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In the wake of his early but undeniable theatrical success in Broadway, the idealistic author of the proletariat and self-pitying 1940s New York playwright, Barton Fink, finds himself lured to dazzling Hollywood to write scripts for eccentric Jack Lipnicks Capitol Pictures. But, instead of writing a story pivoting around the common man, Finks first screenplay turns out to be a wrestling movie, and, before he knows it, he develops a severe case of writers block. Now, holed up in the seedy, run-down Hotel Earle, before his silent Underwood typewriter, Barton comes to realise that his only hope to meet the deadline is to take inspiration from the burly insurance salesman living next door, Charlie Meadows, and the unassuming secretary, Audrey Taylor. In the meantime, the suffocating stranglehold of artistic bankruptcy tightens. Does self-destructive Barton Fink have the stomach for confronting Hollywoods bitter reality?
The film opens in New York City during the year 1941. Barton Fink is a novice Jewish-American playwright, who has just had his first great success at the Broadway stage. He wrote a play about the struggles and aspirations of common fishmongers. He aspires to write more plays about the lives of the working class, as he finds them more interesting than the kings and the aristocracy. His agent instead convinces him to sign a lucrative screenwriting contract with Capitol Pictures, a Los Angeles-based film studio. Fink settles into the life of a hack writer, though he is not truly suited for the job. His first assignment is to work on the script of a B-Movie about wrestling, though he does not even know the basics about this form of entertainment. Fink becomes a long-term resident of the Hotel Earle, a decaying relic of the art deco era. Feeling lonely, Fink befriends his next door-neighbor, the insurance salesman Charlie Meadows. He views Meadows as a typical working stiff, but he likes sharing drinks with him. Fink seeks writing advice from the experienced novelist and screenwriter W. P. Mayhew, but soon realizes that the man is an abusive alcoholic whose career has declined. Fink finds a love interest in Audrey Taylor, Mayhews personal secretary, long-term mistress, and the ghost writer behind most of Mayhews recent works. After Taylor is murdered in Finks bedroom, a traumatized Fink becomes increasingly emotionally dependent on Meadows. Shortly after, two police detectives inform Fink that Meadows is actually wanted serial killer Karl Mundt, who typically decapitates his victims. Fink slowly realizes Meadows hidden agenda, while finding himself out of favor with his boss at the film studio.
John Turturro
Barton Fink
John Goodman
Charlie Meadows
Judy Davis
Audrey Taylor
Michael Lerner
Jack Lipnick
John Mahoney
W.P. Mayhew
Tony Shalhoub
Ben Geisler
Jon Polito
Lou Breeze
Steve Buscemi
Chet
David Warrilow
Garland Stanford
Richard Portnow
Detective Mastrionotti
Christopher Murney
Detective Deutsch
I.M. Hobson
Derek
Meagen Fay
Poppy Carnahan
Lance Davis
Richard St. Claire
Harry Bugin
Pete
Anthony Gordon
Maitre D'
Jack Denbo
Stagehand
Max Grodénchik
Clapper Boy
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