I finally saw "Barton Fink" - someone for the love of mercy explain it to me.

[NuclearNed]

Barton Fink

I love the Coen Brothers, and I'm used to their "unusual" flicks, but for the first time in my life I'm at a complete loss to explain what I just saw. Someone please help me and tell me what the symbolism behind this movie is.

I've read online that this movie is about the Holocaust, but I just don't get it.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

I'm interested in hearing this too. I watched it about a year ago and haven't bothered looking up what I'm supposed to get out of it.

 

[Mucho]

Tagline: Between Heaven and Hell There's Always Hollywood!

Thats it dude.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: Mucho

Tagline: Between Heaven and Hell There's Always Hollywood!

Thats it dude.

That's what?

 

[NuclearNed]

bump - please, someone help.

 

[NightCrawler]

Does this help ?

I think that the Charlies meadow character is definitly Satan in this movie. I think the hotel is hell or something to do with hell. Steve Buscemi's character acts very strangely, the elevator man, if no one noticed, Barton says "Floor 6" then the elevator man says 6...6. 666? Also I think that Charlie says Hiel Hitler before he kills the cops because its easy to draw a correlation between Hitler and the Devil. The hotel seems to be responding to Charlie as well, the wall paper is oozing with some sort of slime, and Charlie has an oozing ear infection and at the end of the movie when it oozes out of his ear it looks exactly like the slime from the wall paper. I think that he sees the woman at the end from the painting because he is still in hell or the hotel or whatever, and a sea gull dies just as she strikes the pose from the painting, which makes me think there is something sinister about it. Just my opinion, could be wrong.

 

[badmouse]

The holocaust? Geez, somebody needs to get a life.

I've seen the movie about a zillion times (don't ask). First, it's a great opportunity for the filmmakers and techs to have some fun with lighting, camera angles, costumes, sets, scenery, textures, interesting-looking people, and so on. Film is, after all, a visual medium, and this is a visual feast. It really does get better and better each time you watch - just watch, don't think.

Second, the plot is a throw-away, just some bones to hang the interesting stuff on. Therefore, ignore the "plot". Instead, look at the little set-ups and interplay. They don't MEAN anything, but they're fascinating. Look at the details - like where people are sitting, or the shadows, or sweat, or the way they move their feet. The movie is really just a bunch of slightly-connected individual scenes. There's no need to read anything into the scenes. Just enjoy them.

Third, the most important thing about the movie isn't the movie itself, but the marketing. Barton Fink took a really strange "movie" and marketed the crap out of it, and came up with a winner. THAT's the real story, and it's a good one.

Armed with this information, have a few brews (or your relaxer of choice) and crank up the old DVD again, and enjoy the movie.

: edit: the holocaust is an interesting, important subject, and if you want to call a movie, or a can of Campbell's tomato soup, etc a metaphor for the holocaust go right ahead.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: badmouse
The holocaust? Geez, somebody needs to get a life.

I've seen the movie about a zillion times (don't ask). First, it's a great opportunity for the filmmakers and techs to have some fun with lighting, camera angles, costumes, sets, scenery, textures, interesting-looking people, and so on. Film is, after all, a visual medium, and this is a visual feast. It really does get better and better each time you watch - just watch, don't think.

Second, the plot is a throw-away, just some bones to hang the interesting stuff on. Therefore, ignore the "plot". Instead, look at the little set-ups and interplay. They don't MEAN anything, but they're fascinating. Look at the details - like where people are sitting, or the shadows, or sweat, or the way they move their feet. The movie is really just a bunch of slightly-connected individual scenes. There's no need to read anything into the scenes. Just enjoy them.

Third, the most important thing about the movie isn't the movie itself, but the marketing. Barton Fink took a really strange "movie" and marketed the crap out of it, and came up with a winner. THAT's the real story, and it's a good one.

Armed with this information, have a few brews (or your relaxer of choice) and crank up the old DVD again, and enjoy the movie.

: edit: the holocaust is an interesting, important subject, and if you want to call a movie, or a can of Campbell's tomato soup, etc a metaphor for the holocaust go right ahead.

The "Holocaust" angle I read about is from multiple film reviewers, including Roger Ebert. Typically, I trust that they know what they are talking about when it comes to film. Personally, I don't see the connection, but that's why I started this thread.

 

[NuclearNed]

One last bump, for the Monday morning crowd. By the lack of responses to this thread, I'm going to conclude that either nobody has seen this flick (difficult to imagine), or I'm in good company and nobody else gets it either.

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: NightCrawler
Does this help ?

I think that the Charlies meadow character is definitly Satan in this movie. I think the hotel is hell or something to do with hell. Steve Buscemi's character acts very strangely, the elevator man, if no one noticed, Barton says "Floor 6" then the elevator man says 6...6. 666? Also I think that Charlie says Hiel Hitler before he kills the cops because its easy to draw a correlation between Hitler and the Devil. The hotel seems to be responding to Charlie as well, the wall paper is oozing with some sort of slime, and Charlie has an oozing ear infection and at the end of the movie when it oozes out of his ear it looks exactly like the slime from the wall paper. I think that he sees the woman at the end from the painting because he is still in hell or the hotel or whatever, and a sea gull dies just as she strikes the pose from the painting, which makes me think there is something sinister about it. Just my opinion, could be wrong.

BTW - the bird in the final shot was a pelican, and it was diving for a fish, not a "dying sea gull". I've seen them do that type of "hard land" many times - as a matter of fact, I've never seen one land gently. According to the trivia section over at IMDB, the pelican was unplanned and just happened to appear in the frame during the shot. The Coens liked it so much that they left it in the film.