The Films of D.W. Griffith Book

Probably just for Coen fanatics/The Big Lebowski fans/John Turturro freaks (that'd be me)...
This book isn't the screenplay for The Big Lebowski but a film making guide as story-boarding, costumes, some of the script, too, a creative outlook in a book. If you're interested in different thought processes of an artist, this is a pretty cool look into the approach of the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen.
One factoid that has stuck out in my mind is that the brothers won't work with anyone who doesn't see on their wavelength. As in, they don't want to have to explain every little thing they want to do. That would kill joyful spontaneity, sure, but also for communication shorthand. Mind reading on set? The brothers work together on both directing and screenplay (even if only one gets credit when it comes to meaningless awards), and there's also a bit on how they developed that relationship in their past to use influences and experiences to relate when wanting to know what they can put in a movie. That they manage to find other people to do that with is pretty amazing, to me. (I don't ever find people who could keep up with the kinda history my twin and I have.)
This book isn't an explanation of everything they did, but more like getting to look into the experience of doing it. I'd rather watch a story than yay we/they did it, which is why I don't read lots of set stuff, or even watch dvd special features. I appreciated that the tidbits about collective creative output became its own story.
I bought this book some time during the ten or so years of John Turturro fansiting (started in my teens). I flipped for the info most Turturro-centric first, of course, then read the rest of it. The Coens let John Turturro fly as Jesus Quintana. They had no idea he was going to lick that bowling ball before he did it. In my opinion, easily one of the most evocative moments in the film. Another cool tidbit is that Turturro wanted to do a Jesus Quintana prequel. (Much more recent interviews suggests this plan is an off-on again possibility. Hey, it DID take JT ten years to write the script for the breathtaking Romance and Cigarettes film.) I wish they would... Nobody fucks with the Jesus.