The Dude may not seem like the religious type, but his famous line The Dude abides is in fact a Biblical reference included deliberately by the Coen brothers. Within the narrative of the film, The Dude picks up the word abide from the other Lebowski, who says he will not abide another toe. For the Coens, though, it comes from Ecclesiastes 1:4. "One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides forever." Its the abides forever bit thats important, of course, which the Coens repurposed to describe The Dude instead of earth. Like earth, The Dude can whether anything that life throws at him. Jeff Bridges liked the phrase so much that he named his backing band, for his musical career, The Abiders. The Dudes Abide is also the name of a book based on the making of the film by Alex Belth. The phrase has become iconic, and again helps play into the idea of The Dude as a mythic being who shuns traditional ways of life and carves his own path. Hes out there, takin er easy for all us sinners. Which Big Lebowski fact is your favourite? Or do you have a better one? Let us know in the comments
