{"id":2775,"date":"2021-08-25T14:54:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T14:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/?p=2775"},"modified":"2024-01-10T13:11:38","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T13:11:38","slug":"barton-fink-30th-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/barton-fink-30th-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Barton Fink Turns 30: The Coen Brothers&#8217; Method of Dealing with Writer&#8217;s Block"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>We continue our series of articles where we look at some iconic in the history of cinema and analyze some of the elements that made them so memorable.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, we&#8217;ll take at Joel and Ethan Coen&#8217;s dark psychological comedy\u00a0<em>Barton Fink<\/em>, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month and look at some of the elements that make it such a clever and immersive piece of cinema.<\/p>\n<p><em>Just know that this review contains major spoilers.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"mceNonEditable embeditem\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WK0WjWlVO9w\" data-embed-height=\"384\" data-embed-width=\"800\" data-embed-constrain=\"true\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WK0WjWlVO9w?feature=oembed\" width=\"683\" height=\"384\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2>What&#8217;s the story?<\/h2>\n<p><em>Barton Fink<\/em>\u00a0tells the story of a bohemian New York playwright (John Turturro), whose overnight success and instant hailing as the new \u2018voice of the common man\u2019 leads him to Hollywood. Hired by Capitol Pictures to write a B-movie about wrestling, he checks into a sweaty, rundown, seemingly empty hotel &#8216;to live among the common man&#8217;. There he meets the simple and over-friendly traveling insurance salesman Charlie Meadows (John Goodman) with whom he develops an odd friendship.<\/p>\n<p>Struggling with feelings of being a phony sell-out and suffering from writer\u2019s block, Fink seeks inspiration in vain. Even turning to one of his literary idols, W.P Mayhew (John Mahoney), proves disappointing, as he turns out to be an alcoholic and a hack. Mayhew\u2019s personal assistant\/lover\/ghostwriter Audrey Taylor (Judy Davis), tries to help the struggling Fink, but that\u2019s where things take a dark turn.<\/p>\n<h2>A jab at Hollywood&#8230;and at Writers<\/h2>\n<p>The Coen brothers wrote Barton Fink while having their own writer\u2019s block working on the mob thriller,\u00a0<em>Miller\u2019s Crossing<\/em>. It was a way for them to deal with being stuck, and it proved to be a pretty productive outlet, collecting 3 major awards at the Cannes Film Festival (Palme d\u2019Or, Best Director and Best Actor).<\/p>\n<p>In the beginning, the film seems like a David vs. Goliath tale of a hapless writer who faces Hollywood, an oppressive and omnipotent organization that is basically a factory for formulaic cinema. First, there\u2019s the head of Capitol Pictures, Jack Lipnick (Michael Lerner), who asks Fink, \u201cYou want a dame or an orphan?\u201d when discussing who will be the hero\u2019s interest in the wrestling film. In another scene. Lipnick\u2019s enigmatic assistant Lou Breeze notifies him, \u201cThe contents of your head are the property of Capitol Pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2779 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aedb18d2b03f4358a02dbe932604d9c814016dc9.png\" alt=\"794\" width=\"794\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aedb18d2b03f4358a02dbe932604d9c814016dc9.png 794w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aedb18d2b03f4358a02dbe932604d9c814016dc9-300x162.png 300w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aedb18d2b03f4358a02dbe932604d9c814016dc9-768x414.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 794px) 100vw, 794px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Coens tell the story purely from the perspective of their protagonist, and there\u2019s almost no scene where he\u2019s not present. This point of view takes us inside the mind of the writer. You experience with him the disorientation he feels when arriving in Tinsletown and the sense of unease, anxiety and uncertainty associated with his writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2780 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dbde862c94171cc09175dc8a8572a0a89d4ad5b3.jpg\" alt=\"799\" width=\"799\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dbde862c94171cc09175dc8a8572a0a89d4ad5b3.jpg 799w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dbde862c94171cc09175dc8a8572a0a89d4ad5b3-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/dbde862c94171cc09175dc8a8572a0a89d4ad5b3-768x413.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But Fink can&#8217;t hide his flaws from us, and they become more and more apparent as the film progresses. His speeches about bringing the theater to the Common Man become hyperbolic and semi-coherent rants. When Charlie says to him, \u201cI can tell you stories,\u201d giving Barton an opportunity to listen to the simple people he claims to represent, he cuts him off. It becomes evident that Fink is a self-absorbed, arrogant and pretentious hack.<\/p>\n<h2>A masterclass for writing supporting characters<\/h2>\n<p>One of the elements that make\u00a0<em>Barton Fink<\/em>\u00a0so rich and memorable is its collection of enigmatic and eccentric characters Barton meets on his trip. Of course, the obvious main supporting character is Charlie Meadows, who turns out to be serial killer Madman Mundt.<\/p>\n<p>The over-friendly, uneducated and burly Meadows is the antithesis of Barton and his geeky, snobbish and pompous nature, which makes the writer\u2019s character and flaws stand out. The relationship between the two starts with Fink feeling superior to the endearingly overbearing salesman, but the balance shifts when the story takes a dark tone. The hapless writer becomes dependant on Meadows, blindly trusting him with covering up for the crime he might become a suspect of.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2781 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21b142b305896b681ad31165ae648e766eee6dd4.jpg\" alt=\"799\" width=\"798\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21b142b305896b681ad31165ae648e766eee6dd4.jpg 798w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21b142b305896b681ad31165ae648e766eee6dd4-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/21b142b305896b681ad31165ae648e766eee6dd4-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 798px) 100vw, 798px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>John Goodman as the over-friendly traveling insurance salesman Charlie Meadows<\/em><\/p>\n<p>When Meadows\u2019 real identity is revealed, we realize Mundt listened to Fink\u2019s troubles and tried to help him, albeit in a very twisted way. But it worked. Barton snaps out of his writer\u2019s block and goes on a writing spree, completing what he calls \u201cthe best work I ever wrote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Why me?\u201d Barton asks, to which Mundt responds angrily yet to the point, \u201cBECAUSE YOU DON\u2019T LISTEN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2782 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/a29822390099be7d3db7bbc1f952fe87bc114976.jpg\" alt=\"799\" width=\"799\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/a29822390099be7d3db7bbc1f952fe87bc114976.jpg 799w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/a29822390099be7d3db7bbc1f952fe87bc114976-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/a29822390099be7d3db7bbc1f952fe87bc114976-768x413.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>John Goodman as serial Killer Karl &#8220;Madman&#8221; Mundt<\/em><\/p>\n<p>And while the Coens\u2019 recommended method for <a href=\"https:\/\/artlist.io\/blog\/overcoming-creative-block\/\">dealing with creative block<\/a> probably doesn&#8217;t include befriending a serial killer and sleeping with your idol&#8217;s lover, their main message from this film is that in order to write, you have to stop living in your own mind. You need to open your ears and listen to the outside world.<\/p>\n\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"section\" data-elementor-id=\"186\" class=\"elementor elementor-186\" data-elementor-post-type=\"elementor_library\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-section-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-b6940b6 elementor-section-full_width cta-middle external elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"b6940b6\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-ae3297b\" data-id=\"ae3297b\" data-element_type=\"column\" 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9.48966Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M3.43194 1.08203H5.20549L8.62975 8.48334V9.85765C7.24776 9.91907 5.80435 9.94979 4.31487 9.94979C2.8254 9.94979 1.38199 9.91907 0 9.85765V8.48334L3.43194 1.08203ZM1.90407 8.39121C2.71023 8.41424 3.51639 8.42192 4.31487 8.42192C5.12103 8.42192 5.92719 8.40657 6.72567 8.39121L4.31487 3.18572L1.90407 8.39121Z\" fill=\"#FFDA2A\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-509c078 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"509c078\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element 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hotel,\u00a0<em>The Earle<\/em>, a regal dump that feels as suffocating as it feels vast. Conjuring up The Overlook Hotel from Stanley Kubrick\u2019s\u00a0<em>The Shining<\/em>, with similar long empty corridors,\u00a0<em>The Earle<\/em>\u00a0establishes the surreal nature of Barton Fink, and some argue that it represents the writer\u2019s mind and that the whole film (especially the 2nd part) takes place in a dream.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2784 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aeb31543e536cdb193c1df0d146207f423581588.jpg\" alt=\"801\" width=\"801\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aeb31543e536cdb193c1df0d146207f423581588.jpg 801w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aeb31543e536cdb193c1df0d146207f423581588-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/aeb31543e536cdb193c1df0d146207f423581588-768x413.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The brown-heavy color palette with touches of green serves to enhance the feeling of dampness and humidity.<\/p>\n<p>Barton Fink is the Coens\u2019 4th feature, but their first collaboration with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, who went on to shoot almost all of their films since. Deakins uses tracking shots along the corridors that again<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2785 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/6782a8206a24cf0546ecbd124b9052351d03671e.jpg\" alt=\"799\" width=\"799\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/6782a8206a24cf0546ecbd124b9052351d03671e.jpg 799w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/6782a8206a24cf0546ecbd124b9052351d03671e-300x161.jpg 300w, https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/6782a8206a24cf0546ecbd124b9052351d03671e-768x413.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Earle is also full of sounds, and the sound design beautifully sets the creepy, tense, haunting and damp atmosphere. First, there are lingering sounds that set a general sense of uneasiness, like the service bell whose ring won\u2019t stop and the pestering mosquito whine. Then you have the mysterious events that take place in the other hotel rooms, which are only heard and never seen, adding to the eeriness. Finally, squishy sounds like the wallpaper peeling off the wall give a greater sense of the heat and humidity.<\/p>\n<h2>Wrap up<\/h2>\n<p>The Coens Brothers\u2019 Barton Fink is a sharp satire that feels very relevant 30 years later. And while it is one of their less communicative films, thanks to a great ensemble cast of supporting characters, strong cinematography and witty writing, it stands as one of their best films to date. If you like the Coen brothers, check out our article celebrating\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/new-blog.artlist.io\/blog\/fargo-deceptive-simplicity-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fargo&#8217;s 25th anniversary<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We continue our series of articles where we look at some iconic in the history of cinema and analyze some of the elements that made them so memorable.<\/p>\n<p>In this post, we&#8217;ll take at Joel and Ethan Coen&#8217;s dark psychological comedy\u00a0Barton Fink<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[85],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Barton Fink&#039;s 30th Anniversary or How to Deal With Writer&#039;s Block | Artlist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the Coen brothers&#039; 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