Poet/lecturer Charles Serking awakens from his alcoholic haze long enough to take a bus back to L.A. and plunge into an orgy of drink and sexual depravity.Poet/lecturer Charles Serking awakens from his alcoholic haze long enough to take a bus back to L.A. and plunge into an orgy of drink and sexual depravity.Poet/lecturer Charles Serking awakens from his alcoholic haze long enough to take a bus back to L.A. and plunge into an orgy of drink and sexual depravity.
- Awards
- 9 wins & 3 nominations
- Girl on Beach
- (as Katia Berger)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn Bukowski's short story, Mad Enough to be found in the compilation, Septuagenarian Stew, he talks about reluctantly meeting the cast and crew of a film called Songs of the Suicide Man, while they did a scene at Venice Beach. It was directed by Luigi Bellini and starring Ben Garabaldi and Eva Mutton, surely synonyms for the people behind this film. He also mentions that Garabaldi had appealing eyes but 'self-pleased' and 'dozing inside.' They had a drinking session for the writer's visit. There are many worthy references that seem like this even may have happened, such as Bukowski often did in his stories and poems by telling real stories with a variation of the real name with a little spruced up Bukowski magic. Suffice to say, he wasn't a fan of the film. The same story also references the film Crazy Love.
- Quotes
Charles Serking: [First lines. Off-camera from a theater lecture stage] Well, here I am.
[Jeers are heard from the unseen audience and an unseen voice yells out, "Fuck you, turkey"]
Charles Serking: Ayyyyy... watch it. I've been working out with weights.
[More jeers and another unseen voice yells out, "Are you drunk?"]
Charles Serking: Ill just drink my wine and leave. Right...
[More jeering]
Charles Serking: Okay, let's begin. Forget the bullshit and get into the so-called art... Style...
[Audience is restless and an unseen voice yells out, "We love you, Charlie!" as he guzzles wine from a brown bag]
Charles Serking: Style is the answer to everything... a fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing. To do a dull thing with style is preferable to doing a dangerous thing without style. To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art. Bullfighting can be an art. Boxing can be an art. Loving can be an art. Opening a can of sardines can be an art.
[the audience bcimes restless again and an unseen voice cries, "Come on!"]
Charles Serking: Not many have style. Not many can keep style. I have seen dogs with more style than men - though not many dogs have style. Cats have it in abundance.
[He guzzles more wine from his brown bag]
- Crazy credits'Copyright' is spelt as 'copyrigth'.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Films of Marco Ferreri: A discussion with Rolando Caputo (2008)
- SoundtracksSmile Away The Rain
Written by R. & M. Berardi
(r) Mureo Music Pub
insistent, intense focus on the passions of flesh - the human response
to, need for, and meditation on our bodily bounds and desires. In his
other films he's explored the excesses which bind our mortality from
hunger to sex to suicide. Here he zeroes in on the texts of the poet
Charles Bukowski, whose poetic life of booze and sexual conquest has him
teetering on the brink of annihilation but remaining firmly in the realm
of fierce, soulful expression. The main character in Tales of Ordinary
Madness is a poet whose relationships with women range from the
infantile to the sadomasochistic while he continues to binge on a diet
of alcohol. What he doesn't expect is to fall in love. Being a poetic
film (that is based around symbols and evocative imagery rather than
plot) this is a beautiful, estranged experience. Its a fascinating
glimpse of America from the outside. Vividly powered by Ben Gazzara's
performance as the outsider poet in the shadows of society, this is a
film to be explored with a roving eye. Its a film where the sex scenes
are not choreographed and sensual but brutal and unflinching in their
approach to the passions of flesh. Its a rough film but one which takes
us into the dark corners of love.
- Mattydee74
- Jul 3, 2001
- How long is Tales of Ordinary Madness?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ganz normal verrückt
- Filming locations
- Atlanta, Georgia, USA(Closing beach scenes.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1