Scott Rudin vs. medicinal morality

email this story
read comments (10)
post a comment

"With No Country, the moral underpinning of the story spoke to me in a big way, yet you could also see it as an exciting chase movie. The underpinning was always there, but I hate movies that speak about their morals. It works better when you have a piece of material where the moral questions are buried -- otherwise the film feels too medicinal. I look for a voice.

The Coen brothers "have an enormous moral force in their movies, but they also have the kind of bravura razzle-dazzle that worked for this story. A lot of people see their films as naturalistic, but to me, it's high style. They're very showman-like filmmakers." -- No Country producer (and There Will be Blood exec producer Scott Rudin to L.A. Times columnist Patrick Goldstein in a 2.19 piece called "For Scott Rudin, There Will Be Quality."

Splitsville<< previous | next >>Memoriam Tribute quiz

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 19, 2008 at 8:21 AM

comment #1

figaso says ...

Will this man never stop? It's not just that he gets the good ones made, but he's a welcome throwback to the days of Selznick and Spiegel where bravura producing and bad-assedness was what made movies special...

Posted by figaso at February 19, 2008 9:11 AM

comment #2

Jimmycrackcorn says ...

When I think of morality, I think of Scott Rudin.

(But, all cracks aside, it's scary to think what the state of the movies would be without him.)

Posted by Jimmycrackcorn at February 19, 2008 9:19 AM

comment #3

York "Budd" Durden says ...

Waaaaaaah, but he yelled at me one time. (Lips poking out.)

Posted by York "Budd" Durden at February 19, 2008 9:37 AM

comment #4

C Toto says ...

The best art sneaks in its messages. It's why Neil Young's "Let's Impeach the President" sounded so comical at first blush. Gee, Neil, what's the song about?
I'd rather walk out of a theater and let the film's subtext work on me over the coming days than get a two-hour morality lesson.

Posted by C Toto at February 19, 2008 9:44 AM

comment #5

jghoward says ...

Hm ... I think he's merely glossing over the fact that the Coen Brothers really don't have anything to say. But they do have a nice way of saying it.

Posted by jghoward at February 19, 2008 10:04 AM

comment #6

GKLondon says ...

In tangentially related news, There Will Be Blood apparently comes out on HD DVD on the 8th of April. This plus Zodiac, Children of Men, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Thing, The Deer Hunter makes it hard to believe that it's a worthless format. No future in it, but not worthless.

Posted by GKLondon at February 19, 2008 10:11 AM

comment #7

MAGGA says ...

I think the Coens have a lot to say, and The Big Lebowski is the film that spoke to me the most. Not easy to put into words what they were saying, but then that is why you make a movie instead of just, you know, saying it. I rate that film as highly as Dr Strangelove in the comedy canon (Fear And Loathing has lost something over the last couple of years to me, but hey, it is us who change, not the films)

Posted by MAGGA at February 19, 2008 10:20 AM

comment #8