One Tough Mother
| One Tough Mother | |
|---|---|
| File:One Tough Mother.jpg Film poster | |
| Directed by | Jon Monday |
| Produced by | Jon Monday and Dennis Del Torre |
| Starring | Charles Bukowski |
| Distributed by | mondayMEDIA |
Release date |
|
Running time | 350 minutes |
| Language | English |
One Tough Mother[1] is a film documenting the last two live poetry reading given by Charles Bukowski, even though he lived and wrote for another 14 years. The readings were given at the Viking Inn, a small concert hall in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on October 12, 1979 and at the Sweetwater, a small music venue in Redondo Beach, CA on March 31, 1980. The Vancouver reading was produced by Dennis Del Torre and the Redondo Beach reading was produced and directed by Jon Monday for mondayMEDIA. Later in 1980, Bukowski's book royalties and movie advances provided him enough income so that he no longer had to do live readings, which he disliked doing. [2][3][4]
Plot
After the release of the Vancouver and Redondo Beach readings on DVD, the producers wanted to release the full, unedited, performances together with extras, including interviews and a theatrical performance of Bukowski poems.[5]
Bukowski's readings were known for their riotous back and forth with the audience and this recording serves as an example, in full color. Each poem is set between a tense dialog – with Bukowski giving and taking insults and threats with members of the audience. The Redondo Beach reading ends with Bukowski's poem, A Poetry Reading, at the end of which, he says, "This reading is over!", and it was, in fact, his last reading.[6][7]
Extras
Bukowski at the Huntington — In 2006 Bukowski’s wife, Linda Lee, donated a considerable Bukowski archive to the prestigious Huntington Library. The DVD includes selections from Celebrating Bukowski, an event presented by the Huntington officially welcoming Bukowski’s papers. Features talks, reminiscences and readings by admirers, friends and family, as well as an interview with Sue Hodson, Curator of Literary Manuscripts.
Behind the Making of Bukowski: Born Into This — An in-depth interview with filmmaker John Dullaghan, director of the definitive Bukowski documentary, about the making of Born Into This. Also includes selections from the film including poems read by Bono; Tom Waits; and Bukowski’s publisher, John Martin, reading Bukowski’s last poem; and a poem read by John Dullaghan.
Love, Bukowski, Selected Scenes — Performances of three Bukowski poems from the play as presented by the California Repertory Company as well as comments by Joanne Gordon, who conceived and directed Love, Bukowski, and was nominated for a 2005 LA Drama Critics Award for best adaptation; and the company won a special LADCA award.
The Vancouver Gang, a mini-documentary of the 25th anniversary screening of the Vancouver reading.
The Producers — Interviews with the producers of both readings, Dennis Del Torre, who personally knew Bukowski very well, Jon Monday, and music-business manager and producer Denny Bruce, producer of the original Redondo Beach reading and the Hostage CD.
Inscriptions of a Dirty Old Man — Dennis Del Torre's collection of inscriptions on books by Bukowski.
The Vancouver Letters — Dennis Del Torre's collection of letters from Bukowski regarding the arrangements for the Vancouver reading.
External links
- Review
- Official site with excerpts from Bukowski's letters talking about reading
- Official Website
- Biography and Review
References
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