"Blood Simple" Showing at A&M International April 3

"Blood Simple," the debut film by director Joel Coen and his brother-producer Ethan Coen, will be presented April 3 at 7 p.m. in Bullock Hall room 118 at Texas A&M International University.

Admission is free of charge and open to the public.

Rated R, the 1985 movie is a often grisly comic noir that takes viewers along on a murder for hire plot hatched by a Texas bar owner against his wife that takes on ghoulish proportions.

Considered one of the triumphs of 1980s independent film-making the film stars Dan Hedaya, Academy Award-winner Frances McDormand in her first film appearance, and John Getz. Much of the film was shot on location in Austin.

The Coen Brothers went on to release the acclaimed "Fargo" and this year's Academy Award-nominated "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"

"Blood Simple" is the fifth of a 12-film "Contemporary American Auteurs" Spring Film Series organized by Dr. Sean Chadwell, assistant professor of English, and Dr. William Nichols, assistant professor of Spanish.

Drs. Chadwell and Nichols introduce each film in the Series and profile the film's director. They will lead an informal forum afterwards for viewers to share their opinions and impressions of the films.

The remaining films in the Series, including films by Ethan and Joel Coen, and John Sayle, are as follows:

April 10 - "The Big Lebowski" (1998)

April 17 - "Brother from Another Planet" (1984)

April 24 - "Men with Guns" (1997)

All Spring Film Series presentations are held Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. in Bullock Hall room 118.

For more information on the Spring Film Series, contact Dr. Chadwell at 326-2471 or schadwell@tamiu.edu or Dr. Nichols at 326-2610 or wnichols@tamiu.edu.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu