance do not vote, do not follow current events, and are not engaged in
public life in any way, thereby allowing others to shape events. As long as they have meaningless
pursuits such as surfing and bowling, feel-good music such as the Eagles, and good cheap food at the
In-N-Out, they are happy to be in a constant state of blissful ignorance. And the city of the Angels
feeds the escapist lifestyle in a way that no other place can.
What does Donny’s death symbolize?
Life is fragile, fleeting, and pointless. And though the simple-minded, escapists may get crushed, at
least they will reach some sort of transcendence due to their basic goodness. As where the cynical
and arrogant must remain in this world to live with a hellish reality.
Portrayal of Women

How do female
characters in Lebowski
compare with female
characters in The Big
Sleep?
Asia Carrera
“Sherry” in Logjammin’
Lu Elrod
“Waitress”
Irene Olga Lopez
“Pilar”
Robin Jones (L) played the laconic,
stoned Ralph’s Checker. Here she
attends a 2006 Lebowskifest in
costume with her twin sister.
Rock star Aimee Mann as a Nihilist:
She “gafe up her toe. She sought we’d be getting million dollars! Iss not fair!”
Tara Reid as Bunny Lebowski.
Feminism and the Emasculated Bowling Team
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In a post-feminist world, women simply do not “need” men in the way that they once did for financial and other
support. Therefore traditional men who operate in this world must either adapt to be able to offer these women
something other than the traditional provider role. If they do not, they
The Dude and his bowling team are completely dominated by women: the Dude by Maude, Walter by his ex-wife
Cynthia, and Donny who of course is asexual.
Maude is only interested in the Dude for his sperm: “Look, Jeffrey, I don’t want a partner. In fact I don’t want the
father to be someone I have to see socially, or who’ll have any interest in rearing the child himself.”
Indeed, Bunny’s sexually promiscuous, social-climbing life demonstrates her ability to dominate the Big Lebowski – a
person who’s authoritarian ways would suggest that he could never be dominated by a little girl.
The Big Lebowski is further dominated in how he achieved his social status. We learn from Maude that has no real
money of his own and lives on an allowance from his late wife’s wealth and administering the charities under his
daughter. She states, “We did let Father run one of the companies, briefly, but he didn’t do very well at it.” Therefore
his wall of plaques and honors were made possible by his late wife’s success as the family provider.
And while we don’t know much about Walter’s ex-wife Cynthia, we observe that she too dominates a seemingly
authoritative male – even after their divorce! “The fucking dog has fucking paper. You can’t bored it. It’s hair falls
out.”
Hence the film’s focus on male genitals is meant to make the point about emasculated males in a post-feminist
landscape. The nihilist’s want to “cut off your Johnson.” Donny wants to know: “What do you need that for, Dude?”
Jackie Treehorn draws a large penis while talking on the phone. And as The Dude and Walter confront The Big
Lebowski on his false masculine pretenses, he screams through his tears, “Stay away from me! You bullies! You and
these women! You won’t leave a man his fucking balls!”
Obscenity and Film

The Busby Berkeley-styled
dream sequence.
“Blow on them.”

Watch the two-minute “fucking” short version of The
Big Lebowski by clicking on the image above.
The answer is… yep, 281 times!
How does The Big Lebowski
compare with films from the
classic film noir era in terms
of obscenity?
– Language
– Violence
– Drug use
– Sex/nudity
What does this tell us about
standards of morality and
freedom of expression over
time? And what Hollywood
can and cannot do in terms
of implicit or explicit
content.
The Villains
Jerry Haleva as Saddam.
Why does he hand out
bowling shoes?
John Turturro as Jesus Quintana.
Donnie: “What’s a Pederast, Walter?”
James G. Hoosier
“Liam O’Brien”
The Nihlists: (L-R) Flea (Kieffer), Torsten Voges (Franz),
Peter Stormare (Karl Hungus) and their ferret.
Who are the villains?
 How do Lebowski’s villains compare
with those in classic film noir
pictures?
 Can women be villains?
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The Malibu Mafia: (L-R) Mark Pellegrino
(Blonde Thug), Ben Bazzara (Jackie
Treehorn), and Philip Moon (Woo).
Why do the thugs switch clothes?
Big Comparisons
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General Sternwood and the Big Lebowski: military,
disabled, rich, mansion, his difficulty starts the
intrigue
Vivian Sternwood Rutledge and Maude Lebowski:
highly pragmatic, protective of family
Carmen Sternwood and Bunny Lebowski –
irresponsible, nymphomaniac, involved in
pornography
Eddie Mars and Jackie Treehorn – big-time
racketeer, gambler, pornographer with police
protection
Triad of grifters and Nihilists: Joe Brody, Agnes,
and Harry Jones
Norris the Butler and Brant the Assistant:
Unyielding service to the family
Philip Marlowe and the Dude: both are the men for
their time and place—they fit right in there… And
why not? That’s what film noir is: a mirror of
reality, a mirror of society.
Both films deliberately de-emphasize plot in order
to portray a series of journeys across the mythical
but mundane southland landscape of sloth,
ignorance, and greed. Moral: postmodern life is
nothing more than a series of meaningless
encounters between one character after the next –
with the city of the angels as the haven for
nothingness. So enjoy the ride…
Big Comparisons:
Narrative Movement & Locations
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Each of these locations is linked to the next by
Detective’s home: Dude’s and
a character who is chasing or following the
protagonist in some way:
Marlowe’s.
Mansion: Big Lebowski’s and
Sternwood’s.
Two other domiciles: Maude’s
apartment and the Sellers home;
Brody’s apartment and Canino’s
Elisha Cook, Jr.
Jesse Flanagan
“Harry Jones”
“Little Larry Sellers”
hideaway.
Detective’s office: the bowling alley
and Marlowe’s office
Dwelling of the
racketeer/pornographer: Jackie
Treehorn’s Malibu compound and
Louis Jean Heydt
Julianne Moore
Eddie Mars’ club at Las Olindas.
“Joe Brody”
“Maude Lebowski”
Big Comparison: The Rug
The rug and the body: Bogart finds
Geiger murdered at his house but
when he returns the body is gone.
The rug however is soiled with
Geiger’s blood and is an important
clue in the case. The Dude’s rug is
soiled as well but instead of being
killed like Geiger, the Dude lives to
watch Woo urinate on it. Geiger
cannot replace his soiled rug so it is
not his journey that we are
concerned about. The Dude,
however, sets out to get a new rug
and it is that journey that we are
interested in. When the Dude gets
one, he is not killed on it like Geiger
but is instead knocked out by
Maude’s goons.
Arthur Gwynn Geiger’s murder
creates blood stains on the rug.
The Dude gets knocked out on his rug while
listening to Dylan and bowling tapes. He also
practices Tai-Chi on the rug.
Conclusion
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The Big Lebowski, like all of the Coen brothers’ films, deals with the
twin impossibilities of human experience:
– Coming to any meaningful understanding of others;
– Mastering a brute reality ruled by the principle of seemingly diabolical
mischance.
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These noirish themes are realized either in a somewhat positive or,
most often, in a rather negative fashion. Thus the typical Coenian
narrative focuses either on pathetic losers whose attempts to make a
“big score” of some kind spectacularly misfire or on those of more
virtue or purer heart who in their cunning or simplicity persevere to
transcendence of some kind.
Ultimately, as the Stranger says at the end of the film, life is a
“human comedy” and all we can do is laugh and take ‘er eazy
through the absurdity of it all.
Credits
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Clute, Shannon and Richard Edwards, “Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir—Episode 11: The
Big Sleep and The Big Lebowski.” November 15, 2005. 70 minutes. Podcast from
www.noircast.net.
Palmer, R. Barton, Joel and Ethan Coen (Urban and Chicago, IL: University of Illinois Press).