The Big Lebowski
All of the relationships among the elements in the film the Big Lebowski may seem to be enigmatic with each other, but this style of film creates an integrated system of disunity. The Coen brothers demonstrate this style through various motifs through out the film, from the main character's name to what he drinks. The film is a perfect example of a film which has the theme of disunity.
In the film the main character Jeffery Lebowski, refers to himself as "the Dude". This element of the story becomes a motif. The Dude is referred to, and refers to himself as the Dude because it represents his personality, which is an easygoing "cool" character. The common Western society slang which is associated with the word dude, is male prostitute. In the scene where the Dude returns home after being arrested in Malibu, he find himself engaging in sexual intercourse at the request of Mod Lebowski. After they finish, Mod explains to the Dude that she was using him to concede a child. Obviously he was not given money in exchange for sexual favours but, the Dude, (much similar to real prostitutes) was used for sex. The Dude is continuously used by his friends and business associates through out the whole film. Although presented as a laidback cool character, the Dude's title is representative of how he is seen by everyone around him.
In the film, Bowling is seen as a man's activity, a place where go to compete and get away from the world. In the bowling alley there is never a female present in the shot within any scene. This motif is reinforced during the scene entitled Gutter Balls. In the Dude's trip-out it starts off as a bowling spoof pornographic film, which can also be considered a male thing. It has shots of floating bowling pins and balls rearranged in numerous sexual positions, where the pins represent the male genitalia. Further on in the dream, Mod, who is a strong independent character, is represented by Viking costume she is wearing. Contrary to...
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