foreign film suggestions

It’s not in the cinema now but it’s a brilliant foreign film: 8)
L’Amour Est un Chien de l’Enfer
aka Crazy Love
aka Love is a Dog From Hell
http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:120022

Not only is this the best foreign film I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen, ever!
It’s no longer showing at mainstream cinemas, so catch it at a arty cinema if you can. It’s showing at The Reading Film Theatre on 8 February 2007 at 8.00pm.

“L’Amour Est un Chien de l’Enfer” was a good film, but like every single movie adapted from Bukowski, falls short of the intention of the written text. I mean Deruddere blatantly tries to romanticise the necrophilic third act by only having harry have sex with the corpse whilst his mate is horrified and then having harry make the corpse his wife, whereas in the short story that section is based on both men have sex with the body and then casually dump it in a river…true Bukowski.

The recent “Factotum” for example fell short of the mark in many ways, Matt Dillon playing the role alone betrays the book as both Bukowski and Chinaski, his alter-ego are always ugly, dishevelled, squalid etc in appearance. “L’Amour Est un Chien de l’Enfer” does go along with this in the second act with the teenager being riddled with acne and in the third section by the character being scarred both physically and emmotionally as a result. Mickey Rourke in “Barfly” probably came closest to the Chinaski of the novels but the film fell short in other ways ie hammy acting and mainly by being so obviously in awe of Bukowski that both Rourke and Schroeder failed to actually get across that Chinaski isn’t only a bum but also a complete arsehole emmotionally and to others. Now “Tales of Ordinary Madness” did present Bukowski this way, the using of women for sex etc, but Gazzara and Ferreri failed in the exact way “Barfly” worked. Ultimately it seems to me that Bukowski is now so reverred and admired (rightfully so) by these filmmakers and actors that it makes a truly great adaptation impossible.

“L’Amour Est un Chien de l’Enfer” is well worth watching as a film but not as a Bukowski adaptation, Bukowski simply has to be read or listened to in the case of his poetry. I heard a great recording he did himself called “Far From the Maddening Drunk Crowd” replete with background noise from his windows of drunks fighting and i have to suggest “Ham on Rye” as the book everyone must read.