My favourite movie of all time, Barfly, has finally been put back into production after being out of print for years…and I’ve also noticed that there are full versions available elsewhere, at least for the moment. The clip above is noteworthy because the camera passes by Bukowski himself, in a short cameo (Mickey Rourke played his character, Henry Chinaski).

It’s a truly incredible piece to me. While some look on it as a comedy or a base glorification of drunkeness, it is far more than that. The point of the movie is not the alcohol, the brawls, the women, the hangovers…it is the brief periods of flashing beauty in an ugly world. The poem that Chinaski writes while looking at his bloody face in the mirror, his appreciation for the purity in the vicious bark of a dog, and above all the fact that he writes because it is part of who he is – not in a vain attempt at fame or fortune, and even declining opportunities for those when they arise in a pure dedication that is rare in humanity.

I’ve read most of Bukowski’s work, and still feel that Barfly is a great introduction for those who are not familiar with him. Schroeder excels as a director, and Faye Dunaway is incredible in her role. If you haven’t seen it, it is well worth the purchase…and should you happen across me one late night raising a toast to ‘all my friends’ you will understand the reference.