Charles Bukowski

Henry Charles Bukowski was a German-American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambiance of his home city of Los Angeles.

Barfly (1987)

Downtrodden writer Henry and distressed goddess Wanda aren't exactly husband and wife: they're wedded to their bar stools. But, they like each other's company—and Barfly captures their giddy, gin-soaked attempts to make a go of life on the skids.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Barbet Schroeder
CAST:  Mickey Rourke  •  Faye Dunaway  •  Alice Krige  •  Jack Nance

Downtrodden writer Henry and distressed goddess Wanda aren't exactly husband and wife: they're wedded to their bar stools. But, they like each other's company—and Barfly captures their giddy, gin-soaked attempts to make a go of life on the skids.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Barbet Schroeder
CAST:  Mickey Rourke  •  Faye Dunaway  •  Alice Krige  •  Jack Nance

Bukowski: The Last Straw (2008)

The Last Straw is a film documenting the very last live poetry reading given by Charles Bukowski at The Sweetwater, a music club in Redondo Beach, California on March 31, 1980  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

The Last Straw is a film documenting the very last live poetry reading given by Charles Bukowski at The Sweetwater, a music club in Redondo Beach, California on March 31, 1980  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski: There's Gonna Be a God Damn Riot in Here (2008)

This is the last poetry reading Charles Bukowski gave outside the US. It was video taped in 1979 by local promoter Dennis Del Torre.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jon Monday
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

This is the last poetry reading Charles Bukowski gave outside the US. It was video taped in 1979 by local promoter Dennis Del Torre.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Jon Monday
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Bukowski: Born Into This (2003)

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 ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Dullaghan
CAST:  Charles Bukowski  •  Harry Dean Stanton  •  Sean Penn  •  Bono

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 ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  John Dullaghan
CAST:  Charles Bukowski  •  Harry Dean Stanton  •  Sean Penn  •  Bono

Supervan (1977)

A man named Clint enters a solar-powered van called Vandora into a competition called Freakout.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lamar Card
CAST:  Bruce Kimball  •  Mark Schneider  •  Katie Saylor  •  Morgan Woodward

A man named Clint enters a solar-powered van called Vandora into a competition called Freakout.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Lamar Card
CAST:  Bruce Kimball  •  Mark Schneider  •  Katie Saylor  •  Morgan Woodward

Bukowski at Bellevue (1970)

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 ...  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

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 ...  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

The Best Hotel on Skid Row (1990)

America Undercover goes to the Madison Hotel in the skid-row section of downtown Los Angeles and talks to some of the desperate people living there. It talks to a prostitute and heroin addict named Becky, a drug dealer and traveler names John, and an heavy drinking ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Renee Tajima-Peña  •  Christine Choy
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

America Undercover goes to the Madison Hotel in the skid-row section of downtown Los Angeles and talks to some of the desperate people living there. It talks to a prostitute and heroin addict named Becky, a drug dealer and traveler names John, and an heavy drinking ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Renee Tajima-Peña  •  Christine Choy
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Bukowski (1973)

Charles Bukowski is filmed going to a poetry reading in San Francisco.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Taylor Hackford
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski is filmed going to a poetry reading in San Francisco.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Taylor Hackford
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

You Never Had It: An Evening With Bukowski (2016)

A long night spent drinking, smoking, and talking about sex, literature, childhood and humanity with irreverent writer poet Charles Bukowski in his California home in 1981. A story of video tapes lost, then found, and brought back to life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Matteo Bogardt
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

A long night spent drinking, smoking, and talking about sex, literature, childhood and humanity with irreverent writer poet Charles Bukowski in his California home in 1981. A story of video tapes lost, then found, and brought back to life.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Matteo Bogardt
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Love, He Said (2018)

1973, San Francisco. Charles Bukowski, underground poet and punk ahead of his time, reads his poem Love to a wild audience who've come to see the pulp writer's provocative performance. But that day, instead of a punk they find a broken man hungry for love.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Inés Sedan
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

1973, San Francisco. Charles Bukowski, underground poet and punk ahead of his time, reads his poem Love to a wild audience who've come to see the pulp writer's provocative performance. But that day, instead of a punk they find a broken man hungry for love.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Inés Sedan
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Poetry in Motion (1982)

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ron Mann
CAST:  Charles Bukowski  •  William S. Burroughs  •  John Cage  •  Jim Carroll

More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Early in the film, Charles Bukowski talks about the energy of poets and of a poem. These poets are the children of Walt Whitman and of Charles Olson, incantatory and oratorical, ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Ron Mann
CAST:  Charles Bukowski  •  William S. Burroughs  •  John Cage  •  Jim Carroll

The Ordinary Madness of Charles Bukowski (1995)

BBC documentary on the brutally honest writer/poet Charles Bukowski.  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

BBC documentary on the brutally honest writer/poet Charles Bukowski.  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Charles Bukowski's Crappy Life (2017)

One afternoon, Bukowski sat down to record the audio version of his classic, Run With the Hunted. The session took place in his home with his wife by his side. These are the outtakes.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Drew Christie
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

One afternoon, Bukowski sat down to record the audio version of his classic, Run With the Hunted. The session took place in his home with his wife by his side. These are the outtakes.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Drew Christie
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

The Charles Bukowski Tapes (1985)

The Charles Bukowski Tapes are an altogether more than four hours long collection of 52 short-interviews with the American cult author Charles Bukowski, sorted by topic and each between one and ten minutes long. Director Barbet Schroeder (Barfly) interviews ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Barbet Schroeder
CAST:  Charles Bukowski  •  Barbet Schroeder

The Charles Bukowski Tapes are an altogether more than four hours long collection of 52 short-interviews with the American cult author Charles Bukowski, sorted by topic and each between one and ten minutes long. Director Barbet Schroeder (Barfly) interviews ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Barbet Schroeder
CAST:  Charles Bukowski  •  Barbet Schroeder

Il falso bugiardo (2008)

Based upon Vincenzoni's biography, "Pane e cinema", the documentary traces the story of the screen play writer who invented many stories that became blockbusters throughout the world.  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Luciano Vincenzoni  •  Dino De Laurentiis  •  Sergio Donati  •  Gianni Bulgari

Based upon Vincenzoni's biography, "Pane e cinema", the documentary traces the story of the screen play writer who invented many stories that became blockbusters throughout the world.  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Luciano Vincenzoni  •  Dino De Laurentiis  •  Sergio Donati  •  Gianni Bulgari

On Life (2021)

Henry Charles Bukowski (born Heinrich Karl Bukowski; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles. His work ...  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

Henry Charles Bukowski (born Heinrich Karl Bukowski; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles. His work ...  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

On The Tragedies Of Ordinary Life (2018)

In this Bukowski poem entitled, "The Shoelace Poem," Bukowski invites the listener/reader to feel less alone in the insanity created by the simple, mundane string of ordinary life events. Sometimes it isn’t massive life tragedies that push someone over the edge. ...  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

In this Bukowski poem entitled, "The Shoelace Poem," Bukowski invites the listener/reader to feel less alone in the insanity created by the simple, mundane string of ordinary life events. Sometimes it isn’t massive life tragedies that push someone over the edge. ...  (more)

DIRECTION: 
CAST:  Charles Bukowski

La TV des 70's : Quand Giscard était président (2022)

In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions was to break up the ORTF with the creation of three new television channels: TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3. Three new public ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Matthieu Jaubert
CAST:  Valéry Giscard d'Estaing  •  Charles Aznavour  •  Johnny Hallyday  •  René Rémond

In May 1974, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became President of the Republic and wanted to bring about a new era of modernity. One of his first decisions was to break up the ORTF with the creation of three new television channels: TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3. Three new public ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Matthieu Jaubert
CAST:  Valéry Giscard d'Estaing  •  Charles Aznavour  •  Johnny Hallyday  •  René Rémond