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Special Features
- Sneak peek at previously unpublished poems & "Dinosauria, We"
- "Born Into This" behind-the-scenes featurette
- Bukowski's final home footage from 1992
- Deleted scene
- Extended interviews with Bono, Linda Lee Bukowski, Taylor Hackford and Publisher John Martin
- Tom Waits and Bono read Bukowski poetry
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Director John Dullaghan's biographical documentary about infamous poet Charles Bukowski, Bukowski: Born Into This, is as much a touching portrait of the author as it is an exposé of his sordid lifestyle. Interspersed between ample vintage footage of Bukowski's poetry readings are interviews with the poet's fans including such legendary figures such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Joyce Fante (wife of John), Bono, and Harry Dean Stanton. Filmed in grainy black and white by Bukowski's friend, Taylor Hackford, due to lack of funding, the old films edited into this movie paint Bukowski's life of boozing and brawling romantically, securing Bukowski's legendary status. Born Into This relies on interviews with Bukowski for biographical information instead of cheesy voiceovers, bringing the viewer even closer to the author. For example, in one amazing sequence, Bukowski rides the viewer around in the backseat of his car, telling us through his rearview mirror of his stint as a post office worker which inspired the novel, Post Office. Scenes splicing interviews with Bukowski's ex-wife, Linda Lee, and R. Crumb's comic strip panels portraying Bukowski as a sex-crazed maniac, set the tone for bawdier parts of the film. Occasionally the film displays lines of Bukowski's poetry on the screen, as reminders that he was not only a raging alcoholic with a fierce sense of humor but also a talented and beloved writer. With so much hilariously shocking footage of "Hank," Bukowski: Born Into This presents Bukowski as a troubled but classic genius. --Trinie Dalton
Product Description
Documentary on Charles Bukowski, author of 'Notes of a Dirty Old Man', 'Love Is a Dog', 'from Hell', and the autobiographical novels, 'Women', 'Hollywood', and 'Post Office'.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 61 people found the following review helpful
By tupelony
Format:DVD
They finally are going to release this. I saw Born Into This in a small theater in NY. I have always been a big fan of Bukowski ever since a friend loaned me "Roominghouse Madrigals". I corresponded with CB briefly just before his death.
I have always felt that eventhough Bukowski was/is incredibly famous by any "poet" measure, he has been sadly overlooked by the scholarly crowd. I can't imagine anybody reading a substantial portion of his work and not agreeing with me that Buk was one of the most influential and important writers of the last century. There have been several biographies written about Buk, none of which did him justice. This film is the first one in my opinion. You get a real feel for what made him tick, his genius and at times his recklessness. You also get a look at the love he had for his last wife and her unflailing patience with him.
The entire film is entertaining, touching, educational and everything else you could ask for.
My recommendation is see this even if the only connection you have to Buk is watching Barfly. You'll be picking up Post Office in no time.
I have always felt that eventhough Bukowski was/is incredibly famous by any "poet" measure, he has been sadly overlooked by the scholarly crowd. I can't imagine anybody reading a substantial portion of his work and not agreeing with me that Buk was one of the most influential and important writers of the last century. There have been several biographies written about Buk, none of which did him justice. This film is the first one in my opinion. You get a real feel for what made him tick, his genius and at times his recklessness. You also get a look at the love he had for his last wife and her unflailing patience with him.
The entire film is entertaining, touching, educational and everything else you could ask for.
My recommendation is see this even if the only connection you have to Buk is watching Barfly. You'll be picking up Post Office in no time.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By Kirk Alex
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm glad this was made! Saw it in a theatre when it opened about three years ago and was happy to see it was out on DVD recently--and snapped one up off the amazon site right away.
Props to the filmmaker! A big thank you to Tom Waits (another favorite) for making an appearance and for reading the Buk poem. Others have tried to read Bukowski's stuff, and it just doesn't work, doesn't come off right. Waits is absolutely perfect for this sort of material and ought to consider doing an entire album of either Buk's prose and/or poetry.
Back to Bukowski for a minute: I don't care what his detractors continue to moan and gripe about when it comes to the man's work--because I said it more than 25 years ago and I'm still saying it today--and I will say keep saying it until the day I die: he was a mad genius!
One good/solid third of his output is pure GOLD--and I am talking about the best stuff. As a result, he will be read forever. In my opinion, this guy remains the greatest American poet of them all, period.
A third of his output is fair, and the last third is quite lousy, in fact, unreadable (and I place Pulp in that last third bunch; some of the stories in Hot Water Music are weak; the novel Hollywood is really not as good as it otherwise might have been, etc) -- but, so what? How many great hitters, get the best, can hit a homer each and every time at bat? Every single time? No way.
Did the writer have flaws and weaknesses as a man? Hell, yes! Who isn't flawed? I'm not perfect, and neither are you--or anyone else. All I have to say just take a real good look at what the man endured as a child, look what he lived through. And if you can't understand that, and don't get it, or simply REFUSE to get it...well, there is nothing else to be said.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how truly insightful Taylor Hackford's take on the man was, also Linda Bukowski's comments were quite poignant.
Where was the other Linda, by the way? Why was Linda King left out? And why was Ben Pleasants not included as well? And what about Dan Fante, the late, great John Fante's son?
Okay, I could be nit picking...
The one individual who to me, and this was some kind of downer, did not come off as incredibly bright (and by that I mean lacking true insight into Charles Bukowski) was his long-time publisher John Martin. Yes, give him credit for having had at least enough intelligence for seeing value in Bukowski's writing, but that's about it.
I could be wrong here, and I hope I am, but I have this feeling that the reason some of Buk's poetry lacks his verve and profundity/punch could be because Martin (or someone employed by him) may have done some "minor" editing and/or trimming here and there. Like I said, I am only guessing --but some of the lines come across as truly weak and pedestrian in various volumes written towards the end of the writer's life.
Again, I could be wrong, but some of the material just does not hold up. Could have been Buk (having some off days; it happens--and I am talking about stuff written way before illness was upon him) or it could be something else.
By the way, when will the Bukowski Tapes (shot by Barbet Shroeder) be put out on DVD? Isn't it about time? Come on, Barbet!
John Dullaghan: again, thanks for hanging in there!
Yes, I was one of those who wept when I heard the man was gone. I admit it, a Nam vet, been around, lived through some heavy /hard times of my own, seen my share of it...and I wept. We loved him, still do.
Props to the filmmaker! A big thank you to Tom Waits (another favorite) for making an appearance and for reading the Buk poem. Others have tried to read Bukowski's stuff, and it just doesn't work, doesn't come off right. Waits is absolutely perfect for this sort of material and ought to consider doing an entire album of either Buk's prose and/or poetry.
Back to Bukowski for a minute: I don't care what his detractors continue to moan and gripe about when it comes to the man's work--because I said it more than 25 years ago and I'm still saying it today--and I will say keep saying it until the day I die: he was a mad genius!
One good/solid third of his output is pure GOLD--and I am talking about the best stuff. As a result, he will be read forever. In my opinion, this guy remains the greatest American poet of them all, period.
A third of his output is fair, and the last third is quite lousy, in fact, unreadable (and I place Pulp in that last third bunch; some of the stories in Hot Water Music are weak; the novel Hollywood is really not as good as it otherwise might have been, etc) -- but, so what? How many great hitters, get the best, can hit a homer each and every time at bat? Every single time? No way.
Did the writer have flaws and weaknesses as a man? Hell, yes! Who isn't flawed? I'm not perfect, and neither are you--or anyone else. All I have to say just take a real good look at what the man endured as a child, look what he lived through. And if you can't understand that, and don't get it, or simply REFUSE to get it...well, there is nothing else to be said.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how truly insightful Taylor Hackford's take on the man was, also Linda Bukowski's comments were quite poignant.
Where was the other Linda, by the way? Why was Linda King left out? And why was Ben Pleasants not included as well? And what about Dan Fante, the late, great John Fante's son?
Okay, I could be nit picking...
The one individual who to me, and this was some kind of downer, did not come off as incredibly bright (and by that I mean lacking true insight into Charles Bukowski) was his long-time publisher John Martin. Yes, give him credit for having had at least enough intelligence for seeing value in Bukowski's writing, but that's about it.
I could be wrong here, and I hope I am, but I have this feeling that the reason some of Buk's poetry lacks his verve and profundity/punch could be because Martin (or someone employed by him) may have done some "minor" editing and/or trimming here and there. Like I said, I am only guessing --but some of the lines come across as truly weak and pedestrian in various volumes written towards the end of the writer's life.
Again, I could be wrong, but some of the material just does not hold up. Could have been Buk (having some off days; it happens--and I am talking about stuff written way before illness was upon him) or it could be something else.
By the way, when will the Bukowski Tapes (shot by Barbet Shroeder) be put out on DVD? Isn't it about time? Come on, Barbet!
John Dullaghan: again, thanks for hanging in there!
Yes, I was one of those who wept when I heard the man was gone. I admit it, a Nam vet, been around, lived through some heavy /hard times of my own, seen my share of it...and I wept. We loved him, still do.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
So says the grave of Charles Bukowski a man who, behind his pocked and weathered face, had an ambition of which no one would have guessed. At this point, readers may have grown tired of hearing me rave about this or that documentary--as I have seen so many excellent ones over the course of the last year; however, "Born Into This," is as good a bio-pic as any ever made. It is unbelievably interesting and artful. The director knew Bukowski well, and this footage is extremely intimate. Stylistically, its strongest feature is the superimposing of Buk's poetry and sentences across the screen--which are then reproduced at the same speed at which he speaks. It creates a powerful effect and this is never more true than when he passionately mouths the title poem.
It's really not a pretty tale. Bukowski led a sorrowful life. Although, its damage was somewhat mitigated by his later, unforeseeable, success in which "the blondes with the [certain unmentionable physical attribute] came too late." There was a certain, dare-I-say, nobility about this dirty and talented old man. He existed to drink, write, and have sex. He was what he was, and how many people can say the same? There was not a once of pretension in him. He had a high level of artistic integrity and wrote diligently every day. Even if one doesn't like Charles Bukowski or feels repulsed by him, his perspective was so unique that one must appreciate him. What a life! This documentary captures the man far better than any book that I've read about him. I'd say R.I.P., but I'm not sure peace is something he ever wanted.
It's really not a pretty tale. Bukowski led a sorrowful life. Although, its damage was somewhat mitigated by his later, unforeseeable, success in which "the blondes with the [certain unmentionable physical attribute] came too late." There was a certain, dare-I-say, nobility about this dirty and talented old man. He existed to drink, write, and have sex. He was what he was, and how many people can say the same? There was not a once of pretension in him. He had a high level of artistic integrity and wrote diligently every day. Even if one doesn't like Charles Bukowski or feels repulsed by him, his perspective was so unique that one must appreciate him. What a life! This documentary captures the man far better than any book that I've read about him. I'd say R.I.P., but I'm not sure peace is something he ever wanted.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hank is awesome!
Bukowski is beyond words! One of the greatest writers in my lifetime. Great documentary of his life. I only wish that I had more of his works.
Published 4 months ago by Jason M. Nelson
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good
The seller was quick and the item was great but the price as a little high and I was disappointed to see it on Netflix for free,
Published 4 months ago by Meagan Hatfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
Favorite poet
I 'loved learning more about Charles Bukowski, very interesting and informative, as promised! I would recommend this to fans of this poet!
Published 4 months ago by CasualT
3.0 out of 5 stars
Strange person
This doco introduces American poet Charles Bukowski to missed a master passed round a globe comprehensively by dismantling his routine life substantially. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Michael Kerjman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bukowski may have been a 'real poet'.
There are certain small members of modern day society who cannot live like most people do. They cannot get up every morning and work a routine job, raise children, or hold long... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Dhaval Vyas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bukowski Rules
This biopic is truly a must for avid Bukowski fans. The man was a legend in his own time, though he roamed under the radar for decades before being published. Read more
Published on September 29, 2010 by P. Quinn
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Postal Worker Who Thought He was a Writer
Frankly, I thought I'd outgrown the beatniks, my high school heroes who motivated me to be a geek without apologies. Read more
Published on October 23, 2009 by Samuel Chell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elegy To A Los Angeles Man
Back in the early 1970's, well- before he became a cult figure of some stature, someone, somewhere directed me to some articles written by the king of "gonzo" journalist, the late... Read more
Published on March 27, 2009 by Alfred Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
"This is the modern Whitman, the man in the street, writing for people...
So John Martin, Black Sparrow publisher, describes Bukowsky in John Dullaghan's film bio "Born Into This. Read more
Published on June 10, 2008 by Kerry Walters
5.0 out of 5 stars
a rarity. don't miss it.
i have wonderful friends who introduce fascinating things into my life. one such thing was this movie. Read more
Published on May 18, 2008 by T. Martin
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