Coen Brothers Reveal Which Iconic Worst 1960s Films They Still Love

Even though they are responsible for some of the most celebrated works in contemporary cinema, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen cannot escape having a peculiar admiration for films considered, by many, to be true artistic failures. In a recent statement, they shared which are the worst films of the 1960s that, despite their obvious flaws, profoundly marked their cinematic formation and continue to be films they would watch again and again. The idea that filmmakers only watch works that reflect their style or artistic sensitivity is demystified when one observes the taste of the Coens, who, since they were young in Minnesota, consumed a huge variety of films, without prejudice. Unlike what many could imagine, they did not limit themselves to epic classics or cult films, but ventured into productions that today are considered dated, with a "strange and artificial" aesthetic, as they define it. An emblematic example of this preference is the 1965 sex comedy Boeing Boeing, starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Although they recognize that the film is bad by any technical or narrative criteria, the Coen brothers classify it as "the formative film" of their lives and say they would watch it forever. This admiration for something that makes no sense to the majority reveals how much personal experience and training context can influence appreciation for certain works. In addition to Boeing Boeing, they mention other titles that make up this universe of "best worst films" from the 60s, such as That Touch of Mink, A Global Affair, and productions with Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis and Doris Day, including the classic Pillow Talk. Joel Coen comments that he recently revisited Pillow Talk and found it "incredibly surreal", reinforcing the feeling that these films have a unique, yet unconventional, aura. Ethan Coen adds that these films have a "very strange, wooden" aesthetic, something that today seems outdated and unattractive to today's audiences, but which, for them, has a special charm. He also includes The Chapman Report on the list, noting that its strangeness is part of what makes it fascinating. It is important to highlight that, despite their affection, the Coens do not romanticize these films as masterpieces. They recognize that this decade was, in their assessment, the "worst era" in the history of mainstream Hollywood cinema, marked by productions that today sound dated and uninspired. However, these films played a crucial role in awakening the brothers' interest in cinema, shaping their outlook and influencing their artistic trajectory. Thus, the Coens' relationship with these bad 1960s films is complex and nuanced. They not only defend them, but celebrate them as fundamental pieces of their formation, demonstrating that the value of a film can go far beyond its technical or critical quality, touching personal and emotional aspects that define the passion for cinema.