I've just watched this for the second time, the first being last year where i was immediately blown away by just how thought-provoking the plot itself was, the numerous mysteries that keep reappearing, and the satirical themes that run throughout it are. When the credits roll you think to yourself - what just happened, what does it mean, is there even a meaning to it, did these things even happen, do certain scenes or characters exist only within another character's mind? and so on.The constantly peeling wallpaper, the poster girl, the box, the whodunit, the fact that nobody else seems to stay at the hotel, and the enigma that is both John Goodman and to a lesser extent, Steve Buscemi's characters.There's just so much happening in the movie that it's hard to define what exactly everything means, but i think there's an irony in knowing that the Coen brothers probably only added or exaggerated these elements to fool the audience into thinking they've found the key to unlock any hidden messages. It's very easy for those paying enough attention to notice just how many times the words 'head' and 'hell' appear, and, without giving anything away, when you begin to put these things together, it seems as though you've cracked what the hotel and particularly Goodman's character represents.But then you remember who wrote this story, a story about a pretentious self-proclaimed bastion of the common man facing writers block after all, and you can't help but imagine everything the Coens do is to satirise the fact they've created a Jewish, indie writer who moves from NY to LA (like Joel Coen is) who faces setback after embarrassing, disturbing setback from individuals he meets, and the Hollywood studios he's working for. Anyone who ever described the Coens as self-indulgent ought to look at this, you know they take immense pleasure from treating a writer like this.I love how any expectations Barton had about the film industry going in are ultimately completely reversed in such a satirically sinister way only the Coens know how to master. Like in Inside Llewyn Davis you can't help but feel sorry for a guy who just can't catch a break, but his demeanour is often so insufferable that the absurdities that transpire in the second half feel humorously deserved. It was only their fourth film but already they created what i would consider a sort of meta masterpiece, and this was before the likes of Fargo, The Big Lebowski and No Country for Old Men.So do yourself a favour and watch this gem. If you have any appreciation for the inner-workings of a writers' mind, how impossible it is sometimes to pursue your ambitions, and how downright funny it can be when everything seems to go to hell, 30 years after its release, Barton Fink is still a genius piece of anti-art and anti-institution cinema. Just remember to keep your head... via /r/movies https://ift.tt/39yPee7
No comments:
Post a Comment