Barton Fink & Miller's Crossing [Paperback]

Joel Coen (Author), Ethan Coen (Author), Roderick Jaynes (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1991

The award winning Barton Fink is a dark psychological thriller set in Hollywood in the 1940s. It concerns an aspiring writer who gradually becomes sucked into a grisly world of violence and terror. Miller's Crossing reinvents the 1930s gangster film in a complex story of love, friendship, and betrayal.

Also in this edition is an introduction by Coen brothers' sometime editor Roderick Jaynes, who offers a rare insight into their world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ethan and Joel Coen have made several critically acclaimed feature films together. The recipients of numerous awards, the Coen brothers received an Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1997 for Fargo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; 1st ed edition (October 25, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571166482
• ISBN-13: 978-0571166480
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,173,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two of the Finest Screenplays of the Last Ten Years, September 18, 2000

By 

Stone Junction "The Suburban Hobo" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barton Fink & Miller's Crossing (Paperback)

The Coen brother's films have never failed to astonish and entertain me. From BLOOD SIMPLE to FARGO, they have shown an uncanny knack for vivid characteriziations and photographic style.

But the question is, are the scripts as good by themselves?

Thankfully, the answer is yes. The Coen's scripted prose is dramatically satisfying, and makes one yearn to see the films again, which is the highest compliment I can give them.

BARTON FINK is a bold and unusual piece, centred on a playwright who ends up selling his soul in Hollywood. It may sound like the usual pointless drivel, but the Coen's take a surprisingly dark twist into the bizarre, with insane roommates, creepy bellhops, and drunken authors. It only never fully captures the ominous presence of the hotel Barton stays in. On film, it is the most foreboding motel since Stanley Kubrick's THE SHINING.

MILLER'S CROSSING (my favorite film of ALL time) is a different period piece. It centres on Irish gangsters in the 1930's. But while the plot is an ingenious homage to the gangster film's of Bogart and Cagney, it is the dialogue which makes it shine. Once again, astonishing characterizations rule the day, as the conflicted Tom Regan plays both sides against each other for reasons even he may not understand.

An added bonus is the introduction, written by the Coen's sometime film editor. It is an unusual choice, as he goes to great lengths to describe how much he does NOT like the scripts, or film in general. It serves to heighten interest in their content, and does prove that the Coens are not for everyone. For those of us you cannot wait for their next film, this is a treat.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Roderick Jaynes = Joel and Ethan Coen, January 9, 2006

By 

William A. Harper - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barton Fink & Miller's Crossing (Paperback)

I fully agree with everything the other reviewer has said, but I thought it should be noted that Roderick Jaynes is the psuedonym under which the Coens both jointly edit their movies

that should make the dour introduction all the more enjoyable for the Coen fans out there