Hollywood by Charles Bukowski Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Hollywood
Book Review: Good, but don't start here: Bukowski reflects on his brief stint in the film industry....
Summary: 4 Stars
The act of writing is often a good way for people to consider and reflect on Life, on Ideas, or anything else. Hollywood comes shortly after Bukowski was involved in the making of a film -- barfly: he wrote the script.
Hollywood comes across as a writer trying to comes to terms and reach some sort of conclusion about his experience in the movie industry.
Bukowski experiences both the good and the bad while he is involved with making the film. He meets fellow artists, gamblers, genius' to whom he feels sympathetic, while he also meets primadonnas and business-minded suits. Part of the film business he genuinely seems to like.
The reader shares with Bukowski his enjoyment and pride in seeing something he wrote come alive as actors reenact memorable scenes from his past.
Ultimately, Bukowski decides that he will not write another movie script He is unwilling to compromise his art. And he is disgusted by the business mindedness of so many of the people who have the final say in what movies are going to be made.
One quirk I enjoyed about this book is that it is the first book in which Buk has achieved some success. Bukowski is determined not to let success and money change him as an artist. Only, he wonders if that is possible. He's now driving a black BMW instead of an old Jetta; and he has a Jewish accountant.
Like any Bukowski novel, this isn't a bad read. The dialogue is a strength, and it's easy to see how Bukowski's dialog and prose would translate well into film script.
If you haven't read Bukowski, I suggest you start elsewhere. Ham on Rye: A Novel would be a good place to start. post office: A Novel and Women: A Novel I also suggest reading before Hollywood. Although an exception could be made if you are less interested in Bukowski's literature and more interested in looking inside independent film-making. However, if you haven;t read Bukowski before, it is a sure thing that much of the humor and subtle remarks will not catch on with the reader.
Book Review: Hilarious account of the filming and writing of "Barfly"
Summary: 4 Stars
If you've seen the film "Barfly", you might want to read this hilarious (if sometimes slow-paced) account of the making of the film. Bukowski's famous hatred of movies, combined with his attempts to write a screenplay and his adventures through the world of Hollywood producers, make for some priceless moments. As might be expected, there are several laugh-out-loud passages. Fans of the film, Bukowski, or general tales of drinking and excess will enjoy this book.Book Review: Hollywood Trilogy
Summary: 4 Stars
I have just begun reading books of historical Hollywood fiction and I love it. Even though I don't know who they mean, I can clearly see the characters as described. My three favorite books this year have been "Hollywood" "Hollywoodland Kingpin" "Carter Beats The Devil." All are terrific Hollywood romps; semi-fictional, based on real-life behind the scenes events. Thorne Peters and Glen Davis Gold are debut authors. Old Hollywood was way more exciting than today's Hollywood. I'm just learning about speakeasies and flapper girls with brandy flasks in their garter belt. It makes me look at my 87 year old grandmother a little differently, knowing she was a young girl going to those places in N.Y. I wish she had told me these stories when I was growing up....This is a must read book!Book Review: Hurray for Hollywood!
Summary: 5 Stars
Drinking and creativity do not necessarily go together. For every O'Neill, Faulkner, Hemingway, and London, there are hundreds of others who live lonely, desparate and short existences, slowly drinking themselves to death in complete anonymity. Luckily, the world was blessed to have had Charles Bukowski whose most creative moments emerged when he sat before a typewriter with a wine bottle in one hand. Bukowski wrote gritty and no holds barred novels and poetry about the things he loved best--drinking, horse racing and women. He also wrote the screenplay for "Barfly," a film about his young manhood, spent hanging around seedy bars, getting into drunken brawls with the bartender, and writing some of the best poems this side of the grave.Bukowski tells the story of his screenwriting experience through his alter ego Henry Chinaski, a survivor when everyone else in his crowd had already died. It's all there--dealing with easily bruised egos, the Hollywood eccentrics, the on again, off again production problems in making the film, and the continuous inconsistency of cash flow. What lends _Hollywood_ its wonderful resonance is its realness--the boldness and the pluck of its coarse leading player, Charles Bukowski/Hank Chinaski. And of course, his inspiration, the bottle of wine which was, even on the set, never too far off.
Book Review: I Wish He Was Still Around
Summary: 5 Stars
This had to be one of the most enjoyable books I've read in years. It's actually based on Bukowski's life and the events that lead up to and involve the making of his movie "Barfly." It's totally off the wall, but Bukowski's take on Hollywood's own particular brand of insanity is probably just as true today as it was when Charles Bukowski penned this masterpiece of the absurd. Definitely a great book from one of my favorite writers. Highly recommended!