Bernstein, certainly the film takes on some great themes as you suggest (working life, relationships, striving for artistic expression), after all, these are the themes BUK writes about in his books. I don't agree with you about the battling against addiction. It seems the addiction in BUK's work is not necessarily unwanted. What I meant by culturally was simply that the film did not produce alot of interest and noise. There were enough people to sustain an average run in many smaller theaters throughout larger cities in the US, but it didn't make any kind of large impact into the bigger culture of film goers the way a film like Darren Arnofski's "Pi" or Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" did. My point being that if "Factotum" was one of the "best films ever made", one would hope that it would resonate somehow with some majority of people somewhere.
Academically, I would suggest the technical degree of the film was rather messy. Hamer was certainly influenced by Gus Van Sant's work circa "Drugstore Cowboy" and "My Own Private Idaho", (some scenes are very similar to scenes in those films), however he doesn't have the same photogenic sense that Van Sant has. In addition, in many of the scenes, Hamer tends to opt for artificial, noir-like lighting which to me is so annoying it's almost comical. I suppose I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, "Factotum" is not technically Hitchcock's "Rope" or the Cohen's "Blood Simple", which it doesn't need to be to be an average film based on a novel by Charles Bukowski. But I would certainly expect the film to reach some degree of success in this arena if it were to be considered one of the "best films ever made".
Critically, the reviews have been mixed and as a film based on Bukowski's work, it's been hailed by the critics as quite good. However, it has not been singled out as an exceptional film by any other means. If I ever hear the name Kristin Asbjornson again, I think I'll break out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter (see previous posts from Bukliveson ), but really her "voice" only bookends the film, it's not featured throughout. I don't know if I agree about the acting, Marisa Tomei is far from a convincing drunk and Liliy Taylor seems to play different aspects of the same character in a lot of the roles she's cast in. But in the end, the lack luster ensemble really does not add up to one of the "best film ever made"
I suppose I would buy the DVD(not the soundtrack) and watch it occasionally, but in the end, it's nothing special aside from the fact it's a film based on the work of an author I really like. I'm glad it really resonated for you, but again, I don't think that's enough to make it count as one of the "best films ever made".
I think you said it best when you said "I just proved you don't know what you are talking about.[/quote]". If you feel you've got to prove anything about the film to anyone, there's a good chance the film hasn't done that itself. In this case, I would also suggest it's a good indication that perhaps the film is a little less than stellar in the grand scheme of things.
However, if "Factotum" for you is the be all, end all of films, then I guess I would say go forth and enjoy! I don't necessarily agree, but on the other hand, I suppose it's better than worshiping "Harry Potter" or "Lord Of The Rings"....:D
