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Directed by: John Dullaghan Starring: Charles Bukowski (archive interview footage) I saw this film last night and, not expecting much, came out very impressed. The advertisement for the film read something like, "this establishes Bukowski as one of the great literary talents of the 20th century," which is an idea I very much disagree with. The film doesn't do this, I don't think it even tries to do this, but it does shed light on a dark, isolated man. The film uses footage from an older documentary that was started in the early sixties, shot in black and white, though I'm probably wrong about the date, a collection of television interviews, newer footage of Bukowski, and interviews with celebrities (including Bono, Sean Penn, and Tom Waits). The footage is very well assembled, addressing Bukowski's life from childhood to death, and provides a complete picture of his life. My only criticism is that the film offers a very positive view of his life. I don't think that abandoning one's responsibility to humanity, and Bukowski certainly did, creates an artist, which the film seems to imply. Overall, though, the film shows that Bukowski can't be categorized into "true artist" or, on the other hand, "complete pig." It shows us an isolated man, motivated by an extreme fear of failure and rejection. All of the movies I've seen lately conclude into nice, well defined stories; it is nice to see the story of a man who cannot easily be defined, or judged. Even if you're not familiar with his work, the film is well worth the money if it comes to a theatre around you; it got a fairly limited showing here in Minneapolis, so I'm not sure how widely it's being shown. RATING: 4.0 PROS: A very interesting and thoughtful film. CONS: No criticism of Bukowski. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342150/
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Jun 27, 2004 01:20
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 12:32 |
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Y'know, this film played at the closest indie theater to me last week, and disappeared after a truncated one week run. Shame, I don't think it's playing anywhere near me now, but I could be wrong - LA is a reasonable drive from where I am, and I may be able to find it somewhere. I'd really like to see it - I know little to nothing about Bukowski, and am interested in learning more about the man and his body of work.
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Jun 27, 2004 02:57
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