Bukowski at Bellevue

Nov 11 1970 Not Rated 1h 0m
Biography, Documentary

In the spring of 1970 Charles Bukowski took his first plane trip for a poetry reading at Bellevue Community College in Washington state. That he was videotaped by two students apparently was later forgotten, but the tapes were recently rediscovered and have been released by Black Sparrow press. "Bukowski at Bellevue" gives us a fascinating glimpse of the man before he had to be concerned with how celebrity and financial security were affecting him. (It is said that this was only his fourth public reading.) This is Bukowski, then about 50, taken straight. No games, no irony, no self-consciousness--just an ordinary-looking guy, maybe hung over, sitting before a small group of students reading his work with gusto, humor and sensitivity. A man who clearly had lived the marginal life he wrote about with passion and at times a lyrical, even mystical beauty.

Plot

In the Spring of 1970 CHARLES BUKOWSKI, then little known, packed his overnight bag, locked the door of his tumbledown East Hollywood apartment behind him, and took his first plane ride to the state of Washington to read at Bellevue Community College. This pioneer reading (only his fourth ever) was videotaped in black-and-white using two cameras by students and the film lay forgotten for 18 years. While the technical aspects of this film are shaky, all of this one hour reading comes through loud and clear. Here is Bukowski, at mid-life but at the beginning of a great career, reading powerfully and with grit and humor. A once in-a-lifetime moment has been rediscovered.

Written by

Charles Bukowski

Directed by

N/A

Cast

Charles Bukowski

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Black Sparrow Press

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
136
Average Rating
7.6 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA