2010, approx. 90 minCountry: US
Studio : Oscilloscope Pictures
Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, Alessandro Nivola,Treat Williams, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, Aaron Tveit
Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Screenwriter: Rob Epstein,Jeffrey Friedman
Original Author: Allen Ginsberg
Subject: Allen Ginsberg
Synopsis
Assembling an all-star cast, directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman take viewers on a kaleidoscopic journey through the evolution of Allen Ginsberg’s classic four-part poem "Howl," and the obscenity trial that ensued over its content.
Review
In Howl, James Franco throws himself into the personage of Allen Ginsberg with passionate abandon, cementing his status as an alternative gay icon.
Dismissing the contrived conventions of your average biopic, directors Epstein and Friedman focus on a specific two year period in the writer’s life and manage to capture the essence of Ginsberg, the man, while presenting the poetry and ensuing events that transformed him into a countercultural legend.
Based on transcripts of interviews given by Ginsberg, as well as records of the 1957 obscenity trial over his seminal work, Howl employs archival footage and photographs, selective black and white cinematography that lends beat-era authenticity, and absorbingly inventive animation that illustrates Ginsberg’s words in both literal and abstract ways. We’re present for the moment when he first begins writing “Howl,” his first public reading at Six Gallery in San Francisco, and the obscenity trial where an impressive cast – including Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Treat Williams, Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker — portray the legal representatives and “expert” academics who enthrallingly debated the literary merit of Ginsberg's poem. Most engrossing, though, are the scenes in which Ginsberg talks about the evolution of his writing and his journey of self-discovery. Proudly honest, he reminisces about his mother’s tragic death, his 8-month period in a mental institution, his coming-out to Jack Kerouac, his sexually-charged relationship with notorious lothario Neal Cassady, his loving relationship with long-term partner Peter Orlovsky, and how his natural homosexuality served as a catalyst for self-examination.
Though the film depicts a specific time in American history when blue blood social conformity defined the status quo, Ginsberg’s struggle for legitimacy and his desire to express himself openly in 1957 is emblematic of our current struggle for equal rights.Howl examines and celebrates one influential gay artist who challenged heteronormative conventions and the suppression of free speech.
Studio : Oscilloscope Pictures
Cast: James Franco, David Strathairn, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker, Alessandro Nivola,Treat Williams, Jeff Daniels, Bob Balaban, Aaron Tveit
Director: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman
Screenwriter: Rob Epstein,Jeffrey Friedman
Original Author: Allen Ginsberg
Subject: Allen Ginsberg
Synopsis
Assembling an all-star cast, directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman take viewers on a kaleidoscopic journey through the evolution of Allen Ginsberg’s classic four-part poem "Howl," and the obscenity trial that ensued over its content.
Review
In Howl, James Franco throws himself into the personage of Allen Ginsberg with passionate abandon, cementing his status as an alternative gay icon.
Dismissing the contrived conventions of your average biopic, directors Epstein and Friedman focus on a specific two year period in the writer’s life and manage to capture the essence of Ginsberg, the man, while presenting the poetry and ensuing events that transformed him into a countercultural legend.
Based on transcripts of interviews given by Ginsberg, as well as records of the 1957 obscenity trial over his seminal work, Howl employs archival footage and photographs, selective black and white cinematography that lends beat-era authenticity, and absorbingly inventive animation that illustrates Ginsberg’s words in both literal and abstract ways. We’re present for the moment when he first begins writing “Howl,” his first public reading at Six Gallery in San Francisco, and the obscenity trial where an impressive cast – including Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Treat Williams, Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker — portray the legal representatives and “expert” academics who enthrallingly debated the literary merit of Ginsberg's poem. Most engrossing, though, are the scenes in which Ginsberg talks about the evolution of his writing and his journey of self-discovery. Proudly honest, he reminisces about his mother’s tragic death, his 8-month period in a mental institution, his coming-out to Jack Kerouac, his sexually-charged relationship with notorious lothario Neal Cassady, his loving relationship with long-term partner Peter Orlovsky, and how his natural homosexuality served as a catalyst for self-examination.
Though the film depicts a specific time in American history when blue blood social conformity defined the status quo, Ginsberg’s struggle for legitimacy and his desire to express himself openly in 1957 is emblematic of our current struggle for equal rights.Howl examines and celebrates one influential gay artist who challenged heteronormative conventions and the suppression of free speech.