In "Synecdoche, New York" what is the meaning of the character name Sammy Barnathan?
Sammy Barnathan is a key character in "Synecdoche, New York," which was written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. In the interview excerpt below, Kaufman suggests that there is meaning behind the name:
"That character's name is maybe something someone will pick up on, maybe someone won't."
I'm one of the people who is not picking up on the name, so does anyone know what is significant about the character name Sammy Barnathan?
Best Answer
From Charlie Kaufman: Confessions of an Original Mind, p.138 (by Doreen Alexander Child)
The character's name, Sammy Barnathan, may be a clever play on the name of a Rabbi in the Talmud. Rabbi Samuel bar Nathan had a prayer leader removed from guiding a religious service because of his excessive bowing. This overly submissive posture greatly angered the Rabbi, and in turn he fired the cantor from his position. Tom Noonan's character Sammy essentially fires Caden from this life as his passivity is unacceptable.
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What does Sammy represent in Synecdoche New York?
The character's name, Sammy Barnathan, may be a clever play on the name of a Rabbi in the Talmud. Rabbi Samuel bar Nathan had a prayer leader removed from guiding a religious service because of his excessive bowing.What is the message of synecdoche New York?
Synecdoche, New York is a film that concerns itself with examining solipsism, and in disposing of the harmful concept of \u201cThe Other\u201d. Solipsism is the belief that only one's own mind is certain to exist; that one's perception of reality and events is the only certainty, the only truth.Who is Ellen in Synecdoche New York?
Conclusion: Ellen is Caden's true self. Concept 1: Caden only experiences his true self while cleaning. Because of all his anxieties about art, being remembered, dying from a random disease or freak accident, and so on, he can't ever clear his head enough to find himself.What happens to Caden in the final scene of synecdoche?
The film's final scene shows an elderly, exhausted Caden, moving through the lonely ruins of his making until he finally finds a place to rest his head. And yet even in this life, death comes as a running out of time.The Genius of Synecdoche, New York (Part 4)
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