Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles

1999
6.9| 1h15m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 01 April 1999 Released
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One of the most enigmatic artists of the 20th century, writer, composer and wanderer Paul Bowles (1910-1999) is profiled by a filmmaker who has been obsessed with his genius since age nineteen. Set against the dramatic landscape of North Africa, the mystery of Bowles (famed author of The Sheltering Sky) begins to unravel in Jennifer Baichwal's poetic and moving Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles. Rare, candid interviews with the reclusive Bowles--at home in Tangier, as well as in New York during an extraordinary final reunion with Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs--are intercut with conflicting views of his supporters and detractors. At the time in his mid-eighties, Bowles speaks with unprecedented candor about his work, his controversial private life and his relationships with Gertrude Stein, Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, the Beats, and his wife and fellow author Jane Bowles.

Genre

Documentary

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Director

Jennifer Baichwal

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Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles Audience Reviews

ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
mizkwebb This documentary is a fascinating, poignant effort to assess the life of mysterious expatriate writer Paul Bowles. It includes archival "home movie" footage, as well as interviews with William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and other "beat" era writers who knew Bowles and his wife Jane during his 50 years in Morocco. We see a man who is obviously on death's doorstep, but who has made a semblance of peace with himself and his past. He discusses his philosophy on writing (he basically doesn't have one), his life with Jane, his homosexuality, and his complex relationship with his adopted country. This film does not earn a higher rating, because it teases more than it tells . . . probably due to the difficulty of getting information from Bowles. It will make you want to read his autobiography and all his other literary works, if you haven't already done so.