Bukowski: Born Into This

by Ethan Nahté

The Everday Man’s poet

---

Henry “Hank” Charles Bukowski was considered by many as the common man’s poet. He didn’t write for the high class literati crowd. He wrote poetry that could be understood by all, albeit crude and brutal at times. Bukowski didn’t mince words in his poetry, his novels or in his real life. The documentary Bukowski: Born Into This (Magnolia Home Entertainment) reveals the life, work and an interesting glimpse at a man who could give a rat’s ass whether you agreed with him or not.

Even if you’re not a fan of poetry, you may be interested in some of the interviews that are included in this nearly 2 hour long film. Besides his wife, Linda Lee, close friends, ex-girlfriends and some obscure poets, there are interviews with musician/actor Tom Waits, actors Sean Penn & Harry Dean Stanton and Bono of U2. These are people who found Bukowski’s writing profound and a breath of fresh air compared to most of the formulaic poetry that we learn in school, even if he was talking about a fetid subject. He was the man who wrote “Barfly” which was a starring vehicle for Mickey Rourke, even though Bukowski didn’t think much of the way Rourke played the role and thought even less of Hollywood afterwards, prompting him to write the novel, “Hollywood.”

Bukowski was an abused child with a face like a pepperoni pizza that had been beaten with a bat a couple of times. His looks didn’t improve as he got older. He drank and smoked a lot. During readings he would get belligerent with people harassing him during a performance. Despite all of his aggressive behavior, he rarely got physical, although there is a scene with Linda Lee that shows him being a bit abusive. Most of the times when he was being interviewed, there are things he says or does that shows that he had a good heart and was a passionate man when it came to life and those close to him, even if he didn’t want to admit to it.

The footage is a combination of black and white material from the early ‘70s to interviews with him and others leading up to his death in the ‘90s. They range from interviews and footage shot for specials here in America to programs from all over Europe. His poetry may not appeal to everyone, but there are pieces that stand out as you listen his voice. Every phrase or sentence ends with an elongated version of the last word when he speaks. His craggy face shows character and his eyes have a glimmer of something deeper spinning in his mind than what you are hearing.

To say the least, this is an interesting documentary. It’s well done considering how old some of the material is that the producers had to work with. Don’t look for an unedited version to appear on TV.

Rating: 3.5/5