Barton Fink 15

Set in 1941, John Turturro is Barton Fink, left-wing playwright from New York who has just released his first play on Broadway to critical acclaim. Fink is soon called to work for the head of Hollywood studio Capitol Pictures, Jack Lipnick (played brilliantly by Michael Learner), to produce scripts for a thousand dollars a week. Checking into a room at the Hotel Earle, writer’s block soon hits Fink and he finds himself unable to get past the first few lines of script, continually distracted by various noises and a particularly tenacious mosquito. The film takes a series of thoroughly Coenesque turns, leaving Fink left to the mercy of Hollywood.

Barton Fink is a biting satire of what the playwright deems to be the inane and exploitative nature of Hollywood set against the high culture of Broadway: the latter of which Fink sees as his way to reach out to “The Common Man”. An absolute classic Palm d’Or winner from the Coen Brothers.