You Never Had It: Bukowski Rides Again!
The debut documentary of Matteo Borgardt, You Never Had It: An Evening With Bukowski, presents audiences with rare, never-before-seen footage of the acclaimed writer and poet in conversation with Italian journalist Silvia Bizio (Borgardt’s mother) from his home in San Pedro. Transporting the viewer back to 1981, roughly a year and a half before the publication of Ham on Rye, the film resurrects Bukowski in all his glory for an intimate evening full of wisdom and surprises.
A night of drinking and talking about sex, literature, childhood, and humanity with the irreverent writer and poet Charles Bukowski in his California house in 1981. A story of tapes lost, found, and brought back to life.
Bukowski was no stranger to interviewers or camera crews; hIs life was pretty well documented, both by journalists and (to an extent) through his own writing. He was one of those writers fortunate enough to live through his fame, and he occasionally wrote about these instances, these interactions with journalists or fans disguised as journalists, often with disdain or annoyance. However, that didn’t appear to be the case with Silvia Bizio, who had the pleasure of interviewing him over the course of several evenings back in 1981 near the height of his literary success. For one such encounter, Bizio hired a professional crew and captured a conversation that would span an entire evening. But the footage was never used, and the tapes were believed to have been lost. Until they were found.
20 years after Bukowski’s passing in 2014, Bizio rediscovered the nine U-matic tapes of their evening together in the garage of her L.A. home, where she’s lived for 40 years. Her son, Matteo, had the brilliant idea to make a documentary with the digitized footage, and thus, Bukowski rises, resurrected from the ashes, to ride again! Neatly edited and accompanied by Super8 scenes of a modern Los Angeles, You Never Had It: An Evening With Bukowski captures Bukowski’s essence and condenses a long night of cigarettes and wine into a tight 55 minutes.
Bizio’s evening chat with Bukowski and his soon to be wife, Linda Lee Beighle, covers a wide array of topics, from writers to sex, love and humanity, and it provides a window into the beloved writer’s life (and his soul). The conversation is full of delightful surprises; no matter how much you think you know about Bukowski, there’s something new to be discovered here. The biggest shock of all may be Bukowski’s candid comments about sex, as he discusses his period of celibacy and reveals that sex doesn’t mean anything to him. He goes on further, stating that the lewd and crude behavior that’s become a staple of his writing was nothing more than a means to getting published and to sell more copies. Of course, who can tell fact from fiction; Bukowski himself comments that everything he says should only be taken with a grain of salt.
Still, there’s a lot of sincerity — and truth — to his musings, and he seems to be very unguarded with Bizio and her questions. The film has a conversational feel and makes the viewer feel as though they’re in the room spectating, but it’s still an interview when all is said and done. Bizio doesn’t shy away from difficult questions, and she knows when to apply pressure to get a satisfying answer, but there’s room throughout the piece for her to reflect more on her time with Bukowski (which only really occurs in the opening of the piece). The additional Super8 footage helps to keep the audience engaged throughout the lulls in conversation, creating a nice atmosphere for Bukowski’s poetry to be overlaid. The film’s score, created by Eric Cannata, Aidin Sadeghi, François Comtois, and Josh Stein (of the band Travelers and Young the Giant), really serves as a nice addition to the evening’s festivities, matching the mood with soft, introspective instrumental pieces that sizzle with the energy of Explosions in the Sky or Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Just when you thought you may’ve seen all that Bukowski has to offer, You Never Had It (which takes its name from the final line of Bukowski’s poem "Those Sons of Bitches" from the collection “Mockingbird Wish Me Luck”) presents fans with a new layer. The film keeps Bukowski’s spirit alive, and it will appease long-time fans, while hopefully introducing a new generation to his writing. The film will be available this Friday, August 7th, which would be his 100th birthday. There’s no better way to celebrate him, so bring a bottle and some cigarettes and enjoy!
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of Bukowski, you absolutely can’t miss this new opportunity to drink up his essence and wisdom. For more info, click here!
Rating: 4 glasses of wine outta 5.
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!