The Hudsucker Proxy
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| The Hudsucker Proxy | |
|---|---|
| Image:The Hudsucker Proxy Movie.jpg Original movie poster | |
| Directed by | Joel Coen Ethan Coen |
| Produced by | Ethan Coen Silver Pictures Working Title Films |
| Written by | Ethan Coen Joel Coen Sam Raimi |
| Starring | Tim Robbins Jennifer Jason Leigh Paul Newman Bruce Campbell |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (USA) PolyGram Filmed Entertainment Rank Film Organization (UK) |
| Release date(s) | March 11, 1994 |
| Running time | 111 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) is a screwball comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, telling a fictitious story about the invention of the hula hoop. It stars Tim Robbins, Paul Newman, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
At $25,000,000 (USD), Hudsucker had the largest budget of any Coen film until Intolerable Cruelty, but it was a box office flop, grossing less than $3,000,000 in the US.
The score was composed by Carter Burwell and quoted many themes from Khachaturian's Sabre Dance and his ballet "Spartacus". Boccherini's Minuet (3rd movt) from String Quintet in E, Op.11 No.5 is used in a scene in the film. More famous as the piece repeatedly used in the 1955 film The Ladykillers it is also used in the 2004 remake by the Coen Brothers.
One of the film's narrative devices is repeated reference to the Wheel of Fortune.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Following the suicide of company founder Waring Hudsucker (mimicking the 1975 death of Eli M. Black), a ruthless member of the board of directors, Sidney J. Mussburger, mounts a scheme to buy up a controlling interest in the company's stock before the Hudsucker's shares are made available for sale to the public.
Hoping to temporarily depress the stock price, Mussburger installs Norville Barnes, a worker out of the mailroom, as a proxy for the deceased chairman.
Amy Archer, a reporter for the Manhattan Argus, is assigned to write a story about the previously-unknown newcomer. She hides her identity in order to win Barnes' confidence.
Barnes, as it turns out, is a naïve business school graduate, with big ideas. And to the great chagrin of Mussburger and the board, the company becomes more successful when the proxy's new invention, the hula hoop ("You know, for kids."), becomes a hit.
[edit] Cast
- Tim Robbins as Norville Barnes
- Jennifer Jason Leigh as Amy Archer
- Paul Newman as Sidney J. Mussburger
- Charles Durning as Waring Hudsucker
- John Mahoney as Chief Editor Manhattan Argus
- Jim True-Frost as Buzz the Elevator Operator
- Bill Cobbs as Moses the Clock Man
- Bruce Campbell as Smitty, Argus reporter
[edit] Origins
While trying to sell Blood Simple after making it, the Coens shared a house with Sam Raimi and ended up writing The Hudsucker Proxy. It took them two to three months to write the screenplay. As early as 1985, the Coens planned to make it but knew it needed a big budget in order to be made. So, they approached Hollywood producer, Joel Silver, who had made several successful big budget action films and was interested in working with them. The Coens wanted to make a movie that would get seen by a lot of people. Silver's only input was that he convinced the Coens not to shoot the film in black and white. Silver then pitched the film to Warner Brothers by saying that they would get a film that the critics would like and that everybody would want to see. The studio agreed but only if the Coens cast big stars in the main roles. However, Silver had promised to protect the Coens from the studio and convinced the studio to give them final cut.
[edit] External links
- Coenesque: The Films of the Coen Brothers
- You Know, For Kids! Hudsucker Proxy page
- The Hudsucker Proxy at the Internet Movie Database
- The Hudsucker Proxy at Rotten Tomatoes
| Movies by Joel and Ethan Coen |
|---|
| Blood Simple • Raising Arizona • Miller's Crossing • Barton Fink • The Hudsucker Proxy • Fargo • The Big Lebowski • O Brother, Where Art Thou? • The Man Who Wasn't There • Intolerable Cruelty • The Ladykillers • No Country for Old Men |
fr:Le Grand Saut it:Mister Hula Hoop he:הקפיצה הגדולה ja:未来は今 ru:Зицпредседатель (фильм)
