Cathleen Falsani, religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, has a new book coming out in the fall called “The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers.”
Not to be confused with the slacker religion Dudeism, “The Dude Abides,” according to publisher Zondervan, “will look at the filmmakers’ presentation of serious existential and theological questions using the dark, intelligent humor and epic storytelling that have been their trademarks in more than a dozen films during the past 25 years. . . . Falsani will investigate the theological, mythological, moral, ethical, religious and philosophical content and what their overarching message—their ‘Gospel’—might be.”
I’m stoked. If I didn’t already know Jesus, I would probably spend even more time worshiping the Coen Brothers by watching “The Big Lewbowski,” “Barton Fink,” “Fargo” et al. Publication of Falsani’s book will coincide with the release of the Coen Brothers’ latest project, “A Serious Man,” which will hopefully be much, much better than “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and “Ladykillers.”
What’s interesting, though, is that this will be a book that looks at the Christian theology of films made by a Jewish duo. This follows in a long line. There is the classic “The Gospel According to Superman,” a superhero whose creators were Jewish; “The Gospel According to Harry Potter,” whose creator is supposedly a witch; and “The Gospel According to the Simpsons,” the author of which is Jewish.
A little love for The Dude, after the jump:
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