New Coen Brothers Movie A Serious Man Opens October 2

New Coen Brothers Movie A Serious Man Opens October 2

The Dude Abides: New Book by Cathleen Falsani Explores the Enigmatic Moral Universe in the Films of the Coen Brothers, Including Their Latest

CHICAGO, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The new movie by Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man, opening today, is "easily the most overtly religious and autobiographical" of all their films, says author Cathleen Falsani. She examines the moral order of the Coeniverse in her new book, The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers (Zondervan, $14.99 paper, October 2009).

Falsani, who saw A Serious Man at the Toronto International Film Festival, says the Job-like tale "poses questions that are as brutal as they are universal. The answers the Coens provide are unsatisfactory but truthful. There is no quid pro quo with God."

An award-winning author and columnist, Falsani is a long-time Coen fan who named her blog, and now this book, after the mantra of the iconic slacker-hero of The Big Lebowski. The "Dudey Satva" of Dudeism (the tongue-in-cheek--but 60,000-strong--"religion" based on the theology and ethics of The Big Lebowski), Falsani offers an insightful guide to the moral order of the Coeniverse.

While not trying to wrestle their films into "a God-shaped box (or wood chipper)," Falsani does take seriously their invitation to wrestle with important spiritual and moral questions. From their debut, Blood Simple to A Serious Man, the Coens "boldly engage serious existential questions with darkly intelligent humor," Falsani says. "Each film is marked by theological, philosophical and mythical touchstones that enrich the most slapstick moments. They probe confounding ethical and spiritual quandaries, giving us a tour of a nuanced moral universe."

Publishers Weekly says: "Falsani is an expert at pop culture analysis and her love for the celluloid arts shines forth brightly--her interpretations are nuanced and sophisticated without being pretentious. Film lovers, whether religious or not, will be pleased."

"While marked by murder, mayhem, deception, and chaos, there is a moral order to the world depicted in the Coen films. That's the good news," Falsani says. "The bad news is that when the moral order is upset, the consequences can be dire, brutal, and swift."

In mining their films for the Coens' "complicated gospel," Falsani finds clear dos and don'ts, which she identifies as "The 14 Coenmandments." As Walter Sobchak reminds us in The Big Lebowski, 'This is not 'Nam....There are rules.'"

About the Author

Cathleen Falsani, author of Sin Boldly, and The God Factor, is the award-winning religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. She attended Wheaton College and also holds masters degrees in journalism and theology. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, with her husband and fellow journalist, Maurice Possley, and their son Vasco. Falsani is the "Sin Duda" of the Church of the Latter-Day Dude, and the rightfully installed "Dudey Satva" of St. Da Fino's Virtual Shrine of Our Special Lady.

   Cathleen's blog, The Dude Abides: http://falsani.blogspot.com/    Other links of interest:    A Serious Man trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pPMNTRk0xk    The Church of the Latter-Day Dude: http://www.dudeism.com/    The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers   by Cathleen Falsani  

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Source: Zondervan

CONTACT: Kelly Hughes, +1-312-280-8126, Kelly@dechanthughes.com

Web Site: http://falsani.blogspot.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment