Barton Fink (1991) KL 1080p BluRay x265 HEVC AAC-SARTRE

The title character, played by John Turturro, is a Broadway playwright, based on Clifford Odets, lured to Hollywood with the promise of untold riches by a boorish studio chieftain (played by Michael Lerner as a combination of Louis B. Mayer and Harry Cohn). Despising the film capital and everything it stands for, Barton Fink comes down with an acute case of writer's block. He is looked after by a secretary (Judy Davis) who has been acting as a ghost writer for an alcoholic screenwriter (John Mahoney, playing a character based on William Faulkner). Also keeping tabs on Fink is a garrulous traveling salesman (John Goodman), the most likeable, stable character in the picture. And then comes the plot twist to end all plot twists, plunging Barton Fink into a surreal nightmare that would make Hieronymus Bosch look like a house painter. Once more, Ethan and Joel Coen serve up a smorgasbord of quirkiness and kinkiness, where nothing is what it seems and nothing turns out as planned.

Extras

• Interview with John Turturro - This doesn't really have a specific flow, following the actor's lead as he recalls his preparation period for "Barton Fink," which required time in secretary school to learn how to type, and a general move from New York to Los Angeles, expecting the birth of his first child during the shoot. Turturro seems pleasingly puzzled by the "strange film," sharing the rigid work schedule the Coens prepared, with the star using time in front of a typewriter to work on his own projects, including "Romance & Cigarettes." Turturro mentions the feature's dominance at the Cannes Film Festival, the Coen creative process, and his understandable fears when working around fire in the picture's conclusion.

• Interview with Michael Lerner - A lively discussion of just about everything, opening with a blunt assessment of a Cuban cigar, which he works on during the chat. Lerner is a real performer, a complete character, and he's incredibly amusing to watch as he acts out his stories from the "Barton Fink" audition and time researching studio moguls -- a personal passion for the actor, who's played plenty of them. Lerner takes a sharp detour in philosophy and the power of fables, but he remains excitable and a bit cantankerous, carrying on wildly to make the whole interview memorable.

• Interview with executive producer Ben Barenholtz - A little short on information, with the subject openly admitting he doesn't do much for the Coens besides provide encouragement during their development process. Perhaps he's being humble, but Barenholtz shares only a brief history with the Coens, highlighting difficulties during the production of "Miller's Crossing," where the filmmakers retreated to Minneapolis for a short time to figure out the ending, possibly banging out "Barton Fink" during this critical downtime to achieve clarity. Barenholtz is also asked about his role as the originator of the midnight movie, sharing his thoughts on distribution difficulties for odd features for specific audiences.

• Interview with composer Carter Burwell and supervising sound editor Skip Lievsay - A deep dive into the aural achievements of "Barton Fink." Personal histories are established, with Lievsay bringing Burwell to the attention of the Coen Brothers, and a lengthy deconstruction of tone and sound is examined, detailing the creative process. Examples are utilized, with Lievsay dissecting the unnatural ringing of the hotel lobby bell, and Burwell shares a story of a possible musical mistake only caught because of his presence during the final mix.

• Deleted Scenes - All are minor additions at best, mixed in with final cut footage, with the most interesting being a slightly extended ending that adds another victim to the hotel rampage.

• Theatrical Trailer