Monday, March 11, 2024

"Tales of Ordinary Madness"

A view east on Hollywood Blvd. toward the Century Theatre from "Tales of Ordinary Madness" (Fred Baker Films, 1983). Vermont Ave. is another seven blocks down the street. The Century was at 5115 Hollywood Blvd. 

A poet played by Ben Gazzara gets sober enough to hop a bus to Los Angeles where he descends into a swirl of drugs and sexual escapades. It's a film by Marco Ferreri that had the title "Storie di ordinaria follia" for its initial theatrical release in Italy in 1981. The writing is credited to Sergio Amidei, Charles Bukowski and Mr. Ferreri. Also featured in the cast are Ornella Muti, Susan Tyrell, Tanya Lopert, Roy Brocksmith and Katya Berger. The cinematography was by Tonino Delli Colli.

Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre and getting the screenshot. 

See the page about the Century Theatre on the Los Angeles Theatres site. It had opened in 1922 as Hunley's Theatre. 

A review on IMDb from FertileCelluloid:

"Masterful vision of a man enslaved by sexual and alcoholic gluttony -- Spectacularly sleazy, beautiful, boisterous and sexy, this is the real Bukowski deal, a booze-fueled erotic odyssey by the adventurous Ferreri with the perfectly cast Ben Gazzara as Charles Serking (Bukowski).

"Ornella Muti, as Serking's sexual muse, is Venus incarnate and turns in a powerhouse performance as Cass, an emotionally damaged whore with a penchant for pain. The scenes of Gazzara swaggering in and out of LA's fleapit bars, apartments and hotel rooms convey a filthy, delirious ambiance that is vividly captured by Tonino Delli Colli's superb cinematography and Dante Ferretti's exquisitely oily production design. This is such an amazing looking film with a thick, steamy, anything-goes atmosphere of lust-ridden anarchy.

"Much grittier than the accomplished 'Barfly' and more watchable than 'Love Is A Dog From Hell,' the entire affair has an emotional, raw resonance that slavishly captures the Bukowski sensibility and remains consistently perverse in its singular vision of a man enslaved by alcoholic and sexual gluttony. Phillipe Sarde's score is moody and rich, as is Gazzara's breathy voice-over. A masterpiece."

On IMDb: "Tales of Ordinary Madness"

No comments:

Post a Comment