A raw portrait of troubled poet Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski wrote the autobiographical screenplay for 1987's "Barfly," which turned out to be a career high point for Mickey Rourke. The hard-drinking Bukowski had never seemed so accessible or funny or as deliriously rebellious on-screen. Rourke was an inspired choice to play him, even if Bukowski himself was not flattered.
The real Bukowski, as revealed in John Dullaghan's documentary, "Bukowski: Born Into This," was scarier, more complicated, more likely to offend with his tantrums and mean-spirited insults. Indeed, Dullaghan's movie sometimes functions as a critique of "Barfly," which, for all its low-budget charm, comes off here as a typical Hollywood biography.
Dullaghan sees a troubled, pockmarked poet who was so brutalized by his father that the sadomasochistic torch song "Mean to Me" almost became a hymn to him. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" was one of Bukowski's favorite movies, and no wonder. Captured on film is one squirm-worthy confrontation with his devoted wife, Linda Lee, who ultimately wouldn't put up with his threats.
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There's also a more reflective side to Bukowski, who died 10 years ago of leukemia. While Dullaghan never forgets that he was still a boozing writer who relished attacking easy pop-culture targets (Mickey Mouse is ripped to shreds) and encouraging a lusty lineup of groupies, Bukowski's gifts as a writer-philosopher were impressive.
Bono and Tom Waits, two of several celebrities interviewed here, emerge as particularly thoughtful defenders of Bukowski's artful attempts at honesty. Without spending a lot of screen time quoting from his work, they help to describe it and define his aspirations. While it's always difficult to use film to demonstrate what makes a writer distinctive, Dullaghan hits more often than he misses.
Dullaghan never met his subject. He relies on extensive footage of Bukowski from previous documentaries, as well as interviews with Taylor Hackford, who made one of them, and Barbet Schroeder, the director of "Barfly." Over a period of seven years, Dullaghan interviewed hundreds of people who knew or were affected by Bukowski. The result is both wide-ranging and intimate.
John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com