Every Coen Brothers Movie, Ranked

"Roger Ebert declared Fargo, which opened in theaters that day, 'one of the best films I've ever seen.' Joel and Ethan Coen, who wrote, produced and directed the film, were major American filmmakers by this point - their debut Blood Simple, made outside the studio system for $1.5 million, was presented at the 1984 New York Film Festival alongside Paris, Texas and Once Upon a Time in America, and Barton Fink won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1991."

"Fargo would mark the Coens' first individual Oscar nominations, including a win for Original Screenplay (and Best Actress for Joel's wife Frances McDormand, one of the many close collaborators whose careers are inextricable from the brothers', including cinematographer Roger Deakins, sound editor Skip Lievsay, and composer Carter Burwell)."

"The Coen Brothers are now an American institution, whose body of work - with its quotable dialogue, narrative complexity, eccentric characterizations, deadpan-ironic worldview, rich and adaptable visual style and impeccable sense of storytelling rhythm - ranks with, like, Mark Twain as loquacious popular art on quintessentially American themes."

Fargo premiered on March 8, 1996, and Roger Ebert immediately declared it one of the best films ever made. Though the Coen Brothers had already achieved recognition with Blood Simple and Barton Fink, Fargo brought their first individual Oscar nominations, with wins for Original Screenplay and Best Actress for Frances McDormand. The film entered the American Film Institute's centennial list at number 84 as the newest inclusion. The Coens' collaborative relationships with cinematographer Roger Deakins, sound editor Skip Lievsay, and composer Carter Burwell proved essential to their success. Over three decades, their distinctive style—featuring quotable dialogue, narrative complexity, eccentric characters, and impeccable storytelling—has established them as an American institution comparable to Mark Twain in their exploration of quintessentially American themes.

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