Bukowski: Born Into This (2003)

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Don't Believe the Hype

Best movie ever!

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Nothing explains Bukowski like Bukowski himself, and that's why this film works. This memoir keeps his voice at the center, alongside some tough minded commentary by his wife Linda Lee Bukowski and his publisher John Martin at Black Sparrow Press. His daughter Marina also appears briefly,as do a number of his former girlfriends. As a long time admirer of his cleanness of line on the page,and contempt for long winded abstraction in poetry, I think this film of John Dullaghan's rings true as a work convinced of the worthiness of its subject. Bukowski was one of the best poets of the 20th century, though if you troll through the much esteemed halls of poetry even now, you'll see the same pretentious farts scoring him downward. That's the way of it. Bukowski was his own poet, his own voice, his own reference. What a hustle, What a game. Here's to Bukowski, here's to Director John Dullaghan. Let the spoonfed tend to the spoonfed.

I first became acquainted with Charles Bukowski's work about a year ago and actually purchased one of his books. His poetry is of the nitty-gritty, down-to-earth, no-holds-barred variety, that I find revealing and fascinating. This movie goes beyond Mr. Bukowski's poetry to examine the man behind the work, and does a credible job of presenting the life of this extraordinary writer and artist. It shows how he overcame major social, emotional and financial barriers to become a world famous author while at the same time remaining true to himself. The movie tries to portray Mr. Bukowski as a gruff man, which at times he was, but he was also a decent man whose poetry gave expression to the thoughts and feelings of millions and millions of persons whose voices are never heard, and if heard, is never heeded. Watch this movie.

If you go into this film without ever haven read Bukowski, it can be a jarring experience, but rewarding nonetheless. I love his stuff, most of it anyway, and never really had a chance to see him while he was alive. His book Post Office is perhaps the rawest and perfectly written piece of literature that I've ever read. The documentary does him justice in that it captures him in his perfect drunken, creative, and impossibly complex environment. Filmed over 10 to 15 years, it is not hero worship in any sense, it's as raw and revealing of a tortured, yet extremely funny individual as one can capture on film. We see his relationships with women unravel and patch up, the dusty daily grind of a regular job that he hates, his horrible childhood which would serve as material for Ham on Rye, his struggle with celebrity in the twilight of his life. Like all great artists Pryor, Lenny Bruce, Van Gogh, etc., Bukowski uses the pain and suffering of everyday life to his advantage, the result is a great revealing documentary that opens him up and makes him accessible to even his most die-hard fans. Much better than Barfly.

This Documenty just increase my love for the man. The poet drags you into his life and shows you some of his behind the seens life and gives you a glimpse of the "bluebird" in his heart. Combineing newer footage along with lots of black and white film of a 70's documentery crew, interviews and some readings. The film also interviews people close to 'Buk' such as his last wife, his co-worker at the post office and also famous friends such as Bono, Sean Penn, and Harry Dean Stanton. If you get the chance to see this film, don't hold back. I hope to purchase the dvd soon. Not sure of the release date, but as charles says "You may have my soul, but, I have your money."