Comments on: What makes a man, Mr. Lebowski?

By: chalupa

chalupa — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:06:32 +0000

That’s pretty interesting, dudeski, man. I’ve never really thought about cowboys as storytellers. I can see the connection though.

Personally, I always see Sam Elliott as a cowboy. He just fits the role so well.

By: dudeski

dudeski — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:44:18 +0000

I wonder if The Stranger is portrayed as a cowboy because cowboys tell good stories and are considered to be honest. I also agree with some other dudes that perhaps The Stranger is God like.

As far as what makes a man? I think this quote from what was written in the article above hits the nail on the head,

“All of this crap in life and he still has a forgiving, accommodating attitude. Life goes on. The Dude abides.”

Fuckin A man!

By: Ed Churchman

Ed Churchman — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:33:14 +0000

Hmm, I guess I might have been the only one equating The Stranger as a god-like figure. In many mythologies gods guise themselves as men and roam the earth to observe and test their creations. It struck me that his perspective and point of view as the narrator, story-teller and interactive character lend a lot of creedence (small C, man) to this theory, he seems to know everything, despite not being there, and adds a philosophical slant (“whole darned human comedy”) to the story. He comes, he comments, he observes, he talks to the dude and then comments again and leaves it all as pretty much as he left it, as far as he was concerned.

He’s a stranger, a man with no name, a wanderer. He fits nicely into the role of a God in human guise, or Caine, cursed to forever wander the earth amongst the children of his brothers and sisters. Or maybe something else superhuman, who knows. It’s a very ungrounded theory, I’ll grant you, takes the concept to a metaphysical level, but it was, after all, just my opinion, man.

Apart from that, I like all the above explainations of The Stranger, a mysterious character and one of my personal favourites. Great article Chal, great series.

By: meekon5

meekon5 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:54:17 +0000

chalupa I have a feeling everyone is getting to wrapped up in the Strangers “Cowboyness”. I do side with your allusion to the Greek tragedy chorus function. I’m beginning to go with a mixture of both the key to access, but the chorus to give enough information for us to proceed into the story.

By: meekon5

meekon5 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:42:37 +0000

Lone Dude
“The Cowboys Guide to Life”

Thats not:
Don’t Squat with Yer Spurs on: A Cowboy’s Guide to Life: Bk.1
Read review.

Written by Texas Bix Bender. Published 21 June 1993.. Published by Gibbs M Smith Inc. rrp £4.99. 138 pages Paperback.
ISBN: 0879054700. ISBN-13: 9780879054700

By: chalupa

chalupa — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:33:11 +0000

I agree with you there, but what do you have to say about the “insider” information that he gave. Were we as viewers supposed to inherently know that?

By: meekon5

meekon5 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:30:35 +0000

Just to add my five penneth worth (thats British for five cents).

I thought the Stranger was you (me) as the viewer, he was the vehicle by which we enter the narrative.

Just my opinion of course.

By: Irish Monk

Irish Monk — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:26:23 +0000

Fabulous stuff! I like your insights, dudes.
I’ve always thought that Tony, Maude’s limo driver was one of the film’s great unsung dudes. He was the only one (other than Walter, but Walter caused most of the Dude’s stress so he doesn’t count) who reminded the Dude to take it easy and was calmer than he was. Am I wrong?
Tony’s son couldn’t hold a job, his daughter’s married to a fuckin’ loser, and he had a rash on his ass so bad he couldn’t hardly siddown. But you know him. He can’t complain. And neither should we

By: chalupa

chalupa — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:45:33 +0000

I’ve always seen The Stranger as the narrator, or the classic Greek chorus. And as far as The Dude not being weirded out because someone knew a lot about him – wouldn’t that be his normal response? He seems to take most things in stride.

By: TaylorGrey2004

TaylorGrey2004 — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:42:47 +0000

corrections:
wisely cowboy fashion.

He DOES seem to know an awful lot about everything despite….

By: TaylorGrey2004

TaylorGrey2004 — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:41:28 +0000

I heard Sam Elliot had no idea what he was doing on that set, other than to read a few lines in a widely cowboy fashion.

There is the ultimate question of what the hell he is doing in L.A. anyhow. It is likely he does not drive (at least an automobile, ha). He is more outsider than the Dude is, and that makes him the most mysterious character of all. But that is his function, perhaps. He is the narrator, and the narrator in anything but a narrative is generally here and gone. Maybe it is an Eastern thing…..

He doesn’t seem to know an awful lot about everything despite only meeting the Dude in person twice. The Dude doesn’t question how he knows so much about him. The Dude isn’t even unnerved by it. He trusts the Stranger, feels that he is not a threat or perhaps even an otherly-world entity posing as a cowboy in earthly form?

But then again, he’s never been to France, and he’s never seen no queen and her damned undies, as a fellah says…

By: chalupa

chalupa — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:36:32 +0000

He’s out of his element. It’s the only thing Walter can think of to calm the guy down. He’s most likely witnessed The Dude do it.

By: Dirt Dude

Dirt Dude — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:01:14 +0000

Anyone ever notice how Walter flashes a quick peace sign at the Corvette guy when he goes after Walter with the crow bar??

By: chalupa

chalupa — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:10:54 +0000

This is psuedo on topic, but have you seen Sam Elliott in “The Quick and The Dead”? I’m talking about the TV version here. There was also a movie by the same name. In the TV version, Elliott’s character goes by the moniker “Stranger.”

By: Lone dude

Lone dude — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:02:25 +0000

Dude definatley has a place in American folklore. I heard a radio bit about him once placeing him on a pedestal as an American Icon

By: Lone dude

Lone dude — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:59:05 +0000

I can see your point. Dude has a personality similar to some western characters. Not a lawman or villan but perhaps a trail hand or cookie (wagon cook). He like may characters set out on an adventure he may not have been looking for or really wanted. I really think that It would have been awsome to be out on a trail with the stranger and have him tell that story over the campfire. It is definatley the type of yarn that would be spun around a campfire. The stranger is definatley the type of person to tell it. There are few other movies that I have seen whose story can compare to The Big Lebowski maybe thats why I find it so dern interesting.

By: The Arch Dudeship

The Arch Dudeship — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:43:40 +0000

I was thinking of the tall tales that embody the spirit of the Wild West…such as Pecos Bill or other larger than life legendary characters from the time before the West was tamed. IMO, the Westerns of the 20th century were kind of pale imitations of that spirit.

That’s what I always saw as the dynamic between the Stranger and the Dude…The Dude’s like a tall tale character the Stranger would tell his buddies about around the campfire.

By: chalupa

chalupa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:12:20 +0000

If The Dude is a manifestation of the Wild West, what classic film or films would you compare him to? Does he embody a classic actor? character? Personally, I was never a big fan of the musicals and I enjoyed Eastwood and Bronson more than Wayne.

By: Lone dude

Lone dude — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:20:32 +0000

Finally the Lone dude is not so lonely.

By: The Arch Dudeship

The Arch Dudeship — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:20:22 +0000

One of my interpretations of the Stranger is that he’s telling a modern-day tall tale of the Old West (Pecos Bill, et al.). The Dude is the contemporary manifestation of the Wild West embodied in those old tall tales.

Just my opinion, man. One of them, anyway.