Great Scene: “Barton Fink”

The enigmatic ending of the Coen brothers’ 1991 movie.

Plot summary: A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.

Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen.

The plot is complex, but in terms of the ending, we need to know two things in particular: (1) There has been a murder (Audrey Taylor) and Barton’s next-door hotel neighbor Charlie aka the serial killer Mundt has disposed of the body; (2) A photo on the wall of a “bathing beauty” on the beach has been a recurring presence in the story. It’s introduced here when Barton first enters the hotel room:

We see the image over and over and over again, most often in the background.

Consider this all as a setup for the ending. Here is the scripted version:

The movie version of the scene:

It’s likely what’s in the box is the severed head of the murder victim: Audrey. Note: Mundt’s style of serial killing involves cutting off the heads of his victims. But what of the Bathing Beauty? Her presence, first in the photograph on the wall, then in real — or maybe imagined — life is a kind of motif.

There have been a lot of theories that the hotel where Barton stays is some version of Hell. Here’s a take on the Beauty: She represents the alluring facade of Hollywood, at the very least the naive perception Barton has about the place from the beginning of this time there. The reality is that Hollywood is Hell. Behind all the glamour and glitter is a devilish truth of storytelling reduced to crass commercialism and corporate profits. The writer’s block Barton experiences, which for writers is a kind of hell, plunges him beneath Hollywood’s shimmering surface into the grotesque, even deadly nature (at least insofar as creativity is concerned) of the film business. With that in mind, consider the final lines of dialogue:

Barton: Are you in pictures?
Beauty: Don’t be silly.

Like so many endings of Coen brothers movies, this is open to interpretation. In a literal sense, she makes light of the fact that Barton thinks she might be a movie actress. But she could also be ridiculing the job itself of working in Hollywood and, more specifically, of Barton even thinking he can find satisfaction writing for the studios. What a silly notion. She might also be providing a clue to Barton that she is not in fact in the actual picture in the hotel room and, if that’s the case, the whole story might be something inside his imagination.

Note one addition to the movie from the script. Whereas the screenplay ends with the line, “The sun sparkles off the water,” the final image in the movie is a sea bird plummeting into the ocean, presumably to nab a fish. Likely, it was serendipity that a bird happened into frame at just that precise moment. It could also be symbolic of the Hollywood system which eats up the people it employs.

Of course, the line “What’s in the box” brings to mind another memorable ending sequence.

There’s also an interesting analysis of Barton Fink I found which hits on a key point: Everything that happens in the movie derives from Barton calling up the front desk of the hotel to complain about noise in the next door room.

As the video notes, the Coens rely on this story setup in many of their movies: Something simple happens which spins way out of control.

So, that’s my theory about Barton Fink: Hollywood presents itself as a bathing beauty. Underneath the shimmering sheen… in actuality… it’s Hell.

For dozens more articles in the Great Scene series, go here.