The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen

"In The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen, Erica Rowell unmasks the film-makers as prankster mythmakers exploiting and subverting universal storytelling modes to further what seems to be their artistic agenda: to elicit laughs. Often employing satire and allegory, the Coens´ movies hold a mirror up to American society, allowing viewers to both chuckle and gasp at its absurdities, hypocrisies, and foibles." "The Brothers Grim examines the inner workings of the Coens´ body of work and exposes its roots and themes. Each chapter discusses a Coen brothers movie in terms of its primary themes, social and political contexts, narrative techniques, and influences and relationships to their other films and, more broadly, to cinema. Rowell also examines the Coens´ referential modus operandi that retreads cinema, literature, history, philosophy, and art to amplify their films´ themes. This comprehensive guide - enhanced by fifty photographs - is for anyone interested in the Coens´ unique brand of cinema."