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Raising Arizona (1987) FULL WATCH ALONG w/ Nicolette (Patreon)

Published:
2024-06-23 06:00:02
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

Nicolette begins her Coen Brothers journey!

Files

Previews only

Raising Arizona (1987) FULL WATCH ALONG w/ Nicolette

Comments

Larry Darrell

Well this was a Surprise! I hadn’t watched this in years. Thank You. “Son, you got a panty on your head.” Classic! So many great quotes in this. I always thought the tattoo was Woody, until I looked it up… so apparently, the woodpecker tattoo is either… 1) the mascot, named Mr. Horsepower, and logo for an auto shop, Clay Smith Cams, established in 1931, or… 2) the logo for Thrush Mufflers, founded in 1940, or… 3) Woody the Woodpecker. —————— I just found a great short article explaining the tattoo and the connection between H.I. and Leonard. Credit to John Matejczyk “What's often missed is how deeply the film explores humanity's greatest questions about the nature of man, fertility, blessings, free choice, good and evil. The clearest among those is the question around the nature of man, and how man can respond. It comes down to this: Who is H.I. McDunnough, and who is Leonard Smalls, the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse? Early in our introduction to Hi, we see he is a repeat offender—"recidivism," as we're told by the parole board. His first meeting of his future wife is when she, the cop, is taking his mug shots. "Turn to the left! Turn to the right! Show the tattoo!" That's when he reveals his woodpecker tattoo. His particular sin is ripping off convenience stores. He can't stop. Even as he meets Edwina ("Ed," played by Holly Hunter), the love of his life, and has (well, steals) a baby, with all the motivation to correct his ways, he is racked by temptation. He finds himself "driving by convenience stores ... that weren't on the way home." We meet Leonard Smalls—not in reality, but in Hi's dream. He is pure evil. "A man with all the powers of Hell at his command… but I feared I myself had unleashed him..." This is when we start to see that Leonard is Hi, and Hi is Leonard. A further clue is when jailbreak Gale Snoats (played by John Goodman) is talking Hi into ripping off the hayseed bank. He leans forward to overcome Hi's objections and says, "Hi, you ain't being true to your own nature." The cut is immediate to the tailpipes of Leonard Smalls. In the film's climax, we see a ridiculously lopsided fight between Hi and Leonard. Smalls is obliterating Hi. Evil is winning over good. It's not a fair fight. But then, as Leonard Smalls lifts Hi for the final kill, Hi is flailing his arms and "accidentally" reveals Leonard's tattoo … identical to his own—the woodpecker he showed at his original mugshot. They both realize what has now been disclosed. Leonard is Hi's true nature. Smalls throws Hi 20 feet to the ground. But they both look and see that Hi has accidentally (or providentially) pulled the pin from Small's grenade. The next two words are the most important in the film, and arguably the most important in the tale of humankind: "I'm sorry." Ka-blam!!! Leonard Smalls, the pure evil in Hi, is blown to bits. From then on, Hi begins the path to righteousness, returning the stolen baby, and no longer ripping off convenience stores. https://musebycl.io/obsessed/existential-gut-punch-raising-arizona ——————— For more Coen Brothers… It’s been a while since I’ve seen Blood Simple (1984) or Miller’s Crossing (1990), and don’t remember much. I can only say they are highly regarded. What I can confidently recommend is… Fargo (1996) The Big Lebowski (1998) O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) Intolerable Cruelty (2003) No Country for Old Men (2007) For a Non-Crime Coen Brothers film, that I absolutely recommend… The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Razor Bikini

Hadn’t seen this in a very long time, so it was fun to revisit. Looking forward to more Coen brothers movies in the future. My personal favourite of theirs is probably Inside Llewyn Davis but they have so many great films.