Customer Reviews

Charles Bukowski - Bukowski at Bellevue

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a joy this DVD is, an artifact from another time, from the sound of CB'S voice to the funny wanderings of the camera man,this is a DVD that all serious and not so serious lovers of poetry should have.
I have watched it twice today,and the defects in the quality of the original tape do not detract at all, rather they seem somehow to enhance the experience of listening and watching the DVD.It is a wonderful antidote to all the slick product around,so much style at the expense of content.
This DVD is content at the expense of style.

Bukowski devotees will want to watch this. Even for them, however, the poor quality of this DVD, with its grainy footage, will test their patience. Then again, maybe grainy footage is fitting for the greatest of the skid row writers. As with Bukowski's writing, the format is very minimalist: just the author, hair greased back and wearing his trademark California t-shirt and Chinos, sitting in a chair reading from a stack of poems. It's hard not to be transfixed by Bukowski's words. I had never heard Bukowski speak before I rented this DVD. Although Buk could get antagonistic at some poetry readings, here he is well behaved. But, what's in that thermos, Hank? Anyway, some of the poems are great, though disturbing. The one about his girlfriend having sex with the firemen is pure Bukowski. The montage-style "My Father Was" is oddly moving. Buk doesn't put much fire into his readings, however. He seems determined not to ham it up, a la Ginsberg. Yet, despite the flat nature of his delivery, he does make a few jokes. After describing a woman as having waists rather than a waist, he corrects himself, saying, "you only have one waist." As raw as Bukowski often got, the sense of humor was always there.

The video quality is pretty poor, like a third generation VHS copy. It has bad vertical hold and the video freezes every now and then. You can hear background noises like airplanes flying overhead, sirens, and traffic noises. There was no DVD insert and no DVD special features. The first poem read is about Sheri Martinelli.