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Poster for Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles

Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles

Seen it?

1999 | 75 min | Documentary

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With almost no lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
If you count yourself among anyone who likes learning something new, this one's for you. You'll come away knowing something you didn't.
The mood
Eye-opening.
The pace
Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 15 min. An easy one to fit in on a school night.
What might put you off
Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

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.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsNot counted

    Not enough reviews on record yet

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerSolid

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 678 people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Jennifer Baichwal

  • Paul BowlesSelf (archive footage)
  • William S. BurroughsSelf (archive footage)
  • Allen GinsbergSelf (archive footage)