Regardless of my previous lack of enthusiasm for 'Barton Fink', I have re watched and researched this film and through doing so have altered my opinion significantly.
I still remain absorbed by the simple but incredibly clever storyline from 'The Man Who Wasn't There' and as no other film has caught me this way I will continue forward on this project with just these two films in mind.
Comparing these films is a little difficult as they are such incredibly different films. So, I shall start with the similarities and use the differences to determine which film I will ultimately favour.
- In both films the main protagonist is male.
- Both films contain story lines of lust and of murder.
- Both main roles are fairly withdrawn characters and conduct themselves quietly through the film, allowing the other characters to create the drama.
- Both films are set in 1940's America.
Aside from the basic similarities the films follow very different paths. 'Barton Fink' chooses to question reality whereas 'The Man Who Wasn't There' is based on a highly realistic and very plausible storyline, which can sometimes be long and drawn out as it is such a straight story in the way it is conveyed to the viewer. In reality the film has many elements and twists that I suppose make it a lot more complex than once thought. By the end of "The Man Who Wasn't There' I understood what had happened and felt an opinion towards each of the characters. It told much more like the traditional films that I am used to. However, in Barton Fink there is much less of this and by the close of the film I had a mostly vague understanding of what the film 'told' me. I also had no particular strong feelings towards any of the characters, which is not something I am particularly used to. I am used to films where there is a clear intentional view point being portrayed by the director and I didn't feel this was the case with Barton Fink.
As well as being largely different in terms of content and intention there is a large aesthetic difference to the two films. 'The Man Who Wasn't There' is in Black and White, quite high contrast, mostly simple composition and a lot of close ups. Which differs some what to the look of 'Barton Fink' which is in colour and although still characters are mostly isolated there seems to be a notably further away view point. Maybe this helps the viewer to feel even less understanding. Both films do show use of the Coen's almost signature beams of light an Chiaroscuro lighting. The films are ten years apart so this could be a natural transition and development of both the Coen's and of Roger Deakins the Director of Photography for both of these films.
I feel that due to the linear way in which I work 'The Man Who Wasn't There' is the safer choice and was originally my favourite out of the films I watched. I didn't instantly connect with the others in the way that I did this one and created many ideas for both studio and location work before the film was even over. However, as I am looking to develop my thinking further and work in different way for this project I have decided to look into 'Barton Fink' which for me is an odd choice based on my first reaction. I think the way the film is so confusing will aid a much more complex journey and thought pattern to what I finally chose to do as an image.
