Bukowski, directed by James Franco (1 Viewer)

Well, if Franco used full dialogues that were in the original script from this other fellow, he could be in a bit of trouble. Otherwise, Franco seems to be free to make a biopic on Bukowski using another source. If this other guy owns the rights to adapt the novel HAM ON RYE, he is still free to do that. Franco is using another source for his book, NOT the novel.
 
It's amazing really, given the litigious nature of the entertainment industry, you would have thought that Mr Franco would have avoided using references to adapting Ham on Rye (publicly)and instead, emphasized that he was doing a biopic - which he is now saying of course. Depends I suppose on what he has lifted from the book, dialogue wise.Would it not be difficult to sue over generic, factual events?
No doubt the lawyers are busy.
 
In the last few weeks, Humphris finished a script based on "Ham on Rye" by the late Los Angeles writer Charles Bukowski. Right now, he is casting it and closing the contract - it is to be produced by Amblin Entertainment, a branch of Chesterfield Films.

I was curious how this guy obtained film rights to Ham on Rye. A quick search and I found the above quote from a 1995 article.
 
Film rights are limited. You buy them for X number of years (typically not many), then you lose them and someone else can pick them up. To add a layer confusion, if I own the rights to a work I can sell them to you (for the period that I bought). I imagine the rights to most of Bukowski's novels have been sold multiple times.
 
Jason Priestley: A Memoir
ir


Beverly Hills is just not the same since the Peach Pit closed. I know, this has zero to do with this thread.
 
What is the latest news on this movie? I don't go out to the movies much at all but I am looking forward to seeing a movie in a theater that is about Buk. Who's got the latest news out there?
 
A recent article claimed that he neglected to secure the rights to the story, which is generally frowned upon. He says it isn't Ham on Rye, but rather an original work about the young Bukowski.

Though I'm not sure how you write an original work about the young Bukowski without Ham on Rye...
 
Say what you will about Franco, but he really is into writers. I recently saw him in As I Lay Dying, and also a biopic about Hart Crane The Broken Tower (he wrote and directed them also). Faulkner's The Sound And the Fury is set to come out soon (starred and directed), As well as playing Ginsberg in Howl. Plus Bukowski, of course.
 
Yeah, I'd imagine Franco has a tough sell to make that his young Buk project is an original work and not (at least major elements of) Ham on Rye.

Saw Howl, Franco was quite good as Ginsberg, but personally didn't really like the film. Haven't seen the one on Hart Crane yet. Is it worth checking out?
 
General Skiroom has taken this matter under personal consideration and has determined that if Mr. Franco provides him with Beta tapes of Virgin Lesbians Vol. 1-76 and Ghost Busters 3, all copyright violations shall be forgiven and he will not be fed to hungry dogs.... So it is said, so it is written...
 
I guess one could make a movie about Buk's childhood without using Ham On Rye since Buk often mentioned his childhood and his parents in interviews and of course in his poetry and short stories too. Still, many pieces would be missing if you can't use episodes from Ham On Rye.
 
Franco won't win. From the title, it's more than clear from where the material is sourced. Money will change hands,
Ham On Rye will be released, and no one except us and Francophiles will give a fuck.
 
Yeah, I'm curious. Even if it sucks I want to see what kind of attempt was made. Maybe I'll get a much needed and unintended laugh at the audacity.
 
Franco doesn't seem like the right man to portray bukowski's life as a writer, actor or director... his version of howl did nothing to warm me to the beats, but I guess if it brings new eyes to bukowski that can't be a bad thing .... even if they do belong to a bunch of pretentious hipsters
 
I'm thinking it won't ever come out now because the damages will be bigger than the low budget production costs. I like Franco's shit, but I never held out a lot for the plot. He'd have to really surprise me... Maybe that scene where Buk tries to re-enter his mom's womb... Although someone already tried that with another film and failed... I just don't know what could be so new/intetesting about Buk's childhood. It's not that much different from most...
 
I'm not really interested in the film as such, but as for the plot being thin, I disagree, there's so much material in there from his childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, up to ww2, for me it would probably be the most interesting.

If you only ever read one poem of Bukowski's and it is Bluebird, it would tell you a lot about his childhood and the damage inflicted. But yes, we all carry a lot of crap from our own childhood, that isn't remotely interesting to anyone else; but most of us aren't famous authors.
 
I have read Bluebird so many times now. It's one of the poems I read to my Mom, sister, brother. It is one of the few sensitive poems by him. He even throws in some humor with the line "do you want to ruin my book sales in Europe." It's one of the few poems of his that makes me a little verklempt. (sp?) They had it at the end of one his books and it was perfect there. I feel we all have a bluebird in our soul. It's our own inner knowing of ourselves. Leave it up to the master to find the words that he used to express such a thing. I am in awe of him at times. Right now I'm on a Bukowski addiction where I'm buying book after book and if I have to wait for a new book in the mail I just re-read the other books I have over and over again.

You are not going to believe this.....but I have written a book! It should be out in a few months and I have a lot of little Buk gems hidden here and there. The front cover art work has Buk secrets. The big guy has motivated me to do my book. The poem that starts out with "your life is your life" has been a guiding light. I will soon create a thread for my book. I hope people like because that will be better than the other.
 
I guess you are right zobraks. by the way...that is a great picture of Buk you've got there. He looks intense and he looks like he is in deep thought. I also really like the new picture that is on the main page. Buk is wearing a white shirt with a smile on his face. He looks happy and he actually looks healthy. After all of the suffering he has been through it makes he happy to see him so well looking. (Um like...I know he is dead but you know what I mean.)
 
Danny Mac is the nicest Kid on here next to Bill... He's read a lot of Buk, but somehow didn't become jaded like most of us... Hence his avator.
 
Holy Crap...are you kidding me >:(( I got my hopes only to have them dashed again. Oh this cruel world. That really pisses me off. Is he a moron? Did he really drop the ball like that?

I saw his HOWL a few days ago and thought it was OK. He looked the part and some of the art work was pretty cool. They did a good enuf job of mixing in the court room stuff with the real life stories of day to day life and the art work. I read HOWL about 6 months ago and thought it was a bunch of psycho babble but hearing read again in bits and pieces there was some pretty creative stuff in there.

I hope Franco gets his shit together and finishes this movie. I've already see Robo-Cop 4, Iron Man 6, The Avengers 5, The Expendibles 6, and various other movies. It would be nice to have something about Bukowski. I can dig what Mr. Stickpin is saying about Hank's words being the main deal. He's right. Nothing can match the original energy of Buk's words but a new movie that isn't endless bombs and explosion would be nice too.

Danny Mac is the nicest Kid on here next to Bill... He's read a lot of Buk, but somehow didn't become jaded like most of us... Hence his avator.
Thanks for the kind words Pogue but I am more jaded them you know. I don't let known my levels of frustration and pain. Hell, I suffer from chronic moderate to severe pain in both of my knees. I'm on prescription pain meds everyday. It all started in 2002 and so by this point I am fragment of a person. But, I do still have a tiny light that somehow keeps me somewhat positive. It's really like the Bluebird in the heart thing. That tiny bit of optimism that we all still have even when going through all kinds of crap.

I am jaded, cynical, tired beyond belief but I don't bring that vibe to this site. I think everybody tries to keep this site lite. That is when there not throwing sarcastic spears at each other. I hope I make a million dollars from my book and when I do I'm gonna buy all sorts of stuff from you my friend.
 
zobraks... that is a great picture of Buk you've got there.
It's a part of a picture that didn't make it into Shakespeare Never Did This. It was made in Hamburg.
In Shakespeare you can see the same room with Buk (shot from a different angle) and Carl Weissner reading newspapers that wrote about the Hamburg event (the second in a batch of photos coming after the chapter 16 in BSP edition).
The caption says: "So then it was Hamburg: the reading was on my neck, it had me by the balls."

I decided to use that photo when registering here because: a) I didn't like to get
avatar_m.png
as an avatar, b) I liked the unusual expression of Buk's face on that photo too,
c) it wasn't one of the iconic/often seen pictures of Bukowski.

He looks intense and he looks like he is in deep thought.
I reckon it was the mix of hangover, resignation, fright (of upcoming reading) and being fed up with a personal photographer hanging around him all the time that made him make a face like that.

Hell, I suffer from chronic moderate to severe pain in both of my knees. I'm on prescription pain meds everyday.
I'm sorry about your predicament.
I'll post the whole picture in another thread to ease some of your pain.
 
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Danny Mac just got hired to do the background score. The guy from Titanic was onboard before his tragic accident. Danny says he had nothing to do with it, but those Philly boys play rough. A little water in the fuel tank and it looks like just another John Denver.
 
Or I cooda dun somtin whiff his brakes see. Dare is alwaze a little exploding bomb on one of da tires above 60 right. You cood alwaze just shoot the guy. (long time........no posts......could be outta practice)
 
Seemingly rather than saying it's based on Ham on Rye, which it more than likely was, Franco is saying it's based off neeli cherkovski's bio of Buk. It'd be interesting to see the movie now to see how true this is!
 

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