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| producer = Ethan Coen Joel Coen | writer = Ethan Coen Joel Coen | starring = John Turturro John Goodman | music = Carter Burwell | cinematography = Roger Deakins | editing = Joel Coen Ethan Coen | studio = Circle Films Working Title Films | distributor = 20th Century Fox (US) Universal Pictures (UK) | released = | runtime = 117 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $9 million | gross = $6.1 million }} ''Barton Fink'' is a 1991 American period film written, produced, directed and edited by the Coen brothers. Set in 1941, it stars John Turturro in the title role as a young New York City playwright who is hired to write scripts for a film studio in Hollywood, and John Goodman as Charlie, the insurance salesman who lives next door at the run-down Hotel Earle. The Coens wrote the screenplay in three weeks while experiencing difficulty during the writing of ''Miller's Crossing''. Soon after ''Miller's Crossing'' was finished, the Coens began filming ''Barton Fink'', which had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1991. In a rare sweep, ''Barton Fink'' won the Palme d'Or, as well as awards for Best Director and Best Actor (Turturro). Although the film received critical acclaim and was nominated for three Academy Awards, it was a box office bomb, only grossing $6 million against its $9 million budget. The process of writing and the culture of entertainment production are two prominent themes of ''Barton Fink''. The world of Hollywood is contrasted with that of Broadway, and the film analyzes superficial distinctions between high culture and low culture. Other themes in the film include fascism and World War II; slavery and conditions of labor in creative industries; and how intellectuals relate to "the common man". Because of its diverse elements, the film has defied efforts at genre classification, being variously referred to as a film noir, a horror film, a ''Künstlerroman'', and a buddy film. The feel of the Hotel Earle was central to the development of the story, and careful deliberation went into its design. There is a sharp contrast between Fink's living quarters and the polished, pristine environs of Hollywood, especially the home of Jack Lipnick. On the wall of Fink's room there hangs a single picture of a woman at the beach; this captures Barton's attention, and the image reappears in the final scene of the film. Although the picture and other elements of the film (including a mysterious box given to Fink by Charlie) appear laden with symbolism, critics disagree over their possible meanings. The Coens have acknowledged some intentional symbolic elements while denying an attempt to communicate any message in the film overall. The film contains allusions to many real-life people and events, most notably the writers Clifford Odets and William Faulkner. The characters of Barton Fink and W. P. Mayhew are widely seen as fictional representations of these men, but the Coens stress important differences. They have also admitted to parodying film magnates like Louis B. Mayer, but they note that Fink's agonizing tribulations in Hollywood are not meant to reflect their own experiences. ''Barton Fink'' was influenced by several earlier works, including the films of Roman Polanski, particularly ''Repulsion'' (1965) and ''The Tenant'' (1976). Other influences are Stanley Kubrick's ''The Shining'' and Preston Sturges's ''Sullivan's Travels''. The film contains a number of literary allusions to works by William Shakespeare, John Keats, and Flannery O'Connor, and in particular, Nikos Kazantzakis's novel, Zorba the Greek. There are also religious overtones, including references to the Book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar, and Bathsheba. ==Plot== In 1941, Barton Fink's first Broadway play, ''Bare Ruined Choirs'', has achieved critical and popular success. His agent informs him that Capitol Pictures in Hollywood has offered him a thousand dollars per week to write film scripts. Barton hesitates, worried that moving to California would separate him from "the common man", his focus as a writer. He accepts the offer, however, and checks into the Hotel Earle, a large and unusually deserted building. His room is sparse and draped in subdued colors; its only decoration is a small painting of a woman on the beach, arm raised to block the sun. In his first meeting with Capitol Pictures boss Jack Lipnick, Barton explains that he chose the Earle because he wants lodging that is (as Lipnick says) "less Hollywood". Lipnick promises that his only concern is Barton's writing ability and assigns his new employee to a wrestling film. Back in his room, however, Barton is unable to write. He is distracted by sounds coming from the room next door, and he phones the front desk to complain. His neighbor, Charlie Meadows, is the source of the noise and visits Barton to apologize, insisting on sharing some alcohol from a hip flask to make amends. As they talk, Barton proclaims his affection for "the common man", and Charlie describes his life as an insurance salesman. Later, Barton falls asleep, but is awakened by the incessant whine of a mosquito. Still unable to proceed beyond the first lines of his script, Barton consults producer Ben Geisler for advice. Irritated, the frenetic Geisler takes him to lunch and orders him to consult another writer for assistance. While in the men's room, Barton meets the novelist William Preston (W.P.) "Bill" Mayhew, who is vomiting in the next stall. They briefly discuss movie writing and arrange a second meeting later in the day. When Barton arrives, Mayhew is drunk and yelling wildly. His secretary, Audrey Taylor, reschedules the meeting and confesses to Barton that she and Mayhew are in love. When they finally meet for lunch, Mayhew, Audrey, and Barton discuss writing and drinking. Before long, Mayhew argues with Audrey, slaps her, and wanders off, drunk. Rejecting Barton's offer of consolation, Audrey explains that she feels sorry for Mayhew since he is married to another woman who is "disturbed". With one day left before his meeting with Lipnick to discuss the movie, Barton phones Audrey and begs her for assistance. She visits him at the Earle, and after she admits that she wrote most of Mayhew's scripts, they are assumed to have sex; Barton later confesses to Charlie they did so. When Barton awakens the next morning, he, again, hears the sound of the mosquito, finds it on Audrey's back, and slaps it dead. When Audrey does not respond, Barton turns her onto her side only to find that she has been violently murdered. He has no memory of the night's events. Horrified, he summons Charlie and asks for help. Charlie is repulsed but disposes of the body and orders Barton to avoid contacting the police. After a meeting with an unusually supportive Lipnick, Barton tries writing again and is interrupted by Charlie, who announces he is going to New York for several days. Charlie leaves a package with Barton and asks him to watch it. Soon afterward, Barton is visited by two police detectives, who inform him that Charlie's real name is Karl "Madman" Mundt. Mundt is a serial killer wanted for several murders; after shooting his victims, they explain, he decapitates them and keeps the heads. Stunned, Barton returns to his room and examines the box. Placing it on his desk without opening it, he begins writing and produces the entire script in one sitting. After a night of celebratory dancing, Barton returns to find the detectives in his room, who, after handcuffing Barton to the bed, then reveal they've found evidence of Mundt's latest murders. Each of the men notes how hot it is, and Charlie appears, and does the same; soon the source of heat is revealed: the hotel has become engulfed in flames. Running through the hallway, screaming, Charlie shoots the policemen with a shotgun. As the hallway burns, Charlie speaks with Barton about their lives and the hotel, breaks the bed frame to which Barton is handcuffed (thus freeing him), then retires to his own room, saying as he goes that he paid a visit to Barton's parents and uncle in New York. Barton leaves the hotel, carrying the box and his script. Shortly thereafter he attempts to telephone his family, but there is no answer. In a final meeting, a disappointed Lipnick, in uniform (as he attempts to secure an Army reserve commission), angrily chastises Barton for writing "a fruity movie about suffering" then informs him that he is to remain in Los Angeles; although Barton will remain under contract, Capitol Pictures will not produce anything he writes so he can be ridiculed as a loser around the studio while Lipnick is in the war. Dazed, Barton wanders onto a beach, still carrying the package. He meets a woman who looks just like the one in the picture on his wall at the Earle, and she asks about the box. He tells her he does not know what it contains nor who owns it. She then assumes the pose from the picture. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Barton Fink」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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