David O'ConnellBarton Fink: A Coen Brothers Masterpiece
May 13th 2008 05:05
Barton Fink was my first exposure to the genius of the Coen brothers, which would flow over into Fargo just five years later and has been rarely glimpsed again - until last year's memorable return to form in No Country for Old Men. Barton Fink though has always remained a personal favourite, a film I can savour as much today as I did when it was released in 1991.
John Turturro is the title character, an acclaimed new voice of New York theatre in the early 1940's, where on the back of his newest success, he's lured to Hollywood to write for the movies. He heads off with lofty dreams of translating his high artistic values to the screen, to write stories for the common man which resonate with meaning.
When he arrives in Los Angeles however - alone and unknown in a new city - he soon finds it a different place altogether, alien and suffocating, as he first checks into a bleak, gargantuan hotel in which he seems to be one of the only inhabitants. Coen brothers regular Steve Buscemi has a funny small role here as the hotel's very odd bellboy Chet.
Barton soon discovers that to survive in this soulless city, he'll have to forsake his grand ideas and lower himself to writing throwaway pulp, starting with a wrestling film for the legendary actor Wallace Beery. He hardly finds L.A. conducive to writing and before long, battling his creative demons to no avail, he's struggling hopelessly with writer's block, unable to justify the worth of such dreck, appealing to the lowest common denominator.
One of the film's key characters is Charlie Meadows, brilliantly portrayed by John Goodman, who becomes Barton's only neighbour in the next room, and their conversations in the first half of the film are a real highlight, with Barton pouring out all his desires and frustrations at being unable to write and communicate with the world through his art in the stifling L.A heat.
John Mahoney is also excellent as a famous writer, W.P. Mayhew, who Barton crosses paths with but is soon disillusioned by as he turns out to be a pathetic alcoholic who long ago sold out and constantly needs tending to by his wife Audrey (Judy Davis) as if he were a helpless infant. Making matters worse for Barton's state of mind is discovering that Audrey is even ghostwriting for her husband, so unfit for creativity is he in his almost constant state of inebriation. Audrey soon becomes an important character, figuring in a key moment in the film - a very dark and unexpected twist, sending Barton's life down a much darker road in the second half.
As with most Coen brothers films, Roger Deakins' cinematography is magnificent, using inventive and unusual angles and saturating the screen with an appropriate sepia tinge, whilst regular composer, Carter Burwell, provides a sparsely spotted, unobtrusive layer of dark musical undercurrent.
In the leads Turturro and Goodman gives career-defining performances which I'll always associate with them, but the film also features what is possibly the most colourful crew of supporting characters seen in a Coen brothers film, which is quite a feat considering the standard they set in this area. Two of the many standouts are the over-the-top studio head played by Michael Lerner, in an hilarious Oscar-nominated performance, and another Coen regular, Tony Shalhoub, as a motor-mouthed producer.
The skill and genius of Barton Fink is how effortlessly it veers between black comedy to sharpest satire of Hollywood of the 40's to the surreal dark drama of the final act.
There are so many other brilliant touches too, weird recurring motifs involving a sink, a painting, and wallpaper (and what keeps it stuck to the hotel walls.........or not!), but you'll have to watch the film to find out what they mean - if anything at all! And just what is in that package at the end?!!?
Barton Fink is a true work of art, a superb original screenplay by the Coen brothers, and still my favourite film of theirs to this day; a modern masterpiece they're unlikely to ever surpass, though Fargo certainly came close.
John Turturro is the title character, an acclaimed new voice of New York theatre in the early 1940's, where on the back of his newest success, he's lured to Hollywood to write for the movies. He heads off with lofty dreams of translating his high artistic values to the screen, to write stories for the common man which resonate with meaning.
When he arrives in Los Angeles however - alone and unknown in a new city - he soon finds it a different place altogether, alien and suffocating, as he first checks into a bleak, gargantuan hotel in which he seems to be one of the only inhabitants. Coen brothers regular Steve Buscemi has a funny small role here as the hotel's very odd bellboy Chet.
Barton soon discovers that to survive in this soulless city, he'll have to forsake his grand ideas and lower himself to writing throwaway pulp, starting with a wrestling film for the legendary actor Wallace Beery. He hardly finds L.A. conducive to writing and before long, battling his creative demons to no avail, he's struggling hopelessly with writer's block, unable to justify the worth of such dreck, appealing to the lowest common denominator.
One of the film's key characters is Charlie Meadows, brilliantly portrayed by John Goodman, who becomes Barton's only neighbour in the next room, and their conversations in the first half of the film are a real highlight, with Barton pouring out all his desires and frustrations at being unable to write and communicate with the world through his art in the stifling L.A heat.
John Mahoney is also excellent as a famous writer, W.P. Mayhew, who Barton crosses paths with but is soon disillusioned by as he turns out to be a pathetic alcoholic who long ago sold out and constantly needs tending to by his wife Audrey (Judy Davis) as if he were a helpless infant. Making matters worse for Barton's state of mind is discovering that Audrey is even ghostwriting for her husband, so unfit for creativity is he in his almost constant state of inebriation. Audrey soon becomes an important character, figuring in a key moment in the film - a very dark and unexpected twist, sending Barton's life down a much darker road in the second half.
As with most Coen brothers films, Roger Deakins' cinematography is magnificent, using inventive and unusual angles and saturating the screen with an appropriate sepia tinge, whilst regular composer, Carter Burwell, provides a sparsely spotted, unobtrusive layer of dark musical undercurrent.
In the leads Turturro and Goodman gives career-defining performances which I'll always associate with them, but the film also features what is possibly the most colourful crew of supporting characters seen in a Coen brothers film, which is quite a feat considering the standard they set in this area. Two of the many standouts are the over-the-top studio head played by Michael Lerner, in an hilarious Oscar-nominated performance, and another Coen regular, Tony Shalhoub, as a motor-mouthed producer.
The skill and genius of Barton Fink is how effortlessly it veers between black comedy to sharpest satire of Hollywood of the 40's to the surreal dark drama of the final act.
There are so many other brilliant touches too, weird recurring motifs involving a sink, a painting, and wallpaper (and what keeps it stuck to the hotel walls.........or not!), but you'll have to watch the film to find out what they mean - if anything at all! And just what is in that package at the end?!!?
Barton Fink is a true work of art, a superb original screenplay by the Coen brothers, and still my favourite film of theirs to this day; a modern masterpiece they're unlikely to ever surpass, though Fargo certainly came close.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
Science News
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
I never get enough of Turturro!
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Great review of one of my favourite Coen Brothers films. Twisted and sparkling, the screenplay is full of complex humor and character moments. Your right Turturro is fantastic and John Goodman beams.
Comment by RubySoho
Music Zone
Thought Zone
Comment by Luke
Book Club
Old Movies
Cane Toad Warrior
Comment by Norm
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
I'm a creator!
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
I have heard so much about this film over the past two years, and now again in your enticing review...?
.. I think it is time I track it down and watch it.
Thank you for reminding me.
Lilla ...
Comment by Anonymous
Apart from pointless 'motifs' being absolutely incongruent to the scenes or story (no wonder it won so many European awards), I gotta admit I liked this movie.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
And yes, there are some strange and seemingless incongrous elements to it but they're part of the unique creative licence that any imaginative filmmakers of interest will take and inject into their work. It's part of the fun, unless you want to take them at face value which would render 99% of films meaningless and silly for not being true reflections of 'reality'.
Comment by Anonymous
"We don't want to see men wrestling with their souls, Fink. We want men in tights!"
To this day? The sequence (or three scenes) with Jack Lipnick, Lou and Barton remains my favourite sequence in any film.
David ...
"Sorry about the odour?" - W. P. Mayhew