(Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, US 1990, 115 min., DCP)
The Coens effectively tip their fedoras to the Hollywood gangster genre in this violent, operatic prohibition drama. A pitch-perfect period piece that gracefully balances art house introspection with pulpy Chandleresque dialogue, Miller’s Crossing is wholly original and engrossing. Like much of the Coens’ early work, the film bombed at the box office but has since resurfaced as a fan favorite. Featuring stellar performances by Gabriel Byrne and Coen regular John Turturro (in one of his most memorable supporting roles), Miller’s Crossing influenced some of today’s most popular gangster tales such as Lawless and the HBO hit Boardwalk Empire. In the third of his seventeen collaborations with the filmmakers, composer Carter Burwell’s score evokes the era while simultaneously weaving in the ethereality of a Coens film.
35mm print from the Fox Archives.
Introduction by and post-screening discussion with Mark Watters.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Film Screenings | The Grifters (35mm)
The Art of Music in the Movies This deliciously nasty neo-noir from a book by Jim Thompson (with beginning narration from producer Martin Scorsese) is counterpointed by Elmer Bernstein’s bright score.
Film Screenings | Women Talking (DCP)
The Art of Music in the Movies Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Miriam Toews’s 2018 novel of the same name earned the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.