Save the Cat! Goes to the Indies

by Salva Rubio

  The Big Lebowski is perhaps the quintessential Coen brothers film along with another Whydunit, Fargo (beat out by by Blake in Save the Cat!® Goes to the Movies). In this case, and despite its luminous colors, upbeat music, bathrobes and bowling uniforms, we are talking “Film Noir Whydunit.”

  How so? Start with the fact that the Coen brothers reportedly took inspiration from the work of Raymond Chandler (The Big Sleep, anyone?), including the complicated plot, double-crossing characters and the many secrets that need to be solved by our detective. Add to this the take-off tropes like the alcoholic detective, the femme fatale redhead, the powerful tycoon, the stray dangerous blonde...

  Translate this to our Cat! vocabulary, and you’ll have our “detective” who in his dudeness is quite unprepared for what he will find, a “secret” seemingly unimportant (who micturated upon a rug that clearly “tied the room together”) — and don’t forget the “dark turn” that will get him more involved than he ever wanted, setting himself up as part of the crime. Join us as we enter into a “world of pain,” and let’s go for this beat sheet!

  W Type: Film Noir Whydunit

  W Cousins: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Brick, The Samurai (Le Samouraï), The American Friend, Blue Velvet

  THE BIG LEBOWSKI

  Written by Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

  Directed by Joel Coen

  Opening Image: Let us follow a tumbleweed through the city of Los Angeles and meet Jeffrey Lebowski, AKA the Dude (Jeff Bridges): slacker, deadbeat and lover of White Russians. What will have changed in him by the end?

  Set-Up: After paying with a post-dated 69 -cent check for a carton of milk for his cocktails, the Dude returns home, only to be assaulted by a couple of thugs claiming that he owes money to a certain Jackie Treehorn. As a warning, one of them urinates on his rug, but after all, it seems like a misunderstanding. However, the Dude is desolated for having lost such a rug and visits another Lebowski, the “Big” one himself (David Huddleston) to seek compensation, for he is the millionaire achiever whose young wife Bunny is the one who indeed owes money to Treehorn. Lebowski demeans the Dude for his lifestyle (a running theme, as we’ll see), and dismisses him.

  Theme Stated: “Ever thus to deadbeats, Lebowski,” says one of the thugs who assault and berate him in his home. A variation of the classic Latin quote, “Ever thus to tyrants,” this is our ironic theme, as most of the characters in the movie act similarly to the Dude. From the false millionaire, to the scheming Germans or to Maude (who wants a son without commitment), all are like the Dude — they want to achieve something... for nothing in return.

  Catalyst: Before exiting the Big Lebowski’s mansion, the Dude sets the theme and the movie in motion by stealing a rug and meeting Bunny (Tara Reid), the Big’s nymphomaniac wife.

  Debate: Will there be consequences for the theft of the rug? Will Lebowski suffer any consequences? He seems to be very much at ease. In the meantime, we get to know his buddies better, gun-toting violent defender of all things Jewish, Walter Sobchak (John Goodman), and silent Donny (Steve Buscemi). There is a double bump when the Big Lebowski calls to meet the Dude, furthering our Debate section when he offers the Dude what appears to be an easy job: Bunny has been kidnapped and the Dude must deliver $ 1 million. Who has kidnapped her? This is the “secret” that will have to be unveiled.

  Break into Two: Lying at home on his new rug, the Dude is assaulted again, this time by different people, including a femme fatale redhead, Maude (Julianne Moore). Lebowski is way more involved than he thought, and there is no turning back now. The film’s first dream sequence signals the act change.

  B Story: The love story pertains to Maude and the Dude. It’s not a traditional love story by any means, but fits well in the noir tradition, as we will see that she is using him in various ways.

  Fun and Games: After the dream sequence, the Dude has to fulfill the promise of the premise by carrying out the delivery of the money. Unfortunately, he asks Walter, who has a plan of his own to keep the million for themselves, to come along — and he leaves the kidnappers a “ringer” full of dirty underwear instead. Upon returning to the bowling alley, the Dude thinks that Bunny will be killed, but Walter believes that she has, in fact, “kidnapped herself” to keep the money. Then there’s a new problem: the money is stolen along with the Dude’s car. He gets a call — the woman who stole his rug wants to see him.

  Midpoint: A and B Stories cross when his Dudeness officially meets Maude, daughter of the Big Lebowski and an avant-garde artist and feminist who also wants the money back, since her father took it from the family foundation. In a spoken Sex at 60 -brimmed scene, they discuss the enjoyment of coitus, and Maude reveals that Bunny is actually a porn actress who probably wants to scam her father. Maude raises the stakes by offering the Dude 10 % of the money when he recovers it, then gives him a doctor’s number. El Duderino celebrates a false victory in the limo, stating that he “can’t be worried about that sh*t.”

  Bad Guys Close In: Seconds later, he notices the Bad Guys Close In when he sees a VW Beetle following him. He is taken to another limo, where the Big Lebowski shows him a severed toe and threatens him should he not recover the money; we witness the “dark turn” of the Dude as he lies to the Big that they dropped the money. Other Bad Guys, a bunch of vinyl-dressed Germans, assault the Dude at home and request the money or they will cut his “chonson.” The Dude “abides” and finds his car, along with a lead that takes him to the 15 -year old who supposedly stole the car and the money. Things don’t end well, and the Dude is assaulted at home again, this time taken to see Jackie Treehorn himself, the one who wants to find Bunny to collect a debt. “All the Dude wanted was his rug back,” the Dude says before passing out, drugged by something Jackie put in his “Caucasian.”

  All Is Lost: “Darkness washed over the Dude” as he dreams again, a seemingly pleasant bowling-themed dream that turns into a johnson-cutting nightmare. He wakes up and is hit again, now by policemen. No leads, no money, no help... No nada ! What can he do now?

  Dark Night of the Soul: A weary Dude sadly returns home, but he is so angry that he says he hates the Eagles and is kicked out of the cab. But wait: wasn’t that Bunny passing by in a convertible, with all her toes intact?

  Break into Three: The Dude gets back home to find it has been trashed. Luckily, A and B stories cross and he finds Maude there, so at least he can have sex with her! But he soon finds that she only intends to get pregnant. Before almost collapsing, the Dude has a revelation: Maude explains that her father has no money (it was all her mom’s), so the kidnapping may have been a way for him to steal from his own foundation.

  Finale:

  Gathering the Team: The Dude “gathers his team,” basically consisting solely of Walter, who complains it is Shabbos and he shouldn’t be driving.

  Executing the Plan: They both confront the Big Lebowski and confirm their theories. He demands his money, and the Dude and Walter finally leave the house penniless. At last, the “secret” has been unveiled!

  High Tower Surprise: Unexpectedly, at the bowling alley, the Germans, who don’t know that the plan has been uncovered, ask for the money, and a confrontation takes place. In the aftermath, Donnie dies of a heart attack.

  Dig, Deep Down: The Dude and Walter “dig, deep down” to say goodbye to their dear friend, while the Dude has to “dig” a little more to remain friends with Walter when he inadvertently dusts him with Donnie’s ashes.

  The Execution of the New Plan: Their “new plan” is to go on like nothing happened and to live a tranquil life of bowling and drinking — that is, “abiding.”

  Final Image: The Stranger bookends the film by finishing his monologue. Has the Dude or Los Angeles changed by the revelation of this adventure? Most likely not, but there is something comforting in that nothing will change in his Dudeness’s realm.

  8FOOL TRIUMPHANT

  We all know one: a particular person with an incredibly bright aura surrounding them, whose “fool
ishness” consists of not noticing reality as you and I do. Their innocence makes us think that they will not get very far, but despite it all, they surprise everyone with survival, success and fulfilled dreams. They are the stars of our “Fool Triumphant” genre.

  It’s a classic story: the “village idiot” who doesn’t seem to “get it” but who ends up becoming king because of his talents, even if the fierce and unbelieving opposition do all that they can to stop our “fool.” Yet all their efforts will be in vain, because our main character is strangely blessed: good karma, destiny or the divine seem to be on his side!

  It’s quite normal that many of our FT tales are comedies, and in the mainstream film world, there seem to be actors who have made their specialty playing them — ask Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell or Owen Wilson. But it’s nothing new; all these actors have almost a century of precedents, following in the footsteps of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton or Harold Lloyd, all known for playing clown-like characters whose candor and innocence usually enabled them to triumph in the end. So don’t be surprised that even in our own independent world, many of these films will be comedies, too.

  In a nutshell, to build a “Fool Triumphant” tale we will need, of course, a fool, someone who must confront an establishment, which is represented by a business, organization or group that appears too powerful for him to either defeat or fit in. Lastly, we need a transmutation for our fool, as he or she will become something new, albeit usually leaving their innocence untouched.

  Just like in every other chapter, we have five subgenres, in this case differentiated by the environment our fool will find himself knee-deep in. The first of them is the Political Fool, and as its name suggests, our realm will be that of power in all its forms. Is there anything more classic than a naive newcomer in the reins of government, stalked by powerful wolves? Such is the example of films like The Great Dictator, Quai d’Orsai, Bob Roberts or our chosen example, The King’s Speech.

  How about the Undercover Fool? As its name suggests, our protagonist will take the identity or position of someone else, having to swim perilous waters to keep his innocence or goodness. Such is the case in Life Is Beautiful, Un Prophete, Eastern Promises or Cruising. Don’t confuse this type of story with the Fool Out of the Water, in which our main character will find himself in a world he does not belong, but where his powers and skills will ultimately have a new impact, like in The Artist, The Counterfeiters or The Big Blue.

  And then there’s the Society Fool, in which the “establishment” is particularly closed-off and which will require our hero’s hardest efforts to penetrate, becoming probably the most somber of our FTs — films such as My Left Foot, Billy Elliot, I Am Sam or Match Point. In contrast, the Sex Fool delves into the world of love through sexuality, with our “court jester” having his or her (inner) purity at stake — such is the case of Boogie Nights, Jeune et Jolie, Melissa P. or The Dreamers.

  Now, how do we identify (or create!) our “fool”? As Blake said, this character’s most important feature is that he must be disregarded at first, and of course, he is unaware of what he is missing, something which others will realize and try to take advantage of. And while having his talents and powers overlooked can be seen as a disadvantage, it is also his greatest power — no one thinks he can succeed!

  Fools often look like they don’t have a clue, and are usually calm, gentle, quirky, well-mannered or simply childlike in their behavior. Other characters, more jaded ones, will think that the fool is easy to take advantage of... and while this is so most of the time, we have to consider the “dark fool,” the one who will use his demeanor and apparent weakness to profit from others, to thrive or simply to survive. Such is the case of Malik in Un Prophete, Chris in Match Point, or Lea (Isabelle) in Young & Beautiful (Jeune & Jolie).

  The fool thus finds and naturally opposes an “establishment” in which he stands out as different and unique. The world he inhabits is usually powerful, dangerous and potentially lethal for his innocence, so we fear for our hero. Establishments are heavy, formless and menacing, such as prison (Cell 211), governments (Bob Roberts), Hollywood (Sunset Boulevard, The Artist), concentration camps (Life Is Beautiful, The Counterfeiters), or the mafia (Eastern Promises), just to name a few.

  Sometimes establishments are so big and powerful that we need a character to represent them, which we call the Insider. He is “the jealous brother that gets it,” as Blake said, someone who acknowledges the fool’s powers and sees him for what he is: a menace to their own ambition. The Insider will try to destroy the hero, either by straight opposition or by trying to corrupt the hero’s innocence.

  The transmutation is the last of our fundamental components for any FT, and this takes the form of a beat in which our hero gets a new persona, even getting a new name. In regard to their character arc, our hero will not usually lose their trademark innocence, so their change usually requires them to acquire a new status, name, job or personality. In Boogie Nights, doesn’t Eddie Addams transform into Dirk Diggler (and afterwards into darker Brock Landers)? And in The King’s Speech, doesn’t the Duke of York become “Bertie” to become, in the end, King George VI?

  The transmutation may also imply a change of mission — our hero was in the adventure to obtain a particular goal, but halfway into the story, they feel forced to readjust their priorities to continue being who they are. It’s no coincidence that in our two movies about actors, Boogie Nights and The Artist, both Georges Valentin and Dirk Diggler decide to take their own careers into their own hands.

  A final thought: as we will further explain in Chapter 10, the “Fool Triumphant” and the “Superhero” genres and stories have many things in common, but there is a particular difference — with the exception of the “dark fool,” our innocents do not realize or know about their own specialness. In our Superhero genre, on the contrary, the hero’s pains come from knowing how special he is.

  FOOL-ING AROUND WITH YOUR FILM!

  An audience’s favorite in both the mainstream and indie realms, the old story of the “village idiot” can still be told a million times. To find your court jester and confront the system from within, you will need:

  A “fool” who is clueless about his own powers, innocent in character, gentle in his manners and seemingly an easy target for the “Insider” who underestimates his powers.

  An “establishment” or group that our foolish hero stumbles into that seems too strong to defeat, and where he obviously does not fit.

  A “transmutation” the fool will have to undergo, which usually implies a new persona born in the process and, many times, a “name change.”

  Are you an indie filmmaker? Just picture yourself trying to produce a Hollywood film. Who knows? Be enough of a “fool,” and you may make it!

  THE KING’S SPEECH (2010)

  Tradition and storytelling tell us that in every king’s court there is a fool. But what if he was appointed king? While this may be an infrequent occurrence (Roman emperor Claudius comes to mind in more than one sense, especially when Derek Jacobi plays the role), “Political Fools” are easily found in both literature and cinema, especially when history meets the elements of dramatic structure.

  Such is the case of David Seidler’s screenplay about King George VI, formerly the Duke of York, whose stammer had to be overcome before becoming king. In Seidler’s tale, he found a good friend in the process: his speech therapist Lionel Logue.

  As for the rest of our FT requirements, the British monarchy sounds like a real tough “establishment” for a “fool” to challenge, doesn’t it? Traditions, obligations, a one-track mindset... and also the place where, by definition, a king isn’t exactly free, making it the perfect environment for a “transmutation” to occur.

  Of course, we have an Insider in the form of a jealous brother, and a “change of mission,” too. It’s a film that became a major boxoffice success, won dozens of awards, and with a budget of about $ 15 million, earned more than $ 400 million. And of course, it’
s also a film that perfectly fits the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet and our “Fool Triumphant” rules.

  FT Type: Political Fool

  FT Cousins: The Great Dictator, Bob Roberts, In the Loop, The Madness of King George, Goodbye Lenin!

  THE KING’S SPEECH

  Screenplay by David Seidler

  Directed by Tom Hooper

  Opening Image: Can a microphone be something frightening? It certainly is for an individual who stutters yet must address an audience at a packed stadium! Meet our “fool,” Prince Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth), who finds it very difficult to speak in public and is therefore unable to inspire his subjects or gain their respect. Wait until our Final Image, when he must speak to a much larger audience, as a changed man in a changed world.

  Theme Stated I: “Let the microphone do the work,” Albert’s assistant tells him. The king-to-be will get this sort of advice continually from people all around him, but what is easy for the majority may not be that simple for him. This is the introduction to the theme, which is expanded after the Debate.

  Set-Up: We get to know Albert a little better, and we come to admire his perseverance. He patiently (well, sometimes not that patiently) subjects himself to the most embarrassing and ridiculous methods to cure his stammer, but to no avail. As a good “fool,” he is overlooked and disregarded by his Royal Family and is himself particularly naive about his own “powers.” This determination that he is demonstrating in the Set-Up will ultimately lead to his cure. But for now, tired of not getting any results, Albert is ready to give up. Doesn’t it sound like Stasis = Death?

  Catalyst: His supportive wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) searches for a final chance at her husband’s “transmutation” by finding a peculiar Australian speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), who only demands “trust and total equality” to treat this notable patient.