9 things you never knew about The Coen Brothers’ cult classic The Big Lebowski

Now considered a cult classic, The Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski is going to be returning to the big screen this Friday in Sydney as part of Event Cinema’s In The House series on George Street. In anticipation for the screening, we’re looking back some little known facts about the film. Here, in no particular order, are our nine favourite Big Lebowski tidbits:

  1. The Dude is in every scene of the movie. Every scene. Even in the one where the Nihilists are ordering pancakes, the van with the Dude and Walter can be seen in the background. This keeps the film in the tradition of film-noir, with the protagonist as our narrator and guide.
  2. Even though he’s in every scene, The Dude is the only one we never see bowl. Even in the ‘Gutterballs’ dream sequence, Maude is the one that throws the ball.
  3. The Dude says “man” nearly 1.5 times a minute – 147 times.
  4. “Fuck” (or some variation of the word) is said 292 times – which is more than in Scarface.
  5. When filming the infamous briefcase scene, they had to shoot in reverse to get the right look. A crew member threw the case into the car as a stunt driver reversed at high speed.
  6. Though Donny (Steve Buscemi) wears several personalised bowling shirts during the film, none of them bear his name.
  7. Speaking of clothing, The Dude’s oriental shirt was also worn by Jeff Bridges in The Fisher King (1991) – which, if you haven’t seen it, is one of Terry Gilliam’s finest films.
  8. Before they would yell “Action!”, Jeff Bridges would often ask the Coen Brothers, “Did the Dude burn one on the way over?” If they said he had, Bridges would rub his knuckles across his eyes to make The Dude appear stoned.
  9. The main car you see in the film is a 1973 Ford Torino, and they used two throughout filming – one of which was later destroyed in a X-Files episode.

The Big Lebowski screens this Friday at 7pm at In The House – Event Cinemas on George Street. Tickets are only $12 ($10 for CineBuzz members). Tickets are selling fast so get yours now! Or try to win a double pass HERE!

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Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.