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Barfly

6.4

3,478

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Original title

Barfly

Year

1987

Running time

97 min.

Country

United States

Director

Barbet Schroeder

Screenwriter

Charles Bukowski. Biography: Charles Bukowski

Cast

Music

Jack Baran. Classical music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, G. F. Händel, Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven

Cinematography

Robby Müller

Producer

Cannon Group, Zoetrope Studios, Golan-Globus Productions. Distributor: Cannon Group

Genre

Drama | Biography. Alcoholism

Synopsis

Based on a semiautobiographical short story by poet and screenwriter Charles Bukowksi and directed by Barbet Schroeder, BARFLY offers insight into the world of the alcoholic, where all that matters is the next drink. Henry Chinaski (Mickey Rourke) is a talented writer of prolific prose; unfortunately, he’s also a skid-row alcoholic with a violent temper. He picks fights nightly with Eddie (Frank Stallone), the bartender at the local watering hole the Golden Horn and lives in a seedy tenement, stealing food and trying to scrape together enough money for booze. Fellow alcoholic Willa Wilcox (Faye Dunaway) catches Henry’s eye at the bar one afternoon, and although she has a reputation for being unstable, the two embark on a relationship with each other and the bottle. Their liaison is full of drama, humor, and irrational behavior; it is put to the test when Henry meets Tully (Alice Krige), a rich, privileged literary editor who wants to publish his stories and save him from himself.

Awards: 1987: Cannes Film Festival: Official Selection - Nominated to Golden Palm

1987: Golden Globes: Nominated Best Actress Drama (Faye Dunaway)

1987: Independent Spirit Awards: 6 Nominations, including Best Actor (Rourke)

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User history

Barfly

1987

Barbet Schroeder

6.4

(3,478)