Page One: ‘Barton Fink’ (1991)

Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

The movie version of the opening:

This is one of my very favorite Coen brother stories… of which there are many. It seems the brothers were struggling to write Miller’s Crossing. For whatever reason, they decided to clear their minds by going to see the 1987 comedy Baby Boom (original trailer below).

Somehow out of that combination of being stalled writing Miller’s Crossing and the inspiration of Baby Boom, Joel and Ethan emerged from the movie theater with the idea for Barton Fink. Only the Coens, right? They set aside Miller’s Crossing, pounded out Barton Fink, and that was the next movie they made only coming back to MC later.

It’s stories like that which make me adore the Coen brothers even more.

You may download the screenplay for Barton Fink here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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