Barton Fink (Spoilers)

"Look upon me! I'll show you the life of the mind!"

Barton Fink

Okay, just watched this for the first time in a really long while. I loved it. Might just be the best Coen Brothers flick to date. For some reason the whole thing didn't really hit me the first time through. This time, though, everything clicked.

Cryptic clues and enigmatic twists gallore - They all amount to a ton of unanswered questions. Those Coen bastards will have me dreaming about this movie for the rest of the week. This mystery adds to the film's allure, I think. But, all the same, I would like some of those questions answered. I have theories, but I want to hear some of yours. Specifically...

1. Is the hotel Hell? Is Charlie The Devil?
I think it might be. But it seems to me that all of LA is Barton's personal hell. He's stuck there for who knows how long, writing about trash that'll never see the light of day and he'll have to live with the fact that he's responsible for the deaths of innocent people.

And I'm almost positive that Charley, after watching the flick a couple of times, merely works for Satan.

2. What's with the shoes?
I don't know

3. What do Nazism and WW2 have to do with anything?
Uh, I don't know this one, either. Why does Charley say 'Heil Hitler' before killing the second cop? What does Fink's Judaism mean? AAAAH! Those crazy Coens!

4. What's with the bird at the end?
He was finally in the picturesque world he longed for. It was almost like Fink escaped Hell, only to be reminded he's still in it. I think.

5. And, It's her head in the box, right?
Well... Isn't it?!

To asnwer a few of your questions with my interpretations...

Is the hotel Hell? Is Charlie the Devil?
...my answer would be no...I believe the Hotel/Hollywood is purgatory...the movie's tagline "Between Heaven and Hell there is always Hollywood!"...I believe that Chet - the man at the front desk - is the Devil, as you see him crawling from the depths of Hell to serve Barton, notice how Chet is the one who stifles the "ringing of the bell" aka angelic noises, or perhaps he's Cerberus "the 3-headed dog who gaurds Hell" - could this be why Chet says his name three times to Barton??? maybe the elevator operator was Charon "the ferrymen of the dead" - notice the operator say 6 three times on Barton's way up - 666 - perhaps this could mean that Barton's friend who gets him the job in Hollywood could be Hermes "an escort for the dead to help them find their way to the afterlife"...this could go on and on

Whats with the shoes???
...they could be viewed as Souls...gangsters asked to have their shoes removed before they were killed to let loved ones know they accepted their death...whem Moses met God he was asked to remove his shoes "it was customary in this day for holy men to take off their shoes to not drag impurities into temples" or into any holy places

Nazism and WWII?
...I think the Coens could have been saying that Nazi's "should go to hell", it IS where the two detectives who were Implied to be Italian and German were executed by Charlie, hence the "Hail Hitler", a quick mock at them

The Bird at the end...
...it was caught by mistake during a take...the Coens decided to leave it in...probably just to mess with us

In The Box...
...if you believe Audrey was a muse, then maybe its her head in the box, and this is what gave Barton the strength and ides to get past his writer's block, it also could be whatever Barton valued in his life, that made him realize (like Charlie did) why he was sent to purgatory in the first place...and the beach could be proof he was let out

hope that helps you out...Im sure many different interpretations could be made, but those were mine!

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I love this film. It's definitely an underrated Coen Brothers gem.

Underrated? Sitting at 94% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes, it's one of their most highly rated films in their catalog of work. It is recognized across the board as a fantastic piece of craftmanship. I don't think I have met anyone who hasn't liked it...

Top notch film, deep, thought provoking, and shot ever so well...

Love it!

For comparison:

Fargo 92%
Miller's Crossing 93%
The Big Lebowski 85%
Raising Arizona 90%


Bested only by

Blood Simple 100%

Personally, I love pretty much all their stuff to some degree, and own all of it, save their last two efforts...

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not quite underrated, more unknown or unpopular

I just hope that the Coens haven't shot their bolt. After forgiving Intolerable Cruelty as a blip then thoroughly hating the travesty that was The Ladykillers I began to lose faith...

Barton Fink wasn't the first Coen Brothers film I saw (that was Raising Arizona) but it was the first I experienced in a cinema and have loved it ever since.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Love it was shocked to see the Dude rated so low as it is my favourite Coen Bros film

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Here is where I am out of touch with most other movie lovers. I didn't like Barton Fink or The Big Lebowski. But I liked Fargo, No Country For Old Men, Miller's Crossing, and Blood Simple. What's wrong with me?

Puma, just watch it again! it's so good. Maybe you just weren't in the right mood?

Great film. The Big Lebowski is pure genius, the levels that movie hits is amazing. Everyone involved pulled out their best for a movie that every time you watch it, you notice something new and great.

Barton Fink is great, but in different ways. Most of the Coen Brothers' work is like that, excluding their awful movies The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty.

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