To the White Sea – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello study group! We will be back soon with more mainline episodes of To the White Sea. To tide you over we bring you a delightful side-quest / amuse-bouche. A couple months ago we went on Hit Factory to discuss A Simple Plan, directed by frequent Coens collaborator Sam Raimi. We enjoyed our discussion with Aaron so much, and thought it Coens-adjacent-enough to put it out as a bonus. Hope you enjoy it too!

Thanks to Aaron & Carlee for giving us the go-ahead to release this premium episode, and please consider supporting their amazing show on Patreon, which is all about the films and politics of the 1990s.

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We're on the road! Ray and Jordan step out of the AMC Lincoln Square 13 and give their immediate impressions of Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's new film DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS while walking the streets of Manhattan.

Spoilers are everywhere so you'll want to see the film before diving into this. Thanks in advance for rocking with the "punk rock" audio quality in this special gonzo episode.

Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***

For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!

Today we’re joined by our friend, the mega-talented and ever-thoughtful Benh Zeitlin, director of Glory at Sea, Beasts of the Southern Wild, and Wendy. We’re thrilled to welcome Benh to the study group as we cross the threshold on pages 31-32, and see Muldrow’s journey plummet into action. From here, we break down act breaks, specifically the crucial transition from Act 1 to Act 2. We discuss the confluence of plot and emotional undercurrents in a story, and how the Coens use structure to build striking and surprising narratives. Thanks again to Benh for joining us on this rollicking river ride.

Coens covered: Miller’s Crossing, Fargo, Intolerable Cruelty, A Serious Man.

Plus: Commando

If you're enjoying the study group follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about it, and leave a rating and review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea

For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!

This is an emergency podcast. We discuss the deluge of Coen brothers headlines including the premiere of the Drive-Away Dolls trailer, and the Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke feature in Empire Magazine which reveals, amongst many fascinating tidbits, that Ethan and Joel Coen are at work on a new project. We also discuss Ray’s new music video for Bonnie “Prince” Billie and pluck some all important pins out of the pinboard in a follow-up to our interview last week with J. Todd Anderson.

Ending song: "Mouse and Me" by Paul Korzan

Films covered: Drive-Away Dolls, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Chuck Jones: Extremes and InBetweens - A Life in Animation.

If you're enjoying the program follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about it, and leave a rating and review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the *brand new* Discord!

We’re back with an episode we are beyond excited to share with you. Today we’re joined by legendary storyboard artist and key Coens collaborator J. Todd Anderson. Anderson has drawn storyboards for every Coen brothers film since Raising Arizona, as well as The Tragedy of Macbeth and the upcoming Drive-Away Dolls. He also directed The Naked Man which he co-wrote with Ethan Coen. We get into a wide-ranging conversation about telling stories visually, as well as J. Todd’s philosophy on what makes a film or artwork “simple yet elegant”. There’s so much here, you’re going to want to listen and relisten to this one–we for sure will be! 

Thanks so much to J. Todd for sharing his time and knowledge with us. If you want to see his work in amazing detail and learn more about the art of storyboarding check out Big Lebowski: The Official Storyboards.

Films covered: Raising Arizona, The Man Who Wasn’t There, The Naked Man, No Country for Old Men, Inside Llewyn Davis

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Today we read pages 27-28 and refract the screenplay's beams through a prism called Guiding Lights. Coens characters who are struggling to find their bearings look to maps, mathematics, icons, and guidebooks. Do they get the guidance they seek or are they led down a primrose path?

Coens Covered: Barton Fink, Tuileries (short), World Cinema (short), A Serious Man

Plus: Climates, Crumb, Dick Tracy TV Specials

If you're enjoying To the White Sea please follow us on social media, post about it and tell your friends, and rate/review us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 

You can also support the show directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea

For merch and all else TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me

In today's episode we read pages 25-26 before beaming through the prism with a new and exciting catchphrase. It's all about sneaky, sneaky sneaks. Sneaking around. Sneaking here and sneaking there. Sneaking everywhere.

Coens covered: Burn After Reading; Raising Arizona; Hail, Caesar!; Bridge of Spies

Plus (of course): SNEAKERS (1992)

If you're enjoying To the White Sea please follow us on social media, tell your friends about the show, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea

For merch and all else TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me

Today we read pages 23-24 and discuss father figures in the films of the brothers Coen. The conversation is oceanic and infused with psychodrama, so we hope you enjoy it :)

Coens covered: Fargo, No Country for Old Men, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Big Lebowski

If you're enjoying the show please follow us on social media, tell your friends about the show, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. For real, tell two people about the show right now!

You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea

For merch and all else TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me

Today we’re back in the studio with a classic Ray and Jordan episode. We read pages 21-22 and discuss unforgivable protagonists, lead characters who defy traditional story conventions, as well as the laws of man and the almighty. They function as a sort of off-ramp for audiences, which isn’t often what you want from a main character. What makes them so unforgivable and why can’t they just save the cat? The answers may surprise you!

Coens covered: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs/Near Algodones (shorts), The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, Inside Llewyn Davis

Plus: Matewan

If you're enjoying the show please follow us on social media, tell your friends about the show, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.

You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea

For merch and all else TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me

In today’s episode, recorded live at Dunkunsthalle in a roundtable study group format, we discuss teamwork in the Coens’ films. Sequences where three or more characters form a coalition and try to accomplish something together. 

Coens covered: Hail, Caesar!; O Brother Where Art Thou; Inside Llewyn Davis; True Grit; The Big Lebowski

Thank you to Austin Purnell for co-hosting, JT Anderson for photography, and all of our guests for their participation and insights: Eva, Jon, Briana, Cole, David, Eric, Moses, JT, Anonymous

Special Thanks: Rachel Rossin, Briana Griffin, Sam Geller, Jeff Delauter, Ben Hosley