![]() ![]() No matter what their intention, they make you think and return to see their films again and again. Is this a foretelling of the rise of Nazism, of intellectuals who really didn't understand the appeal of fascism to the common man, or a surreal portrait of someone who sells out. One doesn't always know what is in the Coen brothers minds. Michael Lerner was brilliant as the requisite man behind the desk that is the feature of 40's noir. John Turturro is captivating as the hack writer who talks about his love for the common man, but just really doesn't know the common man and really doesn't care about them. John Goodman is brilliant in this film and he seems to do his best work for the Coens. ![]() The Coen brothers also seem to get the best performances out of an actor that I have seen. It is almost as if every frame is a painting. His can frame a scene to the point that you could pause the film and just soak in the texture and color and realism. ![]() But turning off the visual would deprive you of the great cinematography of Roger Deakins. You can almost turn off the visual and just listen and be enchanted and know you are listening to a Coen brothers film. Great dialog is a feature of their films, and this one has some of the most memorable I have heard. First, is the great dialog written by the brothers. They have written and produced some great homages to the film noir era of Hollywood, and this film is no exception. The Coen brothers have come a long way from their start with an 8mm camera. The first time I saw it, it left me drained, mind spinning, hands shaking, barely able to reach for the remote to rewind it to watch it again. The last twenty minutes are about the most powerful I have ever seen in anything, at the end of almost every scene I thought it could end there and be an amazing film, yet each further scene only added further depth and poignancy. A lack of any underlying morality, an absence of absolutes of right and wrong, good and bad, give this film a unique feeling that it could go anywhere. Deep insight into the nature of the creative spirit, a plethora of fine performances bringing at first stereotypical characters to full life (despite the unreal, fable-like atmosphere created by the slimy, glistening colours reminiscent of the films of Jeunet&Caro.), and many moments of hilarity make this a perfect movie, one I would not hesitate in recommending to anyone despite the fairly high probability they will hate it. I am absolutely amazed at the fantastic taste of the imdb readership, having loved this film for years and always been told by people I'd told about it and persuaded to watch that it was no good, I finally find some other people out there who love it as much as me, posting (mostly) extremely positive comments.This is a fabulous film, dripping with a brooding, sticky atmosphere that draws you in to the clammy world of Barton Fink, sat in his hotel room listening to the creaking of the wallpaper as it dribbles moistly from the walls, searching for inspiration in his tacky painting and dusty typewriter.Perhaps it is a little dark for some tastes, but as black comedy goes this is the blackest and the most biting there is, the Hollywood system and New York theatrical snobbery lampooned with equal viciousness. I have decided after a slew of Coen Brothers films I currently have in my collection, that any project these guys are involved with deserve more than passing scrutiny. Excellent performances from John Turturo, John Goodman, Judy Davis, John Polito (often overlooked, but his scenes ALWAYS become his!!) and the inimitable Tony Shaloub. The trouble with Barton, however, is he does not have time for the common man because he has so romanticized their lot as well as his particular quest in speaking for them. After much cajoling to take the job from his agent, Barton arrives in Los Angeles determined to become the writer for the common man where he insists true stories live. ![]() John Goodman perfectly sums up everyone's frustration with Barton Fink when after a series of unfortunate occurrences, Barton asks him "Why me?" to which John's character answers "Because you don't LISTEN!" Set in 1930s Hollywood we follow the exploits of a one-hit wonder, Barton Fink, who has written a successful Broadway play and is summoned by the powers that be to Hollywood. He is so idealistic that he misses fantastic opportunities to become a writer for the ages because he wastes precious time proselytizing. He is so taken with the fact that he is a writer that he can't write. Barton Fink quite simply is a writer who cannot see the forest for the trees. I recently purchased "Barton Fink" along with "Miller's Crossinhg", another Coen Brothers gem. ![]()
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