The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time

Whether contending with nihilists botching a kidnapping pay-off watching as his beloved rug is micturated upon or simply bowling and drinking Caucasians the Dudeor El Duderino if youre not into the whole brevity thingabides. As embodied by Jeff Bridges the main character of the 1998 Coen brothers film The Big Lebowski is a modern hero who has inspired festivals burlesque interpretations and even a religion (Dudeism). In time for the fifteenth anniversary of The Big Lebowski film author and curator Jenny M. Jones tells the full story of the Dude from how the Coen brothers came up with the idea for a modern LA noir to never-been-told anecdotes about the films production its critical and commercial reception and finally how it came to be such an international cult hit. Achievers as Lebowski fans call themselves will discover many hidden truths including why it is that Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) is so obsessed with Vietnam what makes Theodore Donald Donny Kerabatsos (Steve Buscemi) so confused all the time how the film defies genre and what unexpected surprise Bridges got during filming of the Gutterballs dream sequence. (Hint: it involved curly wigs and a gurney.) Interspersed throughout are sidebars interviews with members of the films cast and crew scene breakdowns guest essays by prominent experts on Lebowski language music filmmaking techniques and more and hundreds of photographsincluding many of artwork inspired by the film.