Barton Fink

Theatrical Release Date: 1991 08 21 (USA)

UPC: 024543073802

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity]

Summary: The title character, played by John Turturro, is a Broadway playwright, based on Clifford Odets, lured to Hollywood with the promise of untold riches by a boorish studio chieftain (played by Michael Lerner as a combination of Louis B. Mayer and Harry Cohn). Despising the film capital and everything it stands for, Barton Fink comes down with an acute case of writer's block. He is looked after by a secretary (Judy Davis) who has been acting as a ghost writer for an alcoholic screenwriter (John Mahoney, playing a character based on William Faulkner). Also keeping tabs on Fink is a garrulous traveling salesman (John Goodman), the most likeable, stable character in the picture. And then comes the plot twist to end all plot twists, plunging Barton Fink into a surreal nightmare that would make Hieronymus Bosch look like a house painter. Once more, Ethan and Joel Coen serve up a smorgasbord of quirkiness and kinkiness, where nothing is what it seems and nothing turns out as planned. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Comedy Drama

Awards: Best Supporting Actor – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Cinematography – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Actor – Cannes Film Festival Best Director – Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or – Cannes Film Festival Best Supporting Actress – New York Film Critics Circle Best Cinematography – New York Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actor – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Features: cc8 Deleted scenes
Still gallery
Theatrical trailers

Barton Fink

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 04/18/2000

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Vistavision

Audio: DD1 Dolby Digital Mono, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 115 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,Spanish,French

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Main Titles [:15]
2. The Distinguished Playwright [1:12]
3. Real Success [4:03]
4. The Hotel Earle [2:03]
5. Room 621 [2:09]
6. The Writer is King [1:24]
7. The Man in 623 [2:32]
8. Charlie Meadows [1:27]
9. Chow with Ben Geisler [3:04]
10. W.P. Mayhew [3:05]
11. Audrey [1:47]
12. Me, Myself and I [5:55]
13. Wasted Gifts [1:51]
14. One of Those Days [:38]
15. Broad Strokes [2:59]
16. Help from Audrey [2:21]
17. Blood in the Bed [1:56]
18. The Story Outline [4:53]
19. Charlie's Package [3:00]
20. Madman Mundt [2:22]
21. My Most Important Work [5:43]
22. A Writer Celebrates [1:03]
23. Charlie's Back [4:29]
24. The Life of the Mind [2:18]
25. A Tourist in Hell [5:16]
26. A Write-Off [:21]
27. The Woman on the Beach [7:11]
28. End Titles [:54]

Dan Friedman

Whether or not one likes the films of Joel and Ethan Coen, die-hard cinema aficionados have to appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into each one. From the script to the cinematography, the Coen films always have something that at least could be classified as interesting. While most of their films can be labeled as successes on these merits, the high point is clearly Barton Fink. The basic story elements and characterizations come together to produce a film that is greater than the sum of its individual parts. John Turturro is the title character, a 1940s socialist playwright brought to Hollywood to work inside the studio system. From the outset, it's obvious that this is going to be a fish-out-of-water story to the nth degree, and as Barton encounters others he reacts with the innocence of a schoolboy. John Goodman is a genial salesman who is Barton's neighbor in the seedy hotel he lives in, and his philosophy of life begins to take hold on Barton until his true colors come out. There is also a separate subplot with John Mahoney as a William Faulkner-inspired novelist and Judy Davis as his suffering secretary/mistress, which very nicely adds another layer to the assault that Hollywood is leveling on Barton's personality. The single best performance is by Michael Lerner as the studio boss who hires Barton to write a wrestling picture. The Coens juxtapose the beauty and sunshine of southern California with the darkness and despair of Barton's hotel room, which is more or less the world he is forced to inhabit when his talents desert him. Even that world is brought down through, let's say, unusual circumstances that serve to cement Barton's complete breakdown. Turturro is perfect in the role, his physical appearance perfectly complementing his personification of the blocked writer. The film overall makes the statement that one success doesn't necessarily translate into a career, which is a lesson that Barton learns the hard way. ~ Dan Friedman, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Jana Marie Hupp  Actor 
Meagen Fay  Actor 
Lance Davis  Actor 
Isabelle Townsend  Actor 
Robert Beecher  Actor 
Max Grodenchik  Actor 
John Lyons  Actor 
Jack Denbo  Actor 
Gayle Vance  Actor 
Johnny Judkins  Actor 
Darwyn Swalve  Actor 
Anthony Gordon  Actor 
Harry Bugin  Actor 
I.M. Hobson  Actor 
William Preston Robertson  Actor 
Donna Isaacson  Actor 
Ben Barenholtz  Producer 
Carter Burwell  Composer (Music Score) 
Ethan Coen  Producer 
Ethan Coen  Screenwriter 
Joel Coen  Director 
Joel Coen  Screenwriter 
Bill Durkin  Producer 
Jim Pedas  Producer 
Ted Pedas  Producer 
John Turturro  Actor 
John Goodman  Actor 
Judy Davis  Actor 
Michael Lerner  Actor 
John Mahoney  Actor 
Tony Shalhoub  Actor 
Jon Polito  Actor 
Steve Buscemi  Actor 
David Warrilow  Actor 
Richard Portnow  Actor 
Christopher Murney  Actor 

Country: USA