Coen Brothers Working On A Movie About 1960s NYC Folk Scene

Bob Dylan, Suze Rotolo, Dave van Ronk

Joel and Ethan Coen, beloved auteurs of such fine films as Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country For Old Men, to name a few, are in a New York state of mind for their next film, which focuses on '60s-era Greenwich Village and its burgeoning folk music scene.

The LA Times says the brothers are working on a script loosely based on the life of Dave van Ronk, a "legendary musician who presided over New York's iconoclastic coffeehouse period." van Ronk helped guide the early careers of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Phil Ochs, amongst others, and posthumously published a memoir titled after his nickname "The Mayor of MacDougal Street."

The Coens said at a Lincoln Center talk earlier this month, "We’re working on a movie now that has music in it [that's] pretty much all performed live, single instrument." There's been no word on casting yet, but fingers crossed for a transgender Dylan cameo (a la Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There.)

In any event, here's a video of van Ronk (who died in 2002) discussing his boho early years in the Village and performing his song "Losers:"

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By Jamie Feldmar in Arts & Entertainment on June 27, 2011 6:33 PM

Comments [rss]

Glennmorphy Smith

Its a great movie scene and when i watch it first time i feel so happy.
http://happynapperssite.com/

Lisanne!

This might be a class affair. At least they didn't decide to do a biopic of Dylan's autobiography. (for lack of a better term)

Stanley Barnett

There's been several reports that Larry Wachowski is transgender, and may even be transsexual.
http://hardknight.net/

pillow_case

I always thought Catherine Keener would have made a good Bob Dylan.

Jabberwiki

Van Ronk's version of "Both Sides Now" is a heartbreaker.

Roger_the_Shrubber

As long as it's a movie about hippies, it should really be done in smell-o-rama.

tsol

Didn't "A Mighty Wind" basically cover this?

Lodis

As a satire (which I thought was great). But the Coen bros. will do something completely different than Christopher Guest & Co.

ErstwhilePixie52

If he put on some weight, Josh Brolin could be convincing as Dave van Ronk.

Gwen Dibley

Yikes. Them Coen Bros must own stock in bad idea jeans.

SonnyBobiche

Whenever they announce a new film, people start second guessing them. Non one thought that "O' Brother Where Art Thou" or a Remake of "True Grit" made any sense and yet. . .

Personally I haven't found a single person that has enjoyed "A Serious Man" as much as I did although I don't understand why "The Big Lebowski" has such a cult following.

estragon_nyc

Right. I'm sure this will be a big flop just like all their other terrible, terrible movies.

Gwen Dibley

Yes. Like Intolerable Cruelty or Lady Killers. I have no faith in this project. It stinks in concept and will take powers way beyond their capabilities to make worth watching. And they are good filmmakers.

jarret kerr

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. Not about Intolerable Cruelty and Lady Killers. Both were horrible, but with fifteen films written and directed under their belt, and two out of them duds, the rest pure gems (alright, except for maybe some of Hudsucker Proxy) how can you have no faith in their next project? Personally, I eagerly await everything these guys are involved with.