No. 67: Barton Fink
An all-time great of a least one genre
December 06, 2011
1991, dir. Joel Coen. What would happen if Clifford Odets and William Faulkner shared a lover, and one of them lived in a demented old hotel next door to a serial killer? And what happens when the Coen brothers decide to take a break from making funny movies and cleanse their palate by making a brilliant movie that defies four or five genres in the process? The answer is Barton Fink, the greatest Jewish noir film of all time.
Jody Rosen is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine.
