Bukowski: Born Into This
A film by John Dullaghan - now on DVD
(Magnolia Home Entertainment)
There are two things that most people think of when they hear the name Charles Bukowski: 1) Drunk. 2) Poems about taking a shit. And perhaps, it is these two basic sterotypes of Bukowski's career which have engaged so many people. Here was this drunken loudmouth, former postal worker, wise-cracking son of a bitch, who proved with every poem that a person did not have to have a million framed degrees, a cravat, and a taste for fine wine to be a poet. Bukowski took the froofy goddesses of poetry and literature and made them into something for the masses. He wrote about beer, women, fucking, acne, and of course, shit, and he brought more meaning to those things than most "classical" poets brought to their epic ruminations on gardens and beautiful Titian women. And yet, despite his star status, very few readers are able to truly dive into the epic nature of Bukowski's works. It's hard even to know where to start: the man wrote fifty novels in his lifetime (all, amazingly, written after he turned 49), as well as numerous books of poetry, the number of which is still climbing due to the constant unearthing of new poems from small presses to form more and more collections. And perhaps, this is where the documentary Born Into This takes its rightful place in Bukowski's canon: by examining the legendary writer's life from beginning to end, it manages to provide a little perspective.
Born Into This gives a multi-faceted idea of the true nature of Bukowski. There's still plenty of footage which portrays the blue-collar poet we all know and love, but director John Dullaghan steers away from lionizing his subject as a poet of the people. Yes, we do hear some fantastic stories about Bukowski, as well as see footage from his legendary reading at City Lights. At the same time, however, we also get to see his softer side: he talks frankly about a wide range of unglamorous subjects over the course of the film, ranging from his childhood abuse to his first (very unsexy) sexual experience and his stormy relationships with women. On a more sobering note, the audience is also privy to a side of Bukowski that they would never want to see of anyone; in an epic, yet horrifying scene, Bukowski slaps and kicks at his wife, Linda Lee, after he's had too many drinks. Despite the almost unwatchable nature of this moment, though, it is also what makes this DVD truly work as a biography. The legend is stripped away, and all the viewer sees is an ordinary, troubled man.
The only real problem with this documentary is, frankly, the inclusion of interviews and readings from U2 frontman Bono. According to Dallaghan, he interviewed 150 people who had known Bukowski in some way during the making of Born Into This, and yet he chose to include interviews with Bono alongside quotes from Linda Bukowski and Black Sparrow Publisher John Martin, who virtually launched Bukowski's career. Bono has no true insights into Bukowski's personality, but merely speaks from the point of view of an enamored fan - like any other person watching this film, except for the fact that he namedrops Sean Penn. Perhaps Bono was brought into the film simply because he is a high-profile star, but at the same time, it reflects poorly on the studio's or Dallaghan's perceptions of Bukowski's importance to American culture that they truly felt the need to include him. Another reason Bono may not come off as so welcome is the presence of another poet and musician, Tom Waits. Waits appeared with Bukowski himself in Ron Mann's 1982 documentary Poetry in Motion, which helped to capture some of the finest members of the Beat Generation on film. Maybe it's the fact that Waits has this mark of credibility - as well as more insightful comments - which makes Bono just seem out of place.
Overall, however, Born Into This is highly recommended for Bukowski fans and neophytes alike. The extra footage, especially Bukowski's final home footage and two unpublished poems, is interesting and thought-provoking...although it's not very interesting to watch Bono and Waits read Bukowski's poetry after watching the poet himself read throughout the 113-minute DVD. They have nice voices and inflection, but really, no one will ever read Bukowski's poetry better than Bukowski. With that in mind, hopefully the widescale DVD release of Born Into This will help younger generations to appreciate and give this poet some attention.
Official Site
IMDb Listing
Buy It
on Amazon
See Also: if Bukowski was alive, this could've brought a whole different layer to his poetry
(Magnolia Home Entertainment)
There are two things that most people think of when they hear the name Charles Bukowski: 1) Drunk. 2) Poems about taking a shit. And perhaps, it is these two basic sterotypes of Bukowski's career which have engaged so many people. Here was this drunken loudmouth, former postal worker, wise-cracking son of a bitch, who proved with every poem that a person did not have to have a million framed degrees, a cravat, and a taste for fine wine to be a poet. Bukowski took the froofy goddesses of poetry and literature and made them into something for the masses. He wrote about beer, women, fucking, acne, and of course, shit, and he brought more meaning to those things than most "classical" poets brought to their epic ruminations on gardens and beautiful Titian women. And yet, despite his star status, very few readers are able to truly dive into the epic nature of Bukowski's works. It's hard even to know where to start: the man wrote fifty novels in his lifetime (all, amazingly, written after he turned 49), as well as numerous books of poetry, the number of which is still climbing due to the constant unearthing of new poems from small presses to form more and more collections. And perhaps, this is where the documentary Born Into This takes its rightful place in Bukowski's canon: by examining the legendary writer's life from beginning to end, it manages to provide a little perspective.Born Into This gives a multi-faceted idea of the true nature of Bukowski. There's still plenty of footage which portrays the blue-collar poet we all know and love, but director John Dullaghan steers away from lionizing his subject as a poet of the people. Yes, we do hear some fantastic stories about Bukowski, as well as see footage from his legendary reading at City Lights. At the same time, however, we also get to see his softer side: he talks frankly about a wide range of unglamorous subjects over the course of the film, ranging from his childhood abuse to his first (very unsexy) sexual experience and his stormy relationships with women. On a more sobering note, the audience is also privy to a side of Bukowski that they would never want to see of anyone; in an epic, yet horrifying scene, Bukowski slaps and kicks at his wife, Linda Lee, after he's had too many drinks. Despite the almost unwatchable nature of this moment, though, it is also what makes this DVD truly work as a biography. The legend is stripped away, and all the viewer sees is an ordinary, troubled man.
The only real problem with this documentary is, frankly, the inclusion of interviews and readings from U2 frontman Bono. According to Dallaghan, he interviewed 150 people who had known Bukowski in some way during the making of Born Into This, and yet he chose to include interviews with Bono alongside quotes from Linda Bukowski and Black Sparrow Publisher John Martin, who virtually launched Bukowski's career. Bono has no true insights into Bukowski's personality, but merely speaks from the point of view of an enamored fan - like any other person watching this film, except for the fact that he namedrops Sean Penn. Perhaps Bono was brought into the film simply because he is a high-profile star, but at the same time, it reflects poorly on the studio's or Dallaghan's perceptions of Bukowski's importance to American culture that they truly felt the need to include him. Another reason Bono may not come off as so welcome is the presence of another poet and musician, Tom Waits. Waits appeared with Bukowski himself in Ron Mann's 1982 documentary Poetry in Motion, which helped to capture some of the finest members of the Beat Generation on film. Maybe it's the fact that Waits has this mark of credibility - as well as more insightful comments - which makes Bono just seem out of place.
Overall, however, Born Into This is highly recommended for Bukowski fans and neophytes alike. The extra footage, especially Bukowski's final home footage and two unpublished poems, is interesting and thought-provoking...although it's not very interesting to watch Bono and Waits read Bukowski's poetry after watching the poet himself read throughout the 113-minute DVD. They have nice voices and inflection, but really, no one will ever read Bukowski's poetry better than Bukowski. With that in mind, hopefully the widescale DVD release of Born Into This will help younger generations to appreciate and give this poet some attention.
Official Site
IMDb Listing
Buy It
on AmazonSee Also: if Bukowski was alive, this could've brought a whole different layer to his poetry
<< Home