The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

The Coen BrothersThe Coen Brothers

The Hudsucker

Proxy (1994)

Cast

The Coen BrothersThe Coen Brothers

The Coen BrothersThe Coen Brothers

Frank Capra (American, 1899-

1970)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Frank Capra, 1939)

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (Frank Capra, 1936 [Cooper, Jean Arthur, Capra])

Preston Sturges (1898-1959)

The Coen BrothersThe Coen Brothers

Screwball Comedy http://moderntimes.com/screwball/ Reverse class snobbery--to be poor is somehow to be more noble; to be rich is to be castigated

A very skillful blend of sophistication and slapstick

Screwball characters move in an elegant world, where even a simple bathroom appears to be the center of their universe

A well written script, laced with barbed dialog

An overlapping style of delivery, with lines tossed off in rapid fire

The Coen BrothersThe Coen BrothersFrom Tricia Cooke and William Preston Robertson. The Big Lebowski: The Making of a Coen Brothers Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998: 16-23.

Screwball Comedy http://moderntimes.com/screwball/ An emphasis on elegant clothes, cars, and furniture

The hero or the heroine living by his or her wits alone, though this is often balanced by a reliable gainfully employed love interest

Smart, verbal, tough women

Last and probably most important, supporting casts of first-rate character actors playing eccentric types as well as a stable of familiar faces in leading roles (Cary Grant, William Powell, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Katharine Hepburn)

The Coen BrothersThe Coen BrothersFrom Tricia Cooke and William Preston Robertson. The Big Lebowski: The Making of a Coen Brothers Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998: 16-23.

Coen Motifs: Howling Fat Men: Waring Hudsucker as he plummets to the street below.Blustery Titans: Mussberger, again and again (cigar in hand)Vomiting: Tim Robbins loses his chicken à la kingViolence: Yes, though minimalDreams: Norville’s dream balletPeculiar Haircuts: Not many: Norville has strange hair, as does Buzz and Mussberger’s secretary

The Coen BrothersThe Coen BrothersFrom Tricia Cooke and William Preston Robertson. The Big Lebowski: The Making of a Coen Brothers Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998: 16-23.