Crime, Comedy, and Chaos: The Early Cinema of the Coen Brothers

Crime, Comedy, and Chaos: The Early Cinema of the Coen Brothers is a five-week film class exploring the Coen brothers’ early work from the 1980s and 1990s. Led by Andre Puca, the course examines the filmmakers’ distinctive combination of genre experimentation, dark humor, visual precision, moral ambiguity, and Americana mythology.

Each session focuses on one film. Meetings begin with a 30-minute introduction covering historical context, production background, and major themes, followed by a screening and an open discussion of the Coens’ storytelling methods, visual style, and recurring ideas. Across the five weeks, participants will consider how the films develop in relation to one another and form a broader portrait of the brothers’ early cinema.

When: Five Tuesdays, November 10 through December 8

Showtimes: 10:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on November 10, November 17, November 24, December 1, and December 8

Run time: 3 hours 15 minutes per session

Instructor: Andre Puca, who holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University and an MFA in Film Studies from Boston University. He is Senior Affiliated Faculty at Emerson College, where he teaches film and media studies, and has also taught at Babson College. His academic work includes presentations at national film-studies conferences and research on American independent cinema. He has previously taught three Coolidge Education courses, including two on Alfred Hitchcock, and has published work on Italian comedian and filmmaker Massimo Troisi.

Tickets: Price not available

Purchase options: The page indicates that individual showtimes may be available for online purchase and that the class can also be purchased as a package. Availability may vary by session.

Venue: Coolidge Corner Theatre

Ages: Not specified

Accessibility: Not specified