Customer Reviews
Not for the faint hearted. - By: A reader, 08 May 2008 
Gazzara is magnificent as the drunken transgressive poet who shifts from one sordid sexual encounter to another. This character's idea of time out is to hit the streets & hang out with the disadvantaged & vulnerable casualties of the American dream! Although the subject matter is bleak & at times shocking, Ferreri presents an underworld that is not loaded with misplaced bourgoise sympathy or victim mentality. The people that inhabit these shady places are damaged & brutalised by their suroundings & personal circumstances but they are able to seek moments of poetic enlightenment. For example the beach hotel, staffed by unpretentious warm, caring staff, becomes an oasis of peace & tranquilty. Nevertheless the poet is an alchoholic & the consequences of his escapist addiction leads to some very dark encounters albeit mercifully interlaced with some very black humour!
For me 'don't touch the white women' was as interesting as the main feature & an excellent bonus. Shot in a massive hole in the centre of Paris (which became a rather dull shopping malll) Ferreri juxtoposes General Custer's rascist, genocidal attitude to the indiginous people of America with the implied atrocity of the Vietnam War. Often funny & certainly surreal (American cavalry riding through the streets of 1970s Paris) Ferreri's message is clear: don't trust the white man!!!
Exceptional filmmaking - By: Ian Armer, 06 Jan 2008 
This is the third Bukowski adaptation I've seen (via 'Factotum' & 'Barfly') & in many ways it is certainly the most interesting. It's an uncompromising tale of drunk Charles Serking (or Bukowski, or Chinaski...whatever you prefer) getting drunk, messing around with various women, writing poetry & living the low life of Hollywood. Unlike the other two Bukowski adaptations, 'Tales of Ordinary Madness' is so relentless in pessimism & futility, it's not going to be for alll tastes. It also has scenes that might shock the casual viewer (two very painful scenes involving a large safety pin require a strong stomach) & the sex is violent & as damaged as the characters themselves. However, the film can at least justify the extreme nature of these scenes as everything is an intimate character study of shattered psyches & lost souls. It's a bleak, despairing film about empty meaningless lives, & the climax is an understated catharsis for Serking. His life probably wont change, but at least he'll be able to cope with it again, even if it's in the usual way of drink, women & writing.
The film is beautifully shot & there's a nice use of music throughout. The performances are strong & believable, but it's Ben Gazzara as Serking that makes the film so utterly compelling. It's a truly great performance. Brave in many respects. And out of the three Bukowski adaptations, HIS is the better 'Bukowski/Chinaski' clone. Rourke was a charming pussycat & Dillon was weary & aloof, but Gazzara brings Serking to life in so many ways. His depiction of Serking is a revelation.
Ferreri does it again! - By: Borderline obsessive, 01 Apr 2007 Marco Ferreri, the Italian director, is as overlooked as they get, despite having worked with some of the greats & making some of the best films of alll time. This DVD release actuallly has two films on it: Tales of Ordinary Madness & 'Touche Pas La Femme Blanche'. I actuallly bought the DVD for the latter film, as it is so hard to come buy at any reasonable price. Both films are wonderful. Tales of Ordinary Madness follows a man essentiallly through different sexual experiences he has with different women. It is dry & rather bleak, but exceptionallly good. If you have a real interest in films, then watch this one. 'Touche Pas La Femme Blanche' is almost a parody. It tells the story of The Americans fighting the Native Indians, but is set in the middle of modern day (for when the film was made) Paris, & only the main characters are wearing period costume. They are fighting the Indians in the Middle of Paris, in a quarry. The acting is superb, the direcion to die for. It is funny, & makes many actions that took place seem ridiculous. By changing the setting et al. Ferreri is highlighting many of the key issues. A very clever film. Good DVD. Tales of Ordinary Madness is in English, 'Touche Pas La Femme Blanche' is in French with English subs
