Can any of the crazy film buffs out there further my appreciation of the big lebowski? I have seen “Cutter’s Way” and “The Big Sleep”, both to see them and to get their influence on the Big Lebo. What else? Those dream scenes are both styled in homage to famous film makers, right? Any other detective or film noir titles stand out?
The dream sequence musicals were inspired by the Busby Berkely musicals of the thirties and forties.
The single biggest influence is probably The Long Goodbye.
Raymond Chandler novels & movies in general.
All the above replies are undoubtedly true. But one thing I’ve noticed about the Coen brothers’ work (not so much The Big Lebowski), is that a lot of their dialog comes directly from Dashiell Hammett.
This is especially true of Miller’s Crossing:
“What’s the rumpus?”
“Dangle” (beat it, hit the bricks).
“Skin full of hop” (stoned).
“I bet you think you raised hell.”
There are a lot more, but I can’t think of them at the moment. The only instance I can think of from The Big Lebowski is the line, “It’s a wandering daughter job.”
Opening line from “Fly Paper,” by Hammett:
It was a wandering daughter job.
I’m sure there are others, but it’s been a few years since I’ve read Hammett.