On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 150/200 |
Max Braden |
I was bored. It felt to forced. Adaptation is the far better choice. |
If you are not an American literature buff, the name Charles Bukowski probably means nothing to you. There is one possible exception here if you are familiar with the 1987 film. Barfly. The Mickey Rourke/Faye Dunaway classic tells the story of a pair of doomed lovers who drink away their existence together. It was written by Bukowski, and anyone who knew the man presumed the work to be semi-autobiographic.
Like the main character in Barfly, Henry Chinaski, Bukowski was a lecherous drunk who was as renowned for his alcohol-induced misadventures as he was for the episodic poetry. His skill as a wordsmith continues to become more and more respected despite his death in 1994. A significant number of unpublished poems discovered after his death continue to surprise and astound those who have heard tales of disgust from those who knew the frequently unkempt, unbathed Bukowski.
Factotum is a fictitious tale of a nomadic 1940s writer (as portrayed by Matt Dillon) forced to take on odd jobs to feed his addictions. Without this irregular employment, the scribe would be unable to pay for the women, gambling and booze which drive his largely nihilistic existence. He aimlessly moves from vocation to vocation on a near-weekly basis. The main way he tells various phases of his life apart are through the women he romances.
And that man's name is Henry Chinaski, just as it was in Barfly.
This is not, however, a sequel to that project nor is it (theoretically) in any way related. Instead, the $2.5 million production looks to tell the story of a World War II poet whose place in society was always in its seamy underbelly. It will focus upon Bukowski...err, Chinaski's stubborn decision to live an irregular life.
Bukowski was, in many ways, the ultimate cliche of the mercurial, hard living writer. His poems, which are loosely based on his life, naturally make for interesting - albeit oftentimes uncomfortable - reading. Barfly held true to this pattern as well, so it's safe to assume that the next Bukowski film will share those traits. (David Mumpower/BOP)
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